Freestyler (song)

From Infogalactic: the planetary knowledge core
Jump to: navigation, search
"Freestyler"
Single by Bomfunk MC's
from the album In Stereo
Released October 1999 (Finland)
14 February 2000 (worldwide)
Format CD single, 12" single
Recorded 1999
Genre Hip hop, drum and bass, electronica
Length 5:06
Label Sony, Epidrome
Writer(s) Raymond Ebanks, JS16
Producer(s) JS16
Bomfunk MC's singles chronology
"B-Boys & Flygirls"
(1999)		 "Freestyler"
(1999)		 "Other Emcee's"
(1999)
file info · help
Music video
"Freestyler" on YouTube

"Freestyler" is a single by Finnish hip hop group Bomfunk MC's. It was released in October 1999 in Finland as the third single from their debut studio album In Stereo (2000). It was released in February 2000 internationally and was a worldwide success, topping the charts in Sweden, Germany, Australia, Norway, New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Turkey, Belgium, the Netherlands and Italy. It also peaked at number two in Denmark and the United Kingdom and number three in Ireland.

Composition

"Freestyler" is primarily a Drum & Bass song, with strong influences from the UK dance culture and electronic dance music, as well as some influences from Hip Hop.[1]

Music video

The music video was mainly filmed at the Hakaniemi metro station,[2] an underground station on the Helsinki Metro line, in Finland and with platforms 21 metres below sea level. The principal “home boy” featured in the video is Marlo Snellman, a Finnish model and musician who later released his own single entitled "Dust" and today is working as producer for his own projects such as “Hipsters”[3] and "Okta".[4] The actor was only fifteen at the time of shooting and got the part through his mother, Finnish modelling magnate Laila Snellman.[5] Marlo Snellman appears briefly in another Bomfunk MC's music video, "B-Boys & Flygirls".[citation needed]

The video begins with Snellman catching a train while listening to “Freestyler” on his MiniDisc (Sony MZ-R55 Hummm) player. A character sits across him in the train, who is played by Raymond Ebanks (B.O. Dubb), the lead singer of the Bomfunk MC's, and who imbues Snellman with the power to control the flow of time for one or a group of individuals. Realising this ability, Snellman spends the duration of the video pausing, rewinding and fast-forwarding dancers and people on his journey until coming across the Bomfunk MC's, upon whom the remote control does not work; the whole video is then sent into a rapid rewind back to the beginning. The music video may be inspired by[original research?] and seems to use similar themes as Ferry Corsten’s 1999 "Out of the blue" music video.[6] The music video is a play on themes of empowerment, with the power of the music being transferred to and in the end taken from Snellman by Ebanks. There is a continuity error in the video with the number on the train carriage changing throughout the sequence.

The music video was later parodied by the hip hop group Raptori for their song Hiphopmusiikkia.[7] In 2011 the beginning scene was also remade in the music video for a DJ RZY release Tervetuloo Helsinkiin.[8]

Track listing

CD maxi – Europe (2000)
  1. "Freestyler" (radio edit) – 2:52
  2. "Freestyler" (Alternative Radio Edit) – 4:07
  3. "Freestyler" (Happy Mickey Mouse Mix) – 4:48
  4. "Freestyler" (Missing Link Remix) – 5:40

Charts

References

  1. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  2. ↑ Dr. Giacomo Bottà – University of Helsinki, Popular Culture and Urban Creativity in Helsinki and Berlin, 2006–08.
  3. ↑ Marlo Snellman's band Hipster on Myspace, [1].
  4. ↑ Marlo Snellman as Okta on Myspace, [2].
  5. ↑ Website, Marlo Snellman.
  6. ↑ YouTube
  7. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  8. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  9. ↑ "Australian-charts.com – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler". ARIA Top 50 Singles.
  10. ↑ "Austriancharts.at – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler" (in German). Ö3 Austria Top 40.
  11. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler" (in Dutch). Ultratop 50.
  12. ↑ "Ultratop.be – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler" (in French). Ultratop 50.
  13. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  14. ↑ "Bomfunk MCs: Freestyler" (in Finnish). Musiikkituottajat – IFPI Finland.
  15. ↑ "Lescharts.com – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler" (in French). Les classement single.
  16. ↑ "Musicline.de – Bomfunk MCs Single-Chartverfolgung" (in German). Media Control Charts. PhonoNet GmbH.
  17. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  18. ↑ "Italiancharts.com – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler". Top Digital Download.
  19. ↑ "Nederlandse Top 40 – Bomfunk MCs search results" (in Dutch) Dutch Top 40.
  20. ↑ "Charts.org.nz – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler". Top 40 Singles.
  21. ↑ "Norwegiancharts.com – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler". VG-lista.
  22. ↑ Romanian peak
  23. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2000-07-30". Scottish Singles Top 40.
  24. ↑ "Spanishcharts.com – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler" Canciones Top 50.
  25. ↑ "Swedishcharts.com – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler". Singles Top 60.
  26. ↑ "Swisscharts.com – Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler". Swiss Singles Chart.
  27. ↑ "Archive Chart: 2000-08-05" UK Singles Chart.
  28. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  29. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  30. ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. Enter Bomfunk MC's in the field Keywords. Select Title in the field Search by. Select single in the field By Format. Select Gold in the field By Award. Click Search

External links

Retrieved from "https://infogalactic.com/w/index.php?title=Freestyler_(song)&oldid=4371890"