Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam had many of their hits during the freestyle era and were certainly one of the favorite acts of the time. The group had lots of dance grooves that were played on the airwaves nationwide.

The charisma and charm that lead singer Lisa Lisa had was totally unmatched by other freestyle artists, and Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam will always be regarded as one of the top acts of the freestyle music era. Many consider Lisa Lisa to be the queen of Latin Hip Hop.

 

 

Top Songs From Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam

For many, when they think of Lisa Lisa, the first song that comes into their mind is “I Wonder if I take you Home” which was released in 1985 and became #1 on the U.S. Dance Chart, #6 on the U.S. R&B Chart and #34 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100 Chart. This hit came from the 1985 album release of “Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force” which peaked at #52 on the U.S. Album Billboard Top 200. The album went Platinum. Another hit that followed that same year from the same album was “Can you feel the beat” which made it to #6 on the U.S. Dance Chart, #40 on the U.S. R&B Chart and #69 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100. This was just the beginning for Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam as many other hits would soon follow.

During 1986, the slow ballad love song “All Cried Out” made it to #8 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100 Chart and #3 on the U.S R&B Chart. This was the third song from the “Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam with Full Force” album to become a hit, and it was certainly a major hit. The group showed that they could not only produce hits to fill the dance floor, but they could also put out a sentimental slow hit love song that was adored by fans.

The 1987 album “Spanish Fly” released what was probably Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam’s biggest hit “Head to Toe.” This song went to #1 not only on the U.S. Billboard Top 100 Chart, but it also hit #1 on the U.S. Dance Chart, The U.S. R&B Chart and also made it to #1 in Canada. It spent two weeks in the #1 spot of the U.S. R&B Chart and spent nearly 3 months in the top 5 positions.

The second major hit to come from the “Spanish Fly” album was “Lost in Emotion” which peaked at #1 on both the U.S. Chart and the U.S. R&B Chart. It charted at #8 on the U.S. Dance Chart while hitting #7 in Canada. Fans couldn’t get enough of the “Lost in Emotion” music video as it was the fourth most played video that played on MTV in 1987. Two other songs from the “Spanish Fly” album had minor success. “Someone to love me for me” charted at #7 on the U.S. R&B Chart while “Everything will B-Fine” made it to #9 on the U.S. R&B Chart. Just like its predecessor, The “Spanish Fly” album went platinum. It peaked at #7 on the U.S. Billboard Album Top 200 Chart.

In 1989 the group released the “Straight to the Sky” album. By this time, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam had four gold singles with “I Wonder if I Take you Home,” “All Cried Out,” “Head to Toe” and “Lost in Emotion.” The group was certainly looking for a fifth gold single. Surprisingly, “Can you feel the beat” never did hit gold status.

That fifth gold single was not going to come from the “Straight to the Sky” album though as the biggest hit from the album would be “Little Jackie wants to be a Star” which peaked at #3 on the U.S. R&B Chart and #29 on the U.S. Billboard Top 100. Although a likeable song, “Little Jackie wants to be a Star” along with the other songs on the album such as “Just git it together” and “Kiss your tears away” were not close to the success of the top hits from past albums.

Entering the new decade, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam’s 1991 album release “Straight outta Hell’s Kitchen” produced the fifth gold single for the group. The album was the least successful for the group, and at the time, as we know today, the freestyle sound was slowly fading away from mainstream music at this time.

The only bright spot from this album was the single “Let the beat Hit ‘Em” which peaked at #1 on both the U.S. R&B Chart and the U.S. Dance Chart. This song was the the fifth gold single for the group. Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam disbanded in 1991.

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Fun facts about Lisa Lisa

How did Lisa Lisa begin her career?

Sometime around 1984, the production team Full Force held an audition for a girl that could sing their song “I wonder if I take you home.” The girl had to not only have the vocals to fit the sound they were looking for, but she also had to have the visual requirements that they were looking for.

Although there were many pretty girls and decent voices that auditioned, in the end it was a beautiful teenager with an innocent voice named Lisa Lisa that they chose. At first Lisa Lisa was to be a solo female act, but Full Force thought it would be best for her to have a couple of backup singers in the group.

Who was Cult Jam?

Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam was officially the name of this three person band. Although Lisa Lisa is the lead singer and the most popular from the group, she actually made up one third of the band. The guitarist/ bassist of the group was Alex “Spanador” Moseley and Mike Hughes was the drummer / keyboardist.

Lisa Lisa actually met Mike Hughes at an underage dance club, and it was Hughes that told Lisa Lisa that she should go to an audition that was being held by Full Force, and we all know how that turned out. Hughes is also the one that came up with the name Cult Jam. In disc jockey lingo, a cult jam is an underground hit that is not mainstream.

What is Lisa Lisa’s real name?

Lisa Lisa’s real name is Lisa Velez, and there is an interesting story about how she began to be called Lisa Lisa instead. Nobody would ever deny that Lisa Lisa has sex appeal, and that included Full Force. Sure, Lisa Lisa will always turn a lot of heads with her pink satin headband, giant earrings dangling and big beautiful smile, but when she had a tight top on a person had to be blind to not notice her most noticeable assets.

That’s right! The guys from Full Force had a hard time looking at Lisa Valdez straight in the eyes and renamed her twin parts Lisa Lisa. Eventually, the name stuck and that is of course how most of us have always known her. It’s said that Lisa Lisa was never uptight about the origin of her nickname and took it with humor. This is a great lesson for those that get just too uptight about everything in life.

When is Lisa Lisa’s Birthday?

Lisa Lisa was born on January 15, 1966 in New York City, New York

Does Lisa Lisa come from a big family?

Lisa Lisa comes from a very big family. She is the youngest of 10 siblings.

What nationality is Lisa Lisa?

Lisa Lisa is American of Puerto Rican decent.

Where did Lisa Lisa grow up?

Lisa Lisa grew up in Hell’s Kitchen which is a neighborhood near New York City.