Full Force, Cult Jam, Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam and Full Force - Little Jackie Wants To Be A Star

What this video is

Released in 1989 from the album Straight to the Sky (Columbia Records), this video captures Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam at the tail end of their commercial peak, navigating the crossover from NYC club freestyle into mainstream pop-R&B. The song reached #29 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #3 on the R&B chart. Full Force, the Brooklyn-based six-man collective who wrote, produced, and arranged all tracks on the album, had by…

Why it matters

A key document of the NYC freestyle genre's late-80s transition point, where Latin-influenced club rhythms, drum-machine production, and emotive pop vocals were being absorbed into New Jack Swing and mainstream R&B. Lisa Lisa & Cult Jam, assembled and produced by Full Force, were among the first…