Freaky Executives
Encyclopedia
The Freaky Executives were a 1980s ska
funk
musical group based in the Berkeley, California
area. They were a winner of a "Bammie
" (Bay Area Music Award, later known as the "California Music Award"). The band was founded by singer Piero Ornelas (stage name "Piero El Malo", and now performing under the name Piero Amadeo Infante) and Michael Maung. Their music was a mix of ska, Latin, funk, and hard rock. Their song lyrics were explicitly critical of U.S. government policies, the Cold War
, Apartheid and the Reagan administration
.
They were signed briefly to Warner Bros. Records
under Benny Medina
, writer of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
". Ornelas left the band shortly after, amid disagreements about how their record company wanted to change and commercialize their sound. Ornelas went on form the musical groups Los Angelitos, and Los Mocosos, both of which won California music awards. Ornelas performs with his band PAPAMALO. The Executive's drummer and background vocalist Scotty Roberts, son of actor Thalmus Rasulala
, went on to produce and mix over 1000 hip hop albums, and is now known as "One Drop Scott". Trombonist Dan Reagan has played with vocalist Marc Anthony
.
Ska
Ska |Jamaican]] ) is a music genre that originated in Jamaica in the late 1950s, and was the precursor to rocksteady and reggae. Ska combined elements of Caribbean mento and calypso with American jazz and rhythm and blues...
funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
musical group based in the Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
area. They were a winner of a "Bammie
BAM (magazine)
BAM , was a free bi-weekly music magazine founded and published by Dennis Erokan in the San Francisco Bay Area starting in January 1976 and continuing on for 23 years until 1999...
" (Bay Area Music Award, later known as the "California Music Award"). The band was founded by singer Piero Ornelas (stage name "Piero El Malo", and now performing under the name Piero Amadeo Infante) and Michael Maung. Their music was a mix of ska, Latin, funk, and hard rock. Their song lyrics were explicitly critical of U.S. government policies, the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
, Apartheid and the Reagan administration
Reagan Administration
The United States presidency of Ronald Reagan, also known as the Reagan administration, was a Republican administration headed by Ronald Reagan from January 20, 1981, to January 20, 1989....
.
They were signed briefly to Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records
Warner Bros. Records Inc. is an American record label. It was the foundation label of the present-day Warner Music Group, and now operates as a wholly owned subsidiary of that corporation. It maintains a close relationship with its former parent, Warner Bros. Pictures, although the two companies...
under Benny Medina
Benny Medina
Benny Medina is the CEO of The Medina Company and son of legendary Jazz drummer Ahmad "Benny" Medina. He has worked in the music business as a producer, talent manager and record executive...
, writer of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 10, 1990 to May 20, 1996. The show stars Will Smith as a fictionalized version of himself, a street-smart teenager from West Philadelphia who is sent to move in with his aunt and uncle in their...
". Ornelas left the band shortly after, amid disagreements about how their record company wanted to change and commercialize their sound. Ornelas went on form the musical groups Los Angelitos, and Los Mocosos, both of which won California music awards. Ornelas performs with his band PAPAMALO. The Executive's drummer and background vocalist Scotty Roberts, son of actor Thalmus Rasulala
Thalmus Rasulala
Thalmus Rasulala was an African American actor who was an original cast member of ABC's soap opera One Life to Live from its inception in 1968 until he left the show in 1970....
, went on to produce and mix over 1000 hip hop albums, and is now known as "One Drop Scott". Trombonist Dan Reagan has played with vocalist Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony
Marc Anthony is an American singer-songwriter, actor and producer. Anthony is the top selling tropical salsa artist of all time. The two-time Grammy and three-time Latin Grammy–winner has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. He is best known for his Latin salsa numbers and ballads...
.