This Is Your Freestyle Blast #36
It isn't the End of Something Old... But the Start of Something New!
And so 2024 comes to a close, as well as our Freestyle Blast's 3rd year in publication. To all of our subscribers, I can't thank you enough for joining me in this incredible journey, and to those who leave comments and send me DMs about how much you’re enjoying and even learning from The Blast, you have no idea just how impactful your words have been.
To dedicate a little bit of time every single day in order to keep my promise to drop a new issue on the 15th of each and every month can at times be quite challenging.
How do I sustain a monthly publication about a genre of music that is having trouble sustaining itself? How can I write to try and help our genre? Our artists? and more importantly, encourage the fans to hang in there because we’re still on the job?
Our subscribership has grown substantially since our release in January of 2022, and I pray it continues. But it can only do so with the help of you… The Freestyle community!
A few things that you can do for the upcoming year, to help us grow so that we can help you grow is to first of all, whitelist our newsletter in your Inbox. This will make sure that you catch every issue when it lands, if not, The Freestyle Blast Newsletter will most likely end up in either your Trash or Spam folder.
Secondly, please make sure to read it! helping us out in any other way will never really matter unless you yourself read it. I keep the articles short specifically for that reason, so please, before liking or sharing… Give it a read through yourself.
Third. A simple click of the little heart tells me in particular that you appreciated The Blast, and that you might’ve even enjoyed it. Commenting, lets me know that you understood it and it might’ve even triggered a few ideas of your own, and of course the ultimate contribution… Sharing it!
Nothing beats the share, and by doing so, it says a few things. It tells me that I wrote about something that you felt important enough to share. It tells me also that you are not a selfish person. That even though I might’ve dropped a few gems to help your career, you felt it could possibly help others, and so therefore they should read it too. And of course, your share will help introduce The Freestyle Blast Newsletter to others. People who probably had no idea that it even existed.
Thank you again, everyone, and to you and your families. Merry Christmas, and a Happy and Healthy New Year!
HIP HOP SAMPLING FREESTYLE
Sampling has always been a huge part of Hip Hop, while some people look at it as a creative shortcut where producers rely on established hits to help move their own music, others believe that sampling itself also is an art form. So let’s talk about it…
I’ve dabbled in sampling at one point, investing in an Aki S1100 and the classic MPC60. it was also a subject that we took in school when I attended New York’s Center For The Media Arts.
And though I can probably name quite a few rap songs that had sampled previous hits, I believe that within our generation, Rapper's Delight by The Sugarhill Gang’s sample of “Good Times” by Chic is one of the first, but when we start talking about Freestyle… No one did it better than Lil’ Suzy’s hit, Take Me In Your Arms, which not only sampled one of the greatest songs in the history of Hip Hop, Planet Rock by The Soul Sonic Force, but also made it a staple within the Freestyle genre.
As we fast forward now to 2024, this year in particular, the Freestyle genre received a bit of a jolt as two of our more notable artists, Stevie B, and Debbie Deb both had their songs sampled by prominent Hip Hop artists.
Starting of course with Stevie B, who’s hit song Spring Love was sampled in the song Paradise (4,294,982 Streams) by Fat Joe, Anitta, and DJ Khaled. The song debuted on Sept 11th 2024 at the VMA’s (Video Music Awards)
Like all art, whether you liked the song or not is subjective, but the point is… It was done! A huge score for the Freestyle genre, at least in my opinion.
The next song that to me, might’ve made an even bigger impact, was The Hip Hop song "Squabble Up"(55,107,225 Streams) by Kendrick Lamar who sampled Debbie Deb’s, When I Hear Music." This song didn’t just sample Debbie’s music, but also her voice
And speaking of Debbie, who remembers when Janet Jackson remade Debbie’s Lookout Weekend? Simply titled, Weekend, and that wasn’t just a sampled loop, this was an entire remake and I thought it came out great.
I’m sure there’s other Freestyle songs that were either sampled or remade by others outside the Freestyle genre, so if anyone knows of any, comment below and tell us about it.
Anyway, a huge congratulations to both Stevie B, and Debbie Deb, and let’s hope it becomes a trend and that other current artists find value in the Freestyle Music.
ANOTHER YEAR… ANOTHER CHANCE!
But another chance for what you might ask! Well, that all depends on you…
Maybe another chance to reach that level of success you’ve been hustling for all these years, or maybe the weight loss goal that most of us tend to promise and never keep.
What about more time with the family, the work desperately needed on the house, or that book that you’ve been talking about writing?
I don’t like to call them New Year’s resolutions because many of us feel that if we cave, then that’s it, we screwed up, and feel like there’s no point in keeping it going… But it’s not!
The title of this article isn’t another day another chance… it’s another Year Another Chance, meaning that we have the entire year to give it our all, and if we happen to fall off for a day or two, week or even a month, don’t sweat it, do what Aaliyah said and Dust Yourself Off and Try Again.
Setbacks are normal, but staying back shouldn’t be. As long as our hearts are beating, and blood is still running through our veins, it means we are still alive and therefore we should still be pushing forward with all we have.
Back in the very early eighties, I used to smoke cigarettes. Pretty normal thing with teenagers back in those days, but I never really liked how it made me feel, not to mention, I knew it was bad for me.
So every Sunday night, on my way home from hanging out, I would chain smoke a few cigarettes until I got to my building, and then whatever cigarettes I had left in the pack, I would toss into the trash along with the lighter.
My intentions were clear, I wanted to start the new week as a non-smoker. Some weeks I would make it to a Thursday or Friday, other times I could barely make it past Monday. But I knew that one day, I would! And that once I can go at least a couple of weeks without smoking, then that’s it, I should be freed of that nasty habit, and finally… That’s exactly what happened.
Whatever those goals are that you’re setting for the New Year, if for whatever reason, you slip up a bit, don’t worry about it. Come Monday morning, try again! And again! And again, until finally… you make it! Good luck to you, and please, let us know how it goes!
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 Everywhere @LatifMercado
Always enjoy the lessons behind the music. Every issue gives artists something practical to think about. Thanks, Latif! 🙌🎶
I missed the 2024 MTV Video Music Awards. However, I did get to hear "Paradise" when I was riding home from an Applebee's in a nearby suburb with my brother and our uncle. I noticed the "Spring Love" sample right away and as a longtime freestyle fan, I was over the moon! I hope I hear more freestyle classics sampled in music from other genres.