THIS IS YOUR FREESTYLE BLAST #20

In this month's issue of The Blast, we explore the job of one of our genre's most important players, then shoot across the country for a Freestyle hoedown.

Man has this been a hot summer… and I’m not just talking about the weather!

Freestyle club and concert events have been on the rise this season, and I am incredibly grateful to all of the fans who have been coming out and showing their support.

Though we’ve been doing a few smaller club shows, the majority of the events have been on a bigger scale such as arenas, parks, amphitheaters, and car shows.

These are great events for us because we get to showcase in front of a newer, younger, and not to mention, a much larger audience.

Freestyle fans love taking their kids, grandkids, and parents to these events, to sort of show off to them why they love Freestyle so much, and the response that we’ve been getting from this new audience has been amazing!

In this month’s issue of The Blast, I address the Freestyle promoters, and though I appreciate all that they do for us, I do have a little message I’d like to share with them.

Also in this issue, I shine some light on one state in particular that has been supporting our genre for years, and many of you will probably be surprised

So if you’re ready… lets get into it!

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ARE FREESTYLE PROMOTERS DOING THEIR JOB?

One of the first questions that I am asked by new promoters when they call me to book the talent for their upcoming Freestyle event is, “So Latif, how many people do you think these artists can pull in?

Though I understand what they’re thinking, it’s at this point that I need to educate them, because if I don’t they’d end up with an incredibly bad turnout which usually results in them blaming the artists, leaving the scene, and never ever returning, something that wouldn’t benefit any of us.

The thing that I want to make sure the promoter understands is that the reason these acts after thirty-plus years are still performing practically everywhere, and on a pretty regular basis is that they’ve already proven themselves. Over and over again, since the day their records hit the airways and charts.

There isn’t an established Freestyle artist out there today, that hasn’t either been a part of a sold-out event, or has sold one out all on their own.

So what I’m trying to say here is, that it is incredibly vital for the Promoter, regardless of what act or acts they plan on booking to go out there and do the job they signed up to do… Promote!

Now, mind you, there are those promoters that do just that, and you can recognize them by the amount of time they’ve been in business. The ones who we’ve watched come and go, well, those are the ones that didn’t get the memo, which went something like this…

This is not my opinion but rather based on what I’ve experienced. Where I’ve watched a promoter invest big bucks into a stellar lineup of Freestyle greats, only to then sit back and do nothing! Stuck on the idea that if they build it, the people will come! Well, not if they don’t hear about it!

Unlike back in the day, when standing outside a club in sub-zero temperatures handing out flyers to people who will then frisbee them into the street, today we have Social Media and a way of targeting a precise audience from the comforts of our own home or office, and for the most part, it’s Free!

Whether a promoter books from me or not, it’s important that they have a successful event. There is no faster way of ending this genre once and for all, than for promoters to begin experiencing serious losses.

The only reason promoters keep putting on these shows and booking our artists is because they’re profitable. They’re not doing this for us, they’re doing this for themselves and their businesses, and believe me, once those profits cease, so will the shows.

Now there are things that I do encourage artists to do and not just for the events they’re booked on, but also for themselves. There is no better way of promoting yourself to the market than to show other promoters that you are working.

Grab your cell phone and create a quick video drop. This doesn’t have to be heavily produced, in fact, the more authentic it looks, the better it will be received, then post your drop and event flyers on your social media pages and stories, and that’s it! That little bit of help can go a long way.

Now promoters, mind you, artists are not obligated to do this, and though it would indeed benefit all involved, some artists just won’t comply, and we can’t get mad at them for that.

back in the day, there was no such thing as drops unless it was for a television or radio network. The artist was hired to perform and that was it, the rest was up to the promoter.

And to close on an up-note, let me say this. Club and Concert Promotions are still very lucrative endeavors. Freestyle artists are easy to find, book, and accommodate, and to this day, fans still come out in droves!

I preach this because I believe that Freestyle Club and Concert promoters are the lifeblood of our genre, and if at any point, new promoters stop entering the genre, the success that we have been experiencing will indeed cease.

So to all of you Freestyle fans, enthusiasts, and entrepreneurs, if you’ve ever thought about trying your hand at Freestyle Club or concert promotions, I’d like you to truly consider it, and to help you out, I took my book, Freestyle Promotions and The 7 Simple Steps to Getting Started, that I’ve converted into a PDF, and for a limited time, have made the book available to you absolutely FREE! (a $9.95 value)

It’s called Freestyle Promotions and The 7 Simple Steps to Getting Started. It’s a simple guide that sways around the jargon and technicalities and leads you into the midst of getting your first Freestyle event up and running almost immediately.

So, before you continue, go ‘head, click that link above and get your copy now.

Text: Latif@La-Entertainment.com

"Dancing Spurs: Texas' Enduring Affection for Freestyle Music

Here’s a little La’ Trivia. My absolute first Freestyle fly-away show with Lil’ Suzy was actually in Dallas Texas! It was for a very popular promoter at the time called Big D. I ran into D for the last time in June of 2021 at an I Love Freestyle Music Tour event in Dallas, TX… He passed away just three months later. (RIP Dallas Legend)

Latif Mercado and Big D from Dallas

We’re talking about the beginning of the 90s when there was no Social Media, and therefore every Freestyle market swore that they were the last standing fans.

Had it not been for Freestyle, so many places I probably would never have visited, I mean, why would I?

I’m fortunate to have a career that allows me to travel my country, and there isn’t a Freestyle city that I don’t love and enjoy visiting. Most of my absolute best friends are those I’ve met on the road, and one state in particular would of course be Texas.

When I say Texas I mean most if not all of the state, especially those major cities such as Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio, Austin, El Paso, Houston, and Corpus Christi.

Lil’ Suzy and Angel OCG perform for the wonderful Freestyle fans of Texas

Whenever I talk to friends from home, and tell them the places where Freestyle is still banging, no state blows their mind more than when I mention Texas.

But of course, I get it, and yes, as stereotypically ignorant as it can be I too swore that the club we were doing would be straight out of a John Wayne movie. And though yes, many of the clubs we perform at will exhibit a few proud Texans donning their Cowboy Hats and Boots, with most of the Texans being Mexican, it confirms even more of my stereotypical imagination.

Oh, I still remember the day Lil’ Suzy and I watched a crowd of Texans Line Dance to Take Me In Your Arms.

But beyond those swinging Saloon Doors are a people so wonderful and gracious, when it comes to Freestyle music and its artists.

And though I love all the Texas cities, and appreciate so much what they’ve all done for Freestyle, I do have to single out one in particular, and that of course would be none other than Dallas, Texas.

Some of my greatest memories on the road have been in Dallas, in fact, if you’ve ever read my book Feastyle, there’s a chapter in there called… ??????? The scene where the gang rolled up on the radio station when they heard Layla Storm was there doing an interview was a true occurrence, except it wasn’t Layla, but rather Lil’ Suzy, and no Suzy never bit anyone… well, I don’t think she did.

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And by the way, the station was the famous Knon, a regular stop for us whenever we were in town, and of course its manager and our friend Dave Chaos and the rest of the Knon crew at that time. Thank you, guys, for some wonderful memories.

Karen Woodward, Michele Leavey, Robert Amilibia, Owen Leavey, Marlon Garland, Juana Burns-Sperling, Glenda Camacho, Stephanie Cardone, Dito De La Mora, Tami Herb Simon, Lewis Colon, Gabrielle Garcia, Scott Kaplan, Mia M Badillo, Damien Adel, Wendy Scanlan, Star Hanson, Frank Perez, Dedric Jamaal, Peter Fontaine, Ben Cozmo D Cenac, Louie Ramos, David Madrid, Richard Ruiz, Richard Yencho, Andrea Martin, Gia Nicole Romero, Clara Elena Rodriguez Torres, George Olmo, Pedro Herrera, Burt Flores, Luis Rosa, Scott Carlsen, Angel Gonzalez Aguilera, Erik Freund, Joseph Michaels, Ernesto Rosales, Carlos LeBron, Mike Longoria, Steve Bueno, Melissa Banks, Erik Pagan,

Stefanie Bennett, Nas-T Boyz, Krysthal

To all our Subscribers, Readers, Subjects, and of course our Sponsors, for being a part of this month’s issue of the Freestyle Blast Newsletter, Thank you all so much!
and until next time…
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.

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