Stevie B.

Freestyle music is widely considered to be a “dead” genre, a fad from the 80s that came and then quickly went away, letting its most successful artists fade into obscurity. Despite being a 90s baby, I grew up listening to Freestyle. As a result, I’ve spent my entire life listening to and learning about artists whose careers and popularity have already peaked. However, in the sea of Freestyle artists that have come and gone, one has maintained his mainstream relevance and popularity - Stevie B.

The "King of Freestyle" Stevie B., born Steven Bernard Hill in Florida, is American singer, songwriter and producer is best known for his songs “Because I Love You (The Postman Song)”, “Spring Love”, “I Wanna Be the One”, “In My Eyes” and “I’ll Be By Your Side”, all of which charted on the Billboard Hot 100 in the late 80s and early 90s. “Because I Love You” was particularly successful, remaining at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 for four weeks in December, 1990, following Whitney Houston and preceding Madonna. Billboard

Though his last success on the American charts was in 1995 (“Dream About You” and “Funky Melody”), Stevie B. has continued to perform concerts regularly across Canada, the United States, Brazil and Germany, making him one of the few Freestyle artists to be able to live comfortably off his music career. His hits are also among the very few freestyle songs that continue to receive regular radio airplay in the 2010s. Stevie B. is currently experiencing a resurgence of success in Europe where his 2013 update to "Spring Love" featuring Pitbull has appealed to a new generation of fans. The "Spring Love 2013" music video has received more than 15 million views on YouTube as of November 2013. YouTube

Videos:

Spring Love (Original)

Because I Love You

Dreamin' of Love

Spring Love 2013

Live Performance - MGM Grand at Foxwoods ResortCasino