Upamanyu Biswas
Lifetime’s ‘Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story’ serves as an expose of the life and career of Lisa Lisa, a Latina pop star who gained widespread recognition during the 1980s. The film showcases her battles with racism, sexism, and breast cancer while still juggling her responsibilities as a fan-favorite singer. It also shines a spotlight on the brutal environment within the music industry and the constant conflict between commerciality and creativity. Lisa’s professional career is handled by Rocco, the manager of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam, and the record label producer Barry Conner. The duo dictates every aspect of the Puerto Rican singer’s life and actions, seeking to utilize her talent for their ulterior motives. However, Lisa is also dependent on their connections, as Barry is an influential figure within Epic Style Records, the record label releasing her band’s albums and singles.
Barry Conner and Rocco: Fictional Characters With Vague Ties to Reality
Barry Conner and Rocco in ‘Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story’ are fictional characters conceived by scriptwriter Rebecca Murga. They are portrayed as the antagonists within the film, holding back Lisa from spreading her wings and also abusive individuals seeking to exploit her for their needs. In some ways, they are representative of the cutthroat and brutal nature of the music industry, specifically those in positions of authority. There have been numerous cases throughout history of singers being taken advantage of by overzealous label producers, and Conner and Rocco fit into those same categories. While the Lifetime film largely follows an accurate depiction of Lisa Lisa and Toni Menage’s early career, some elements of the film are fictionalized, including Conner and Rocco.
The film uses the two fictional men to illustrate the power imbalance within the music industry and how young female singers are often abused and exploited by those seeking validation and gratification. In one of the movie scenes, Lisa is sexually harassed by Rocco after she and the manager are left alone in the recording booth for a few moments. Although the character is fictional, the incident is allegedly based on a real case, as stated by Lisa herself. She explained in an interview with Vulture, “Well, it was one incident. And it was the ’80s, and, again, the music industry was 100 percent nothing but male. I was the only female in that group. It’s something that I went through and something that I overcame. Went to therapy and everything. I’m a survivor.”
Thus, both Rocco and Conner are composite characters meant to illustrate how Lisa overcame the harsh exploitation surrounding her from a tender age. They also showcase the male-dominated nature of the 80s music world. In the same interview, Lisa described the specific period she got into the business as an aggressively masculine environment where there was “a room full of nothing but hungry men.” Thriving in such an oppressive setting took a lot of resilience and perseverance. By dramatizing these aspects, the film manages to layer the central themes of abuse and exploitation convincingly. To that end, both Conner and Rocco play a pivotal role throughout the narrative despite the fact that it may be a negative one meant to bring out a sense of frustration and anger within the audience. Ultimately, however, they remain fictional in conception.
Epic Style Records is a Record Label With No Connections to Real-Life Music Labels
In ‘Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story,’ the record label that releases Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam’s songs and albums is Epic Style Records. It is a fictional record label crafted by Rebecca Murga. In reality, Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam signed a deal with Columbia Records, which released all their singles and albums. It is likely that Epic Style Records is a stand-in for the original record company. Intriguingly, Columbia Records is also the founder of the label Epic Records, which closely resembles the name of the fictional label company. It is possible that the record in the film is meant as a composite of the real-life record companies at the time. However, in the same interview, Lisa stated that she did not want the focus of the narrative to veer away from the band members’ experiences and her personal life in particular.
Another important management group that was involved in the development and rise of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam was the company Full Force. They are not mentioned in the movie or addressed in any way. Lisa explained, “It was always an issue with people understanding who Cult Jam was. Full Force were the producers and management and I wanted to tell the story of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam and who we were, how we started. That’s what the audience needed to know. That’s who I chose to represent.” Therefore, it was essential for her to keep the spotlight firmly on the personal exploits of the individuals directly involved in the story. To that end, the fictional Epic Style Records is simply a side attraction that adds a level of detail to the narrative but ultimately plays a trivial part that cannot be traced to reality.
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