This Is Your Freestyle Blast #39

"Legends don’t compete, they collaborate—let’s talk about the power of collaborations in Freestyle."

Mar 15, 2025

I got this issue out a little later than usual this month, but for good reason… we’ve been busy!

Every now and then, I find myself wondering about the direction of our genre. How long will Freestyle truly be here? Some signs point to it lasting forever, while others make it feel like it’s just about done.

I remember when I first started booking acts, someone told me Freestyle was just about over and that I should take whatever promoters were offering. That was over twenty years ago. Obviously, I didn’t listen.

But what if someone told me that today? Could we keep this going for another 20 years? Or will they be right this time?

What factors will decide Freestyle’s future? And more importantly, what can we do as a community to ensure its longevity?

Now, my opinions are just that, opinions, but they come from a unique vantage point. As a manager, I see things differently than I do as a booking agent. As a fan, my perspective shifts again. And as the husband of a pretty well-known Freestyle artist, I get yet another view.

While I have my own thoughts on what could help us sustain this genre—and what could hurt it, I believe the most important thing is that we all have opinions. Because if nothing else, it shows that we care. That Freestyle is more than just music we love or money we make.

So, how do we keep this culture alive? One major way is by doing what some of the biggest brands in the world have done: collaborate.

Collaboration has been a key factor in the survival, and even resurgence—of many industries, from fashion to music and beyond. These aren’t just random pairings; they’re strategic, intentional moves that create something fresh while strengthening the foundation.

This month, I want to explore the power of collaborations and how we can make them work for Freestyle. So without further ado… let’s go!

COLLABORATIONS IN FREESTYLE

Alone We Make Music, Together, We Make Magic!"

The mega athletic brand, Nike has done many collaborations throughout their existence, one of their most famous of course is their long running joint venture with…

Nike, the mega athletic brand, has built its empire on collaborations, one of the most famous being its long-running partnership with former NBA superstar Michael Jordan, back when he was just a rookie. Then there’s the unexpected pairing of luxury brand Louis Vuitton with street wear giant Supreme, or Taco Bell’s clever collaboration with Doritos.

And let’s not forget the many legendary musical collabs, like Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C.’s Walk This Way or Lil Nas X and Billy Ray Cyrus’s Old Town Road.

But what’s the real intention behind these joint ventures? Are they designed to expand each brand’s audience? Bring something fresh to their loyal customers? Or are they simply the result of a wild idea from yet another bold CEO?

Whatever the reason, one thing is clear, collaborations shake things up! Even if they don’t always hit the mark, they generate buzz, spark new interest, and often leave a lasting impact.

But can this strategy work for Freestyle? Could collaborations, whether within or outside of our genre, help us expand our audience? Introduce something new to our dedicated fans? Or is Freestyle just a niche genre with a stubborn community, waiting on the impossible?

If we do embrace collaborations, what should they look like? Can they work? Have they worked before? And if so, what were the results?

Let’s take a look at a few that have already happened. Several Freestyle collabs have made waves, with some even becoming classics. The Rockell and Collage duet Can’t We Try remains favorite among fans. No Matter What by George LaMond and Brenda K. Starr delivered a powerful combination of talent, and of course, the most iconic Freestyle collab of them all, Johnny O and Cynthia’s Dreamboy/Dreamgirl.

But have we explored collaborations beyond just songs? I’m seriously asking, because I can only think of one, The S.A.L. Project. Back in 2003, I brought together Lil’ Suzy, Angel from The Cover Girls, and Lisette Melendez to perform onstage as a trio, and yes, it was a success.

So now, I turn this question over to you, the readers of The Freestyle Blast Newsletter. What kinds of collaborations do you think could help Freestyle grow? What partnerships, whether within the genre or beyond, could bring new energy to our scene?

Drop your thoughts in the comments below, and let’s keep this conversation going!

They Said It Could Never Be Done… But I Did It Anyway!

In 2023, I came up with what I’d like to think was a brilliant idea, though, if I’m being honest, it started from a bit of a selfish place. I had been working with Lil’ Suzy since she was, well… little! But then, I found myself forming a closer relationship with another artist I had only been booking for a couple of years, Angel, the lead singer of the hit girl group, The Cover Girls.

I went from being Angel’s agent to her boyfriend, then to her manager, and eventually, her husband. My loyalty to Suzy had been rock-solid, after all, she had helped pave my way in the industry and opened countless doors for me. But now, I had two major Freestyle artists under my wing. And while both were incredibly popular nationwide, they each dominated different markets.

Suzy was a powerhouse in Dallas, whereas Angel and The Cover Girls ruled El Paso. Suzy had a stronghold in the Bay Area, while Angel and her group dominated Los Angeles and Southern California. This pattern repeated across the country. While I knew I could leverage this to our advantage, my travel schedule was out of control.

As their exclusive booking agent, I controlled their calendars, carefully avoiding conflicts. I racked up some serious frequent flyer miles, but at the cost of a recurring case of sciatica.

The challenge was clear: Suzy had a decent following in Angel’s strongest markets and vice versa, but not enough for promoters to justify booking both on the same show. Keep in mind, back then, Freestyle concerts weren’t the massive arena-packed events they are today, not to mention their then conservative budgets seeing that most gigs were one-off club dates.

I needed a way to bring both of my artists into the same markets at the same time, land more shows, and let’s be real, make more money with fewer trips. Until one evening during a long drive to a show that I had booked in Providence, Rhode Island, with Angel and Lisette Melendez, an idea hit me that would eventually change the story of all of our careers.

What if I put Lil’ Suzy, Angel, and Lisette together on stage? Not as a group, I didn’t want to complete with their solo careers, but as a collaborative experience, almost like a Freestyle sampler.

I had my good friend and DJ, Hotmixx Hernandez, produce a special show tape featuring four songs from each artist, creating a twelve-song, thirty minute set, more than any other Freestyle artist was bringing at the time. The performance would rotate from one singer to the next, opening with Angel’s Because of You, into Suzy’s Promise Me, and Lisette’s A Day in My Life, continuing that pattern until the grand finale, Show Me, which perfectly captured the energy and aesthetic of the act.

We attempted a couple of rehearsals at my house in the Bronx, but something felt off. It started to feel too choreographed, too rehearsed. Each artist was losing a bit of themselves to fit a “group” dynamic, which was totally not my intention.

So, I killed rehearsals altogether, and encourage them to not even try and coordinate not even discuss outfits. Each of them had a distinct style that worked perfectly for them, and I wanted to stay as true as we possibly could to that. The result? An absolute unique, and incredibly dynamic performance.

Then came the final touch, something that had been bouncing around in my head for since the birth of the idea… What the hell was I gonna call them?

At 4:00 AM one morning, I shot up in bed. “I got it!” “Got what?” Angel groggily asked, looking at me like I was insane. “I’m gonna call it S.A.L.,” “What the fuck are you talking about?” She asked. “Suzy, Angel, Lisette… S.A.L. That’s what I’m gonna call you!”

Angel laughed. “You do realize what that spells, right?”

I just smiled.

When I shared the name with Suzy and Lisette, they laughed too. Lisette’s husband and Suzy’s dad even called to try and talk me out of it. They suggested alternatives like The Three Divas and The Freestyle Queens, but I vetoed those immediately. I wanted something simple, something memorable, and to emphasize that this wasn’t a “group” but rather a special collaboration, I extended the name to The S.A.L. Project!

I’ve always been a salesman, ever since my brother had me selling Miracle Cloths door-to-door when I was about eleven. And I knew if I believed in something, I could sell it. More importantly, I believed in these three women. To this day, I’m convinced God gave me the perfect trio for this idea.

I immediately started locking in dates across the country, with our first official show being at the Indiana State Event Center for a Lowrider Magazine car show in front of 6,500 people. The only problem? They needed a promo photo, and fast! Back then, digital editing wasn’t what it is today. I hadn’t scheduled a photo-shoot yet, so I had another friend of mine work on their photos, to try and create a uniformed image.

On the flight to Indiana, I sat the three of them together in one row and handed each a Walkman with the new show tape. As they listened, I watched from the seat behind in awe as these three legends subtly rehearsed in their own professional way, softly singing along, marking their cues with slight movements. At the time, their combined experience was over 40 years, and it showed. There was no goofing around, no unnecessary chit-chat, just pure focus.

This wasn’t just their first S.A.L. Project show, it was a true round trip gig. We flew in, went straight to the venue, got ready in the dressing room, and then hit the stage.

I was an incredibly nervous wreck, but these ladies pulled it off like the superstars we know they are. Not only did the audience lose their mind, with the roar of the crowd get louder at the intro of each song. I glanced over to my promoter as he stood sidestage totally engulfed in what was happening on his stage. There was no doubt, I had hit my mark, and proof came in the form of an invitation to join the rest of the Low-rider up-coming dates around the country.

After the performance, the girls freshened up, changed back into their travel clothes, and right back to the airport we went.

And just like that, The S.A.L. Project was born.

S.A.L. ran from 2003 to 2010, accomplishing beyond what I had hoped, by not only building their individual demands, but by S.A.L. also becoming an established act in its self with fans requesting them in their markets and the promoters willingness to pay a premium to book.

With each of their heavy workloads, Suzy’s hiatus, as well as the reunion of The Original Cover Girls, trying to coordinate an S.A.L. show has been difficult. But rest assured, the curtain has yet to drop, and talks of S.A.L. reentering the market has been a hot topic among the team.

Question: Have you ever experienced a Live S.A.L. performance? If so, we’d love to hear about it, let us know in the comments below, and if not, hopefully you can catch an S.A.L. show at a Freestyle event near you!