Chris Barbosa
from The Bronx, New York, USA
Do you know this about the Latin Freestyle pioneer Chris Barbosa?
Nothing is ever as it seems, and if there is anything that we've learned from legendary Chris Barbosa, it is that one sound can change the definition of music forever.
Not to be confused with his namesake, a violinist from Tampa, FL, Chris Barbosa, music producer extraordinaire and the founder of the genre of Latin Freestyle, is a distinctive multi-talented man with a formal education behind him but no actual education in music.
Chris has never been interested in singing. His passion always lay in creating those distinct Latin beats that have heads and booties bobbing even today.
Chris Barbosa started his career at the age of 22 as a DJ in the Bronx and became a reporter at WKTU. Because of this, he was introduced to many people, including Nelson Cruz, a billboard reporter who joined his mobile DJ crew, The New York City Mixologists.
Chris' full name is Christopher Maynard Barbosa. Although we may not understand why so many Latin freestylers changed their names back then, we see reason in Chris' case, although he merely shortened it.
We have to credit Barbosa for his out-of-the-box thinking. Hailing from New York, Barbosa didn't merely go into the trend of the time but saw a gap with something different and grabbed it with both hands. His innovation led to what we know as Latin freestyle, which redefined music from the electro-funk era.
The Cruz / Barbosa duo was initially signed as a comedy team under the film work side of Emergency Records.
Due to a slow start, Chris borrowed money from his grandmother to buy a Roland JC-3P keyboard, drums, and bass boxes, including the legendary Roland TB 303. The track to "Let the Music Play," his first major hit in 1983, was recorded on the first night he received his new toys. It was initially named "Fire and Ice."
Barbosa always had his eye set on producing music without any interest in singing. Arrangements were his thing, and he felt that everyone needed some new ear candy.
He hooked up with producer Mark Ligget, and the record label Ligosa soon emerged. They came up with the name in pretty much the same fashion that we've seen on trend today - LIG from Ligget and OSA from Barbosa.
"Let the Music Play" was sung by R&B vocalist Brenda Shannon Green and was dubbed "The Shannon Sound." This later became known as Freestyle.
Chris Barbosa's net worth is undisclosed, but we can safely assume that his primary source of income is his record label.
Chris Barbosa has been married to Marisol Barbosa since 1996. The couple has two children, including an autistic son named Brandon. He is therefore involved in many charities and causes relating to autism.
Chris is also a media director who manages all aspects of media development, including film, photography, and entertainment.
Contrary to popular belief, musicians have religious views, and a quick peek into Chris' Facebook profile reveals that he follows Christianity.