Freestyle may refer to:

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Arsonists are an underground hip hop group. Their album, As the World Burns (1999), reached No. 78 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums; its single, "Pyromaniax", reached No. 43 on Billboard's Hot Rap Singles chart.

History

The group was formed with five members in 1993 in Bushwick, Brooklyn, New York, as Bushwick Bomb Squad. The main members were Q-Unique, D-Stroy, Freestyle, Swel Boogie and Jise One, although the number of members eventually grew to eight. Q-Unique was a member of New York City's well-known breakdancing crew, the Rock Steady Crew. The group released a single, "The Session", in 1996, which was played on New York radio stations and brought offers from record labels. They signed with the independent label Fondle 'Em Records and changed their name to the Arsonists. They released their first album, As the World Burns, in 1999 on Matador Records, an indie rock label that ventured into hip hop music for the release. The album received critical acclaim, but did not achieve mainstream commercial success; it reached No. 78 on Billboard's Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. They appeared on the final album by the digital hardcore band Atari Teenage Riot, 60 Second Wipeout, that year. The group went from five members down to three: Q-Unique, Jise One and Swel Boogie, for their follow-up album, Date of Birth in 2001. With their live performances, the group is known to be very varied in its rap style, drawing on many old school hip hop and east coast hip hop influences. Kansas City's alternative weekly newspaper, The Pitch, described them as "one of the best live bands in hip-hop" in 2001. On 18 August 2011, Arsonists played the first show in 11 years that had all four members on stage at Hip Hop Kemp in Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

Freestyle is a stand-up roller coaster operating at Cavallino Matto in Tuscany, Italy. It opened as the park's fifth roller coaster on 18 July 2015. Freestyle originally opened at Canada's Wonderland in 1985 as SkyRider and closed in 2014. Built by TOGO, it was the second stand-up roller coaster from the company following the now-defunct King Cobra, which opened the previous year at Kings Island.

On August 6, 2014, Canada's Wonderland announced that the ride would close permanently on September 1, 2014. The coaster accommodated nearly 23 million guests during its lifespan. In the Fall of 2014, SkyRider was sold, dismantled and relocated overseas to Cavallino Matto. It was reassembled and opened in 2015 as Freestyle.

SkyRider Memories Contest

In August 2014, Canada's Wonderland announced it would be holding a special contest for thrill seekers before the ride's official retirement. The contest was held on Canada's Wonderland official Twitter page under the banner "SkyRiderMemories", where 24 lucky winners were invited to have the final ride on SkyRider before its official closing on September 1, 2014 at 8pm. The winners were also given one of SkyRider's roller coaster wheels to keep as a souvenir.

Ratatat (pronounced RAT-ə-tat) is a Brooklyn-based rocktronica duo consisting of Mike Stroud (guitar, melodica, synthesizers, percussion) and producer Evan Mast (bass, synthesizers, percussion).

History

Beginnings and first album (2001–2005)

Evan Mast and Mike Stroud first met as students at Skidmore College. When they started working together in 2001, recording several songs under the name "Cherry", Stroud had previously toured with Dashboard Confessional in 2000.

In 2003, the group debuted by releasing the single "Seventeen Years" on Mast's and his brother Eric's (E*Rock) record label Audio Dregs in the US and Rex Records in the UK.

In the following year, Ratatat supported the band Interpol on their tour. Mike Stroud stepped down as touring member of Ben Kweller's band after two years of touring and after appearing on the 2004 album, On My Way. Having signed for XL Recordings, Ratatat released their self-titled debut album, Ratatat and the single "Germany to Germany". The album was written and recorded in Mast's Crown Heights, Brooklyn apartment on his laptop. It is entirely instrumental with the exception of vocal excerpts at the beginning and end of select tracks.