THIS IS YOUR FREESTYLE BLAST #12
This in issue... We reinstate those old resolutions, read a letter written to Santa, and then check out what one Freestyle artist does for her 25 days of Christmas!
Happy Holidays to all my Blastards and Blastets!
So here we are, the final issue for 2022, and to be honest… I am ecstatic!
One thing I pride myself on is starting projects and pushing them to the end. You see, I’ve learned a while back especially when it comes to the arts, that sometimes it isn’t always about getting it right, but rather getting it done!
Whether we think something we’ve created is great or not is purely subjective, so rarely do I ever seek approval.
I personally LOVE creating, writing, taking photos, filming, etc. My love and appreciation for the arts are vast, and I am so grateful for Social Media and the internet in general, because I get to share my creation with the world while consuming creations of others.
Anyway, I hope you enjoy our final issue of 2022, and I look forward to another incredible year of The Freestyle Blast Newsletter.
Now let’s go!
WHAT’S YOUR RESOLUTION?
Back when I was growing up, having a New Year's Resolution was a big deal, and I took it quite seriously, as did my friends. But as we got older, just mentioning a resolution was usually waved off as some sort of joke.
Why would this be? Maybe because of all the resolutions we might’ve planned, few if any were ever kept.
I’m gonna drop fifty pounds this year, I’m gonna be rich, I’m gonna ace all my classes, I’m gonna start working out, I’m gonna stop smoking, stop drinking, control my temper, spend more time with the kids, with my partner, write that great American novel… the list goes on!
Yes, I was able to write that quickly, probably because many of those resolutions I too had promised myself, but just like all broken promises, after a while, it is hard to take them seriously, to the point where they become more than just broken promises, they become defeats and failures, things that we never want to associate ourselves with and therefore we simply never again make those promises, and instead, wave them away.
However, for me at least, and I don’t remember when this first started up, except that it was many years ago, I gave resolutions another try, and every year would set up a few with the intentions of actually following through.
What I learned was that, even though many of them would fall short, I had however given them a good shot, and though I might not have completed whatever that resolution was in the time that I had hoped, eventually I would in fact complete it.
Today I still set resolutions for myself, in fact, I set them throughout the year, I set resolutions for my birthday, for certain seasons, by the month, week, and even by the day as a daily To-Do list.
I highly believe in resolutions or any goals for that matter, and I encourage everyone to do the same. But you know what they say, a goal without action is just a dream. You can either announce it to the world or keep it to yourself, either way, I believe is healthier than never setting any at all.
And if you come up short, that’s fine, you gave it a good shot, now pick up from where you left off and go set another.
MAKE IT A MUSICAL FREESTYLE CHRISTMAS
My Mother was a huge fan of Christmas music and to this day, there are so many songs that remind me of my childhood and the wonderful Christmas Mom always made sure I had.
Being able to write a Christmas song that would strike up those same exact feelings that I felt growing up was something that I always desired to one day do.
Every year while the spirit was in full swing, and Christmas blanketed my Queens neighborhood, I would again get the urge to play around with the idea of penning that next great Christmas carol. Though nothing would ever transpire.
That is until one scorching hot summer day in 1994, while working in my office and the Christmas Spirit was nowhere in sight, that I stumbled upon this sad, yet clever little concept.
It was a song about a girl whose boyfriend had passed away on Christmas day, and every Christmas since, she’s haunted by his memory.
The song flowed through my pen like water, and if it took me an hour to write, that’d be a lot.
Any songs that I wrote in those days, I wrote with just one artist in mind, and the only artist I had access to at the time… yes, Lil’ Suzy!
But you see there was one problem, the song at that time I felt was a bit too dark for the then fifteen-year-old singer, and so a simple twist to the concept allowed me to present it to her parents as an innocent boyfriend/girlfriend break-up song.
They loved it and presented it to Metropolitan Records who immediately added it to their Freestyle Christmas compilation, and boy was I thrilled!
Below is a lyric video I put together several years ago… Check it out, and let me know your thoughts.
Today, more and more of our Freestyle artists are hopping on the sleigh ride, and releasing their own Christmas recordings, either as an original, or one of the many Christmas classics there are to choose from.
This is a wonderful move for our genre and the more artists to give it a shot the merrier, and a great addition to their legacy.
I posted the few recordings below that I was able to find, so make sure and check them out also, and if there are any others that I might’ve missed, please let me know in the comments as I would love to visit this topic again next year.
and make sure to add these to your Freestyle Chrismas collection
Hallelujah (feat. George Lamond, Judy Torres, K7 & Soave)
Brenda K. Starr - Christmas Spectacular
White Christmas - Artistik Records
Metropolitan Presents A Freestyle Christmas
Erica Lockcuff, Tony Castle, Carlos Vera, Zeke N Kathy, Keith Richard Kemper, Lupe De los Santos, Chuck Budrius, Jasmine Scarano, Greg Afanador, Cheryl Feliciano, Pete Zaslow, Kelly Sessa, Eddie Cosme Torres, QB Quadlibèt, Margo Urban, John Paul, Robert Bartko, Lupio Delossantoz, John Macchione, jc
To all our Subscribers, Readers, Subjects, and of course our Sponsor for joining in this issue of the Freestyle Blast Newsletter, Thank you all so much!
and until next month…
Merry Christmas and This was your Freestyle Blast!
Latif Mercado has been a part of the Freestyle Music scene for well over 30 years, as well as an integral player behind the genre’s continued success.
As a Booking Agent with a who's who roster of Freestyle Greats, as well as his managerial involvement with such industry icons as Lil' Suzy, Angel OCG and The Cover Girls, rarely would you find a Freestyle event happening without Latif somewhere in the mix.
In an attempt to make people aware of the fact that Freestyle isn’t just a music, but rather a culture, La’ began writing books, in hopes of reaching fans through a medium they would never expect, and in 2011, his debut novel, FREESTYLE FOR LIFE, did just that!
Since then, Latif has released several books that, not only feature Freestyle as part of its overall theme but also its main characters of Latin descent.
Though born and raised in New York, Latif currently resides in North Carolina with his wife, two grown children, four grandkids, and a dog named Coco.
Latif loves hearing from his readers, answering questions, and sharing whatever advice he possibly can, whether it be on writing, or maybe something Freestyle related, so be sure to reach out, even if it’s just to say hi.
So please Follow Him here @LatifMercado
I look forward to the newsletter every month!!! Great way to keep up with all things Freestyle! Thank you Latif for putting this together for us!! Wishing you and Angel a very Merry Christmas!
BLESS YOU LATIF FOR ALL YOU JAVE DONE AND ARE STILL DOING FOR OUR FREE STYLE CULTURE..HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ANGEL AND YOU MY FREE STYLE FAM .FROM MANNY. MSMSOUL ARTIST