Lisa Lisa emerged as a pioneering dance-pop artist during the 1980s through her energetic freestyle hits while delivering powerful vocals that shaped both Latin pop and club music. As the lead vocalist of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, she developed the musical direction of her era through electro-funk, R&B and pop fusion which controlled dance floors and radio stations throughout the decade.

Lisa Velez achieved fame in the mid-1980s after releasing "I Wonder If I Take You Home" which became a successful club hit that reached both pop and R&B music charts. Through Full Force's production, Lisa Lisa gained popularity across the nation when she performed her song which became the starting point for creating high-energy emotional hits. Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam produced chart-topping freestyle tracks including "Can You Feel the Beat," "Head to Toe," "Lost in Emotion" and "All Cried Out" that became essential songs in the freestyle genre and established her as a pioneering Latina artist to reach major American radio audiences.