"Freestyle" wasn't the only word used in America, either. In the '80s I was hearing the term "Latin Hip-Hop" a lot more than "freestyle," though, since there's rarely rapping, I understand why "freestyle" ended up as the general historical term (to distinguish the genre from the hip-hop and rap made by Latinos). The beats did kinda sorta originate in hip-hop, in that Afrika Bambaataa's two big Soul Sonic Force hits — "Planet Rock" and "Lookin' For A Perfect Beat" — had a huge impact on freestyle, much greater than their impact on New York hip-hop, even though Soul Sonic Force was based in New York. Miami hip-hop in the form of Miami Bass was what really developed the "Planet Rock" sound in hip-hop, and it moved around the country from there. (Well, the story is not so simple or neat.) Eventually New York hip-hop had to take in the electrofunk that was coming at it from everywhere else. But in the meantime, New York club music was using those beats.
The beats for "Planet Rock" and "Looking For A Perfect Beat" were provided by Arthur Baker and John Robie, who I associate with club music much much more than with hip-hop. Yet there was a reason to call the Latino variant on this particular sort of club music "Latin hip-hop," in that it had hip-hop antecedents and was something of a Latino equivalent to hip-hop.
But I'd say the term was more confusing than not. Also, when I claim that it was the term I was hearing, I actually mean that it was the term I was reading: I came to the music relatively late (1987), wasn't much of a club goer, was never in the music's prime audience.
The thing is, "freestyle," especially the New York variant, is a very narrow and specific sound. The only thing free about it is the beats. It really is a generic genre, without the vagueness and variety you get with the use of other genre terms in America. And because its sound never really diffused into American pop or r&b (Madonna never did an out-and-out freestyle track, though she's sometimes associated with the music), when I hear a freestyle riff it's now instantly recognizable to me as a freestyle riff and nothing else. But when challenged I wouldn't be able to tell you what makes it a freestyle riff. This is like recognizing a face. E.g., at first, I didn't know who was who in T-ara, then I focused on Jiyeon in the "Roly-Poly" video, hair up, then tried to match that face with how she looked with hair down and different hair colors, went from "That must be Jiyeon, I suppose," to being able to recognize her instantly. But I can't tell you on what basis I recognize her face other than that it's, you know, Jiyeon's face.* Back to freestyle: melodies aren't quite as either/or as are the riffs (either it's a freestyle riff or it's not), but I usually have a sense of what I mean when I say, "That's a freestyle melody."
But the freestyle sound did diffuse into and mingle with Italodisco etc. and now I can talk about a K-pop song having freestyle elements. Whereas in America, a freestyle track was basically freestyle through and through, and nothing else, really.
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The beats for "Planet Rock" and "Looking For A Perfect Beat" were provided by Arthur Baker and John Robie, who I associate with club music much much more than with hip-hop. Yet there was a reason to call the Latino variant on this particular sort of club music "Latin hip-hop," in that it had hip-hop antecedents and was something of a Latino equivalent to hip-hop.
But I'd say the term was more confusing than not. Also, when I claim that it was the term I was hearing, I actually mean that it was the term I was reading: I came to the music relatively late (1987), wasn't much of a club goer, was never in the music's prime audience.
The thing is, "freestyle," especially the New York variant, is a very narrow and specific sound. The only thing free about it is the beats. It really is a generic genre, without the vagueness and variety you get with the use of other genre terms in America. And because its sound never really diffused into American pop or r&b (Madonna never did an out-and-out freestyle track, though she's sometimes associated with the music), when I hear a freestyle riff it's now instantly recognizable to me as a freestyle riff and nothing else. But when challenged I wouldn't be able to tell you what makes it a freestyle riff. This is like recognizing a face. E.g., at first, I didn't know who was who in T-ara, then I focused on Jiyeon in the "Roly-Poly" video, hair up, then tried to match that face with how she looked with hair down and different hair colors, went from "That must be Jiyeon, I suppose," to being able to recognize her instantly. But I can't tell you on what basis I recognize her face other than that it's, you know, Jiyeon's face.* Back to freestyle: melodies aren't quite as either/or as are the riffs (either it's a freestyle riff or it's not), but I usually have a sense of what I mean when I say, "That's a freestyle melody."
But the freestyle sound did diffuse into and mingle with Italodisco etc. and now I can talk about a K-pop song having freestyle elements. Whereas in America, a freestyle track was basically freestyle through and through, and nothing else, really.
*But of course, "jiyeon plastic surgery" = "About 103,000 results (0.26 seconds)"