THIS IS YOUR FREESTYLE BLAST #22
In this issue of The Blast, we ask ourselves, can Freestyle be considered a Culture? And for anyone thinking of a career in Freestyle Promotions, here's a great tool you should check out.
Yes, it’s that time again, the beginning of the Holiday season, Halloween, and of course my birthday.
I never do anything big for my birthday, and even though my birthday doesn’t actually fall on Halloween, I still enjoy my Halloween-themed birthday cake. (Thanks Angel!)
Halloween has always been one of my favorite Holidays (Hmm, I wonder, is it actually considered a Holiday?) Anyway, Halloween has changed quite a bit from when we were growing up, I sometimes feel bad for the younguns who never got to experience a true 1970s Halloween in the Bronx, New York. Oh yeah, you know what I’m talking about.
I tried to recreate it for my own kids when they were growing up, but it was never the same, and now, with my grandkids, it’s basically just a stroll through the neighborhood knocking on doors. But they still enjoy it (Poor kids)
Either way, just wanna wish you all a fun and safe Halloween, and so with that said, let’s jump into this issue!
FREESTYLE AS A CULTURE?
IS THAT EVEN A THING?
Question. Do you consider Freestyle to be a Culture? And if not, could it be, and if so, would it benefit the genre in any way?
I’ve been doing this Freestyle thang for most of my life, and have had a sincere desire to try and figure out what could possibly help catapult it back into mainstream. Now mind you, when I say mainstream, I’m not talking about radio, I haven’t listened to the radio in years.
What I mean by mainstream, is seeing it referenced in other ways outside of our current community. I want to see it in movies, used for commercials, maybe even a Broadway play.
I hate when people use the term Old School as an excuse, ‘cause even though it is… so is Hip Hop!
Both these genres started more or less around the same time and impacted a lot of the same people. You may find Hip Hop heads that aren’t Freestyle fans, but rarely would you find any Freestyle heads that aren’t fans of Hip Hop.
Hip Hop has been extremely successful in its association with other areas of interest, such as movies, books, magazines, TV Shows, fashion, dance, art, liquor, and so on. But let’s think for a second here, was it those associations that helped give it its cultural stamp of approval, or was it the culture that attracted those interested? In other words, what came first, the chicken or the egg?
If we go back and follow Hip Hop from its beginning, at what point would we be able to see that pivot? When did it go from just being a music to the cultural phenomenon it is today?
When did other brands start looking toward Hip Hop as a potential link to their own targeted audience? From what I saw, it seems as though it was then that it began evolving into a culture.
What was it that established Hip Hop into a Culture, but not Freestyle? And if we can figure that out, and apply it to Freestyle, could that be the catalyst needed to take our genre up to where the right eyes will see us?
Besides a genre of music that we all love, what else is there that might link us together as a community?
Do we share a similar dress? A certain food or liquor? Do we admire the same style of art or have the same beliefs? Figuring those things out can be major for our genre, and can open up opportunities for others to get involved and benefit because people who benefit from Freestyle will have an incentive to keep it going.
And so I’d like to close with a more formal definition of Culture, in hopes of inspiring future conversations regarding this topic.
Culture refers to the shared set of beliefs, values, customs, practices, traditions, behaviors, and artifacts that characterize a particular group or society. It encompasses the way people live, think, communicate, and interact within a specific social, ethnic, religious, or geographical community. Culture shapes individuals' identities and influences their worldview, social norms, language, art, music, cuisine, and other aspects of life. It is a dynamic and evolving concept that can change over time and may vary significantly between different groups or regions. Culture plays a vital role in defining and preserving the unique identity and heritage of a community.
I pray that at the very least, this article gives us all something a bit deeper to dwell on. If you love Freestyle as I do, then it should be much more than just the music, and in the comment section below, I’d love to know what that might be…

A Deep Dive into Eventbrite's Event Promotion Power
Eventbrite has been like a superhero for Freestyle events! Ticketmaster isn’t always a feasible solution to selling our tickets, and our audience isn’t always comfortable with putting their credit card info online. But over the years, especially within the Freestyle marketplace, Eventbrite has proven itself to us. And so if you’re putting together a Freestyle event, and looking for a place to host your ticket sales, well, you might wanna check this out.
Setting up your event is easy: Eventbrite makes it simple to create a great-looking event page. You can make it look just the way you want, add all the event info, and even put your own branding on it. This makes people excited about your event and more likely to sign up.
Reaching the right people: Eventbrite helps you connect with the people who are interested in your event. You can use tools like emails, social media, and event listings to let them know about it. This way, you're not just inviting anyone – you're inviting the right people who really want to go.
Selling tickets: Eventbrite offers lots of options for selling tickets. You can have free tickets, early bird tickets, VIP tickets, or even group tickets. This means you can cater to different budgets and preferences, which will attract more people.
Mobile-friendly: In today's fast world, people are always on their phones. Eventbrite has a mobile app that lets people discover, sign up for, and share events from their phones. This makes it super easy for them to join your event.
Checking how you're doing: Eventbrite gives you info about how your event is doing. You can see how many tickets you've sold, who's going, and even learn about the people attending. This helps you improve your event promotion and gives you valuable information for your next one.
Sharing on social media: Eventbrite connects with social media like Facebook. You can make event pages, share updates, and encourage attendees to tell their friends. When people share your event online, it can grow really fast.
Safe payments: Eventbrite takes care of payments, so you don't have to worry. It's secure and easy for both you and the attendees, making everyone feel comfortable.
Keeping your attendees engaged: Engaging with the people coming to your event is important. Eventbrite has tools like reminders, surveys, and feedback collection to help you stay in touch with attendees. This not only makes their experience better but also helps you learn how to make your future events even more amazing.
Eventbrite is a powerful tool that event organizers use to help make their events successful. It's easy to set up, helps you reach the right audience, sells tickets, works on mobile phones, gives you data on how you're doing, connects with social media, handles payments safely, and keeps attendees engaged. So, no matter if you're planning a small nightclub show or a huge concert, Eventbrite can help you make your Freestyle event fun, smooth, and enjoyable.
Alex Ramos, Priscilla Laboricua Ortiz, Jonathan Karis, Brenda K Starr, Donovan Santos, Defne Faria, A Juanie Legacy Rodriguezz, Rebekka Rolon, Nancy Jimenez Jimenez, Jesse Timbalon Perez, Annette Roche, Anthony Capadonna, Angela Gozzi, Pamela Distefano, Lewis Martinee, Lynn Susan, Melissa Gibson, Blanca Fernandez, Michael Harkins, Gio M Torres, David Navarro, Jaime Cruize, Pete Zavala, Maria Matos, George Vences, Joseph Puig-Hill, Manny Man, Sharon Surette Nelson, Abimael DjWiz Arlequin, Latif Mercado
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
Freestyle Culture. Yes, it exists, we see in the pictures, the videos, the interviews, the events that these awesome freestyle artists are part of. But it is more than just all these things and the music. I don't know the freestyle artist personally, but I've gotten to know them through what they put out on social media. I see the closeness freestyle artist have with each other. How one artist will go out of their way to support another freestyle artist. After all these years how, these artists get together at an event and support each other and have a great time and give great performances. I'm not saying the freestyle culture is perfect, I'm sure it has its hiccups. Freestyle culture is more modest, their fans have followed the culture since the 80's or maybe earlier, and so has hip hop fans. Hip Hop fans range from very young to fans from when Hip Hop started. I believe freestyle will bust out of the bubble it's been stuck in. I appreciate all the producers, promoters, managers, booking agents, DJ's that are doing their parts to keep freestyle alive. Can't forget the Freestyle artist your awesome and the fans that show up to every event to support them. Much appreciate the Freestyle Blast Latif. Thank You brother.
Always an informative read!!