THIS IS YOUR FREESTYLE BLAST #13
THIS IS YOUR FREESTYLE BLAST #13
In this issue of The Blast, we look ahead at what's to come for This newsletter, how we plan to build it, and how you can also be a part of it!
The Holidays were a magical time for me growing up, so I hate when I find myself trying to rush through them. But, we did it, and actually, it wasn’t too bad, in fact, it was just as magical.
The problem I have is usually because the Holidays hit me right when I’m in the middle of something new and exciting, and now I have to put it all away until the festivities are over.
And now they are… and back in action I am!
I hope you all had a wonderful Holiday, and I pray you have a happy and Healthy New Year, and so with that said… Let’s dive into our Second Year, of The Freestyle Blast Newsletter!!
We did it!
On January 15th, 2022, exactly one year ago, I released the absolute first issue of the new Freestyle Blast Newsletter.
Anyone who’s followed me for any amount of time knows how much I love writing, as can be seen in my many overly detailed posts, and nine (soon to be ten) published books so far, so it only made sense that I would create something like this.
My intentions, first of all, are to always try and bring to my community, the Freestyle community that is, some sort of value. Whether that be in the form of entertainment, information, or some sort of education.
This genre has sustained my family and me for many years, as well as the families of so many others, and I am beyond grateful, vowing to do whatever I can to try and uphold the legacy of this genre as best as I could.
Every month, more and more people are subscribing to the blast. True Freestyle fans and supporters who have an interest in, or just plain interested in, what we are doing, who wanna know about our artists, what new Freestyle music is out there, and where they might be able to catch a Freestyle show, and this newsletter will do just that… and at absolutely no charge!
I promise to do my best, to keep a bright light on our genre, and represent it so that it may benefit us all.
I want our fans as well as our artists and industry personnel to look forward to our upcoming issues. To find within these pages information that might trigger new ideas and strategies that can help catapult this genre back to where it once was.
Though I may be the one writing this, I do want this to belong to our community and therefore I am wide open to input, ideas, and suggestions.
GOT YOURS?
If you enjoyed this past year’s Freestyle Blast Newsletter, well guess what? Now you can own it!
The brand new Freestyle Blast Yearbook 2022 is out and available on Amazon. Whether it be as an ebook or in paperback form, you owe it to yourself and your Freestyle collection to grab a copy.
It’s a premium 256 full-color glossy page book, with a four-page center where you can collect autographs from your favorite Freestyle artists.
Those who are a part of the Freestyle Music community, know what’s happening in and around our genre, but with The Yearbook, we now have a tangible asset that could be shared with everyone and used to promote not just our artists, DJs, and others, but rather Freestyle as a culture in itself.
The idea for this book came to me after issue #11, when I looked back at what I had created and realized there has never been a publication like this made especially for the Freestyle market.
Though I was excited to publish the last issue of our first year in publication, I was a bit sad that this information would only be available only to subscribers, and only via the internet, and immediately the idea to publish it into book form fell on me like a bag of bricks.
I recognized that feeling and knew at that moment that this would become a book. We were smack dead in the middle of the Holidays, and with four small grandchildren and a wife’s birthday on the horizon, I still moved forward, and if that already wasn’t enough, I published a post promoting a January 1st release.
I had no idea on how I would now take eleven issues, plus issue number twelve which I was currently working on, and format them all into some sort of book that would make sense.
A simple cut and paste would not work, as certain fonts and images weren’t translating correctly, not to mention, certain things that I had to remove, and a few things that I had to add.
I worked on the book tirelessly, and whenever I had a chance, and though I was able to format the entire book in just a few days, I wasn’t sure how long the printer would take.
Submitting a book for print isn’t as simple as it sounds, as i am yet to ever get immediate approval. There is always something off, whether it’s the margins, extra empty pages, missing information etc, so going back and forth with the printer until it is finally approved, happens around draft number seven.
I had chosen a product that isn’t like any of my other books. This one I felt deserved the most premium paper that was available as well as full-color photos, which though I knew would make the printing cost really high, I saw no other way.
After review, the projected release of the book came back on January 27th, way off from my already promoted January 1st release, but for whatever reason, with the possibility that it was because of the many books I have released, miraculously, my book went live on Dec 31st, 2022!
My intentions are to release a new Yearbook, on the first of each new year, so grabbing this debut copy, isn’t just an important move…. but also a historical one!
DON’T JUST READ IT… HELP BUILD IT!
Though I love writing and am rarely hurting for ideas and new stories, if I am dedicating this Newsletter strictly to the Freestyle Music genre, then I just might soon need a little help keeping up on everything that’s going on.
There’s been a few instances in past issues where immediately after a release, I learn of a new project, milestone, or victory in Freestyle. Too late to add in, and by the time the next issue comes out, it’s old news.
I was torn between opening a regular fan page or a group page, and after much thought, the group page seemed to be the better option.
I didn’t want yet another page where I do all the writing and everyone else just reads, and hopefully likes, but rather a place where as a community we can come together to share stories, ideas, and accomplishments.
The Freestyle Blast Facebook group will also be a great central place for me to pick from, for articles without having to scour through all the bullshit on the internet.
In the upcoming months, I also plan on adding contributing writers, photographers, and others, to help me make sure we are bringing quality information to a quality audience, meaning those who have an interest in our genre.
The only group I currently have is Freestyle Against Phonies, and though that group has been around for a long time, and has actually done the job that it was created to do, I hope soon that it will no longer be needed.
The Freestyle Blast group also has a job, and that is to serve as a central hub for important content regarding our genre that would work well in the Newsletter.
So if you’re a subscriber to the Blast, then you are among the first to hear about this group, so please, go on in and sign up, and let’s build this thing together… I’ll be looking for you!
ENTRANCE CODE: 32023110
If you know any of these folks, please let them know, we didn’t forget’em!
To all our Subscribers, Readers, Subjects, and of course our SPONSOR(S) for Sponsoring this month’s issue of the Freestyle Blast Newsletter, Thank you all so much!
and until next month…
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