TKA

freestyle

TKA is a Latin Freestyle/Dance-pop trio prominent in the 1980s and early 1990s, mainly in Freestyle hotbeds such as New York City and Miami, Florida. Its members were Tony Ortiz, Louis Kayel Sharpe, and Angel Love Vasquez, and the initials TKA represent their collective initials. All of TKA's members are of Puerto Rican descent. Many Freestyle fans consider them the Kings of Freestyle, although Kayel resents this label, saying that There are no 'kings' in Freestyle. The trio, hailing from New York City, were discovered when they sang at a Sweet Sixteen party in an East Harlem church in 1984. Record producer Joey Gardner, who was at the party, was impressed with the group, and got the group signed to Tommy Boy Records. The group originally consisted of Tony, Kayel, and Ralph Aby Cruz, but eventually Aby was replaced by Raymond Pito Angel Vasquez (although not widely known, India was also one of the original members). Their first single was One Way Love which was a major hit among the Latin club community in New York, and followed up with many other hits, such as Scars Of Love, Tears May Fall, and Come Get My Love. The year, 1991 proved to be a very critical year for TKA, and for many Freestyle performers as well. TKA released their most important singles in 1991, Louder Than Love, Give Your Love To Me, and their House hit Crash (Let's Have Some Fun). Despite being very popular and very influential to the Freestyle genre, Tommy Boy requested that the band switch to...