Freestyle Blogs

I use to work at “Freestyle Major” Metropolitan Records during the time of the attacks. I lived in Queens, NY and would take the E Train to The World Trade Center stop. (Last Stop On the E Train).

From there I would go way down to the lower level to catch the New Jersey Path Train. For those who didn’t know, Metropolitan Records was in East Newark, New Jersey.

For about 4 years, I had a routine, where I could get to The World Trade station, go down to the Path Level, and sit in this small cafe and have a cup of coffee and a muffin. I would usually get there about 8:45am and chill till about 9:15am reading and drinking coffee. The path Level was about 6 stories beneath Tower One.
Afterward I would get on the Path and ride to work. It was the same trip going home.
Lil’ Suzy had a show that weekend in Texas and we returned home on American Airlines on Sept 10th. I had picked up money at the show and wanted to deposit it in the bank before leaving to work. So I went to the bank that was just across the street from my building, but of course it didn’t open till 9:00am, so I waited.

It finally opened, I rushed in, deposited the money then realized I left something at my apartment.  No biggie, I lived right across the street. I went upstairs, grabbed what I needed, when I heard a News Flash on the tevevision that a plane had just crashed into one of the towers.

I put my bag down and watched just as the second plane slammed into the second Tower. Just then, I knew it was an attack. I lived on the 6th floor and rush up to the roof because I was able to see the towers from there.

I could see both buildings on fire. I stood there, staring in disbelief. I decided to go back down to the apartment to hear on the News what was going on and just as I got down there, they showed as the first tower collapsed. I ran back up to the roof, and the entire sky was covered with smoke. I ran back down just to see again as the second tower also collapsed.

I tried to called my job to tell them that I didn’t think I was going in today and couldn’t get through for about 4 hours. I am convinced, that if that had been any other day during the week, or if I didn’t have to make that stop at the bank, I would’ve been one of the victims of 911… God Bless everyone we lost on Sept 11 2001

In Memory of all our Hero’s

It was just a matter of time, wasn’t it? To be honest though, I had this idea way before myspace was around, or at least popular. I had mentioned to WMDave that we needed a site that basically would build itself.  Sort of how our La’ Messageboard worked. We build it once and it continues to build from then on with little to no assistance from us.
We played around with the idea for a bit. Created pages with photo, music and data up-load capabilities.  But no matter what, it was difficult to navigate and confusing.
We finally canned the idea for a bit, when suddenly, I was introduced to a site called “myspace”.

This site, in my opinion at the time was no more than a dating site, and as I played around and explored it, I didn’t want my wife catching me and getting the wrong idea.  Anyway, the more I used it, the more I thought, what a great product. I showed it to WMDave and told him, “This Is What We Need”.

This all happened around 2004 and when I saw the speed and popularity that myspace experienced, it was, damn! Once again, another incredible idea that someone else beat me to. So on with our business and life we went.

Many know I am a huge business magazine subscriber, and seeing sites like myspace and facebook take on the front covers, bragging about the millions they made or sold for, I was sick. But eventhough someone beat us to it, we did have on our side a market that we can cater to. Our very own Freestyle market. We had already covered all basis in the market with La’ Radio Live, FreestyleBlast, FreestyleBlogs, our cologne etc… Well what if we created a social site that catered to the Freestyle Market?
Okay, we got the idea, but how do we build it?

We did our research and outsourced a little help, but it was mainly WMDave, who got us what we needed. It was a bit pricey, very time consuming and extremely frustrating. But guess what?

On September 1st 2008 we launched FreestyleFriends.com and within just a couple of hours, we had over 200 registered members. The excitement was incredible. We watched as the numbers began growing, keeping a close eye out for the bugs, complaints and more importantly, the hackers who like to try and enter sites while they are first being launched.

We got a couple of calls and emails about minor things that we needed to address on the site.  One was the actual separation of the Fans and Industry databases. This was tricky because the site was up and running and we can see people registering while we were still doing small changes.

Suddenly, I hear an Oh oh, come from WMDave. “What happened” I asked. “I think I deleted the entire file”. I laughed, because he has cried that wolf before with some of our other projects. “No I’m serious this time”. He was!

I stayed cool, and thought this as more of a blessing, because I rather ask 200 people to re-register while they still hadn’t even built their pages, than ask 20,000. So I told him, shut us down and get to work. For those who think, “I” never sleep… I do sleep, just very little, approximately 4 hours a night.  Now WMDave? He doesn’t sleep. I think he gets most of his sleep while drive… A school bus! Lol.  Just kiddin, don’t wanna get him in trouble.

I tell people all the time, shut down early and try and be in bed before midnight, then get up early.  That’s my personal key to functioning the way I do.

So we fixed one of the problems and quickly re-launched the site. People were confussed. I decided to just deal with them as they come, instead of trying to explain to everyone what happened and what they need to do.  It was simple, re-register and re-build your page and re-request all your friends again. 

The site is running on a more frequest back-up system now, being backed up multiple times a day, instead of just once a week. You see, that’s where running sites like this become tricky and tedious.

So we are back up and running, and we still have a ton of work to do. We did our best to keep the navigating of FreestyleFriends.com as close to myspace as possible, only because we feel it would be a bit more familiar and easier to get started for those myspace loyalist.

I’m sure as you log on and begin to use the site, you will find many areas that need either improvement or even change. Believe me, if you spotted it, so did we and it is on the list of over 100 improvements already logged in out FF To Do List.  But, please, feel free to let us know anyway. Just send your ideas and suggestions to WMDave@La-Entertainment.com (he’s gonna kill me for that)

When you get a chance, please log and and register at www.FreestyleFriends.com it’s fast, free and fun. Then pass it along to your friends and family.

I’ll see you there!

We’ve been together for about a million years, yet on August 6th 2008, Angel and I made our first year “Married”.  To my fellas, a great gift to give to the wife is a cruise.  Doesn’t necessarily have to be a long cruise, just a cruise to a beautiful place, somewhere in the carribean.  Yes, that’s what I did. Our schedule didn’t permit us to go for too long, but a 3 night 4 day cruise was a perfect first time.  Yes it was the first time that either Angel or I have ever taken a cruise and after this first one, we are hooked and will become regular cruisers.  I think it’s a great vacation and honestly, dollar for dollar, the best value.

But what was interesting about our trip, was what I had to go through in order to keep it a secret for as long as possible.  You see Angel and I have expressed our desire to eachother about one day going on a cruise.  Actually, we made plans one time, told a bunch of friends (including Lil’ Suzy) and had to pull out at the last minute because we were closing on our house in NY. Everyone went besides us.

I pretty much knew from the get that we would be taking a cruise for our first anniversary, but like all the gifts I’ve given Angel, I love surprising her, and I’m good at it.

One of the stressful parts that I had to handle was the fact that I couldn’t find Angel’s Birth Certificate. Our Passports were expired and since we haven’t been out of the country in years we never bothered to get new ones.

I had an idea.  I told Angel that one of my promoters from Canada wanted to book her, but that she needed her birth certificate. She looked everywhere but to no avail. So we decided to order them On-Line.  I told her order a new one for me too and get copies of both, just incase! We had them rushed and thank God we got them right on time. Sorry baby, no Canada show.

So about three months before we made a year, Angel began to ask what we should do for our anniversary.  We had been really busy, so I told her we’ll think of something. Time went on and the date got closer. I contacted my good friend Joe Hanna who does travel from Florida and told him that I wanted to book a cruise for our anniversary.

Right away Joe got to work and I booked us a 4 day 3 night Cruise on the great Royal Carribean Cruise Ship “Majesty Of The Seas” By the way, I give it 5 stars. I wanted to book the cruise on a weekend which worked out great because our anniversary was on the Wed before we shipped out. Our anniversary was the 6th of August and I booked the cruise for the 8th (that Friday).  This was perfect because I would be able to surprise with the trip and still give her a little time to do a little shopping.

Weeks prior, Angel was pressuring me about what we were going to do for our anniversary.  I would give it a little thought, then either change the subject or tell her “Let me think about it”.  You see Angel loves to eat at Chilli’s (Fajita Trio is her favorite). So I told her that I wanted to take her to Chilli’s and a movie on our anniversary. The hardest thing I had to do was keep a dumb face as she looked at me in disbelief of my choice of celebration.

She didn’t say anything at first, but then I asked her if we should take the kids, and her already distorted face, distorted some more. The days were getting closer and we changed the Chilli’s idea to going down to the beach for the weekend and yes, bringing the kids.

We came back from a show and went out to eat, about a week prior to our anniversary.  Finally, she couldn’t hold it in any longer.  Angel expressed to me how disappointed she was that I hadn’t put any thought into our 1st anniversary.  She said any other anniversary could have been compromised, but the 1st was supposed to be special.

I threw on my acting face. I played the dumb husband that didn’t know any better because hey, I’ve never been married and had no experience, was my dumb excuse. You can see she wanted to rip my had off.

The night before our anniversary, Angel and I were in Wal-Mart late at night picking up a few things.  I told her I had to go do something and I’d be right back.  I had an idea of how to present the cruise to her. I found this great photo album with a little window on the cover. I grabbed it just as Angel turned the corner. I quickly swung the album behind my back. “What are you doing”? she asked as she tried to peek behind me. “Get away, I yelled! I’m trying to buy your anniversary present. She gave me that “Look” and went outside the store to wait for me. Later she revealed that she had called her sister Maria to tell her “Do you believe he’s buying my 1st Anniversary present from Wal-Mart”? Little did she know, Maria already knew about the Cruise.

So I grabed the perfect Anniversary card and the Photo Album and headed for the cashier along with some of the other things she left in the shopping cart.  I came out of the store with that “Dumb Husband” look, still trying to hide the gift that was in the Wal-Mart shopping bag. Angel didn’t have much to say to me except “So what did you get me”  I said “Something you always wanted” Without saying a word, I could hear her mind saying “From Wal-Mart”?

The next morning I was up around 6:30am (I was really excited) and proud that I was able to make it without her finding out.  I went into my office and locked the door. I never recieved a brochure or any travel info from the Cruise, so I went on-line and started printing photos of the ship. I placed one into the little window of the album and on the inside, I wrote her a letter… This is what it said.

To say she was excited would be a complete understatement. Well I did it! What I didn’t realize was that she didn’t realize that we were shipping out in two days.  She thought it was going to be in October, a time that we had agreed on a few days prior.  As soon as she found out we were leaving in a couple of days, I handed her the Credit Card before she could say “I have to go shopping”!

Friday morning a 5am we were out and on our way to the airport to catch a flight to Miami where we would board our ship.  The experince just boarding was exciting to the two of us.  I had called Joe Hanna the day before to get all the details about the trip. I wanted to make sure we had everything we needed, no disruptions whatsoever.

We are so use to airports, that a sea post was something really new to us. I personally hate going through Customs, for some reason, they make me nervous.  But we did it and all went well. They gave us our “Set Sail Passes” along with a word of the importance of not losing them. I’m telling you, we guarded those things with our lives the whole trip.  They made us fee as though if we lost them, we would be left on one of the islands never to return.

Well we are lead onto the ship and basically left in the middle of the lobby.  If you had never been on a Cruise ship, youwould know what I mean when I say we were lost. People all over the place, going from one part of the ship to the next.

Well we finally found our room.

It was nice.  It was a statesroom, supposedly bigger than your average. But also, that must apply to average sized people. (Okay, Angel is a little below average and I am a little above average so I guess it evens out).

We freshen up a bit and waste no time heading back to the lobby to begin our exploration of the ship, starting with, what else… The famous Windjammer. That’s where the food’s at. That was really cool, it’s set up like a huge buffet with diiferent areas hosting different foods.  Italian over here… Chinese over there… etc.

So we grab some food. A little advice here. Before grabbing the first thing you like.  Walk around the buffet for a minute and visit the other stands. It kind of sucked when I filled my plate with some yummy food, just to pass another stand with even yummier food.

Well we sit down, and wave to one of the attendants. He comes up and I as if we can get a couple of diet cokes and a drink for M’Lady!  The attendant replied.  “I would love to sir, but this is Carlos’ table, he’ll be right with you” I wait a second, because I hate to start eating without something on my plate. I start asking other attendants if they were carlos. They all apologized that they weren’t.  Apparently there is a slight code there.  Attendants don’t violate other attendants sections.

So we starting eating.  Finally Carlos arrives. I greet him like a long lost brother and smack a couple of dollars into the palm of his hand. “Stay close bu okay Carlos?” carlos agrees, still taking care of the other guest, i can see he has his eye on us. So we finish up and are about to leave. Carlos, comes up and says “Would you need anything else?” No thanks Carlos, but we’ll be back later.” He nodded and helped the misses out of her chair. But before we left I asked, hey Carlos, can I take a picture with you? Okay he replied…

Well, we go outside and start walking around the ship.  It was truly incredible. The pool area was already packed. The music was setting the theme as the ships horn blew and we began to sail.

By the time we were deep into the ocean, it was time to get ready for dinner.  We had a 6:pm dinner set for each night.  Angel said, next time let’s take the later dinner, I thing it was like 8:30pm. This way we don’t miss things like, the sunset etc..

The first night was casual attire, so we thre on a little something and headed to Deck 3 where we would sit for our first dinner on a cruise ship. We chose to sit with others and there was a lady and her daughter sitting there. We introduced ourselves and sat down to eat. They turned out to be really nice people.  From the WestCoast, the mother brought the Daughter on the cruise for her birthday. The waiter brought her over a little cake and we got the whole place singing happy birthday.

So after dinner, we went back up to our room, changed into something a bit more comfortable and headed back to deck 11 where the pool was.  We grabbed a couple of loungh chairs and faced them toward the ocean and just chilled out. Now that’s what I’m talking about. It was the most relaxing time I have had in years, and to have my wife with me, it was incredible.

So the next morning we wake up and I rush to look out the window.  We are at Coco Cay, a private Island owned by Royal Carribean. It was a beautiful Island and I couldn’t wait to get off the ship.
We had to take a Ferry from the ship to the Island. The day was a bit cloudy, and a storm was approaching.  I had wished it was a nicer day, but then again, I got to experience a real Tropical Storm.

I was a little nervous though.  I had signed us up for Para-Sailing. What was I thinking?  Angel didn’t know this till we set foot on the island.  At first it wasn’t ready due to the storm.  Good thing, the lightening was intense and Benjamin Franklin already discover electricity. So we decide to chill at the Straw Market, have a couple of drinks and wait out the storm. I could never understand why they called it “The Straw Market”.

Okay Latif, that’s enough!

So we get to the waiting area for the Para-sailing and their are a young couple, two brothers, and some lady and I guess it was her lover she was with. We All pile into the small motor boot with two guys who looked as though they were from one of the neighboring Islands. They were cool though. Angel and I were the first to sit down and then the rest followed. The waters were real choppy because of the storm. We zoom out to the middle of the Ocean, the Island and our ship still very visible. The guy points to Angel and I and say… “You’re First”! The pleasant smile I had on as I boarded the boat suddenly disappeared and nervousness kicked in.  I had told guy earlier that I weighed just 250 pounds and that Angel was just 115 pounds totalling 365 pounds. The weight limit was 375. Just as he was strapping us in, I nervously confessed that I was at 295 and Angel at 120, bringing our total weight to 415 pounds, 40 pounds over the limit.
The guy just waved it off and continued strapping us in… Oohh. Now I was really nervous. Hm, did I sign a waiver when I signed up for this?

So they strap us in. I have my cool smile on, Angel as you can see by the ripples on her forehead was feeling as confident. You know, if I was the correct weight and the person I was going up with wasn’t, I’d have ripples on my forehead too. So he straps us in and ask are we ready?  Hold up a second I yelled.  Any instructions?
“yes” he said, sit up and relax!” then he takes off and the chute yanks us back. I had given my camera to one of the guys on the boat. As soon as we took off, I felt my body fall back and my ass sort of popped out the saddle. I tried to sit up, but to no avail. I even tried to reach under to pull my pants up, I could’ve sworn, until I saw these pictures I thought everyone on the boat was watching my ass the whole time.

So up we went.  whats confussing to me though is, if you look at this picture, how is the brace leaning toward Angel’s side? Hmm..
So we’re off. The boat is going faster, and we are going higher…

… And Higher. let me point out something for a moment here. Now if you look at the strap that Angel and I share in the middle. Now, If I were her, I’d be pissed. There are two other straps right above my head, why would they put me on hers.  If mine snapped, she’d be going down with me.
I want you also to take note of the knot that fastens our chute to the pulling rope. You see, I didn’t notice thats this was just your regular everyday, childrens knot, until I was way up in the air. We’ll get back to that later.

If you look closely, you’ll see Angel turned toward me. This is when I told her that I felt like I was slipping out of the saddle. You see, she’s sitting up like they said, I’m basically laying back, but holding really tight to the straps, so tight that I swear, if it would’ve snapped under me I’d still be holding on.

And even higher.  Now lets go back a second.  Remember when I mentioned that I noticed that the knot looked like it was tied by a second grader?  Well this is where we were when I noticed it. talk about a panic attack. I was able to see the ship and by the strength of the wind and the direction that it was blowing, all I could picture was the knot coming loose and us flying full speed at the side of the ship…
As we are relled down to the boat, the guy yells at us to try and land on our feet. That was easy for Angel, very hard for me.
I decided to land on my but. Take note of the choppiness of the water.

So we made it! And spared the ship a nasty dent on it’s side. We take one last photo of our adventure. It was great, a first for the two of us.

Well that was enough adventure for me… Time to chill and just take a dip!

I’m not particularly fond of this picture. It shows too much Baby Fat.

So back to the ship we go.  It’s getting late and we have to get ready for dinner. You know a brother don’t miss a meal! We shower, change and head down to dinner. After dinner, we decide to walk around the ship and look for a couple of the clubs that are there.  First stop, a Salsa club… Every white person on the ship was there. They love Salsa.
It was cool, we hung there a bit, had a couple of drinks, then we were out. If you think about it, Angel and I basically work in clubs, and eventhough this club was on a ship, it just wasn’t where we wanted to spend out cruise time.

It’s time to call it in and get ready for tomorrow. One note about sleeping on the ship. Not sure if it’s just me, but I slept like a baby. I guess it’s the subtle movement of the ship.  very relaxing. What I also liked was the idea, that when I wake up, I’d be at the next port, which in our case was….

The first thing we decided to do, recommended by my good friend Joe Hanna, was to take a tour around the island, which we did.  Great way of starting your day on the island.  It’s about  hours and very informative. They took us from the rich areas to the Ghetto, Angel and I are originally from the Ghetto’s of New York, the South Bronx to be exact, so it’s always interesting to do some sort of comparison. I have to admit though, New York Ghettos are living large in comparison to some of the Ghetto’s around the world, including the Bahamas.
So we took the tour, went to Paradise Island and into the Atlantis Hotel. Nice place with a sort of Aquarium in the lobby. Huge Aquarium though, had Stingrays, Sharks, Barracuda’s, that was great. More impressive to me than the $25,000 a night suite everyone talks about, where Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson stay when they are in town.
Tours over and they bring us back to the port where the market it. Here is where you get your souvenirs and other island memorabilia.
So after doing a little shopping, a heard this really weird sound. I asked Angel, “Did you hear that?” She kept silent for a second, then said “No, what was it” “My stomach, I’m hungry get’s go get a bite”
The only thing with me, my chosen menu is stuck on the typical American diet, which may include Chinese, Japanese and Spanish, namely Puerto Rican and Cuban foods, that’s it! I don’t experiment. If I ever go to Germany, I’d be looking for the “Golden Arches”, believe that.
So, we found a Hard Rock Cafe, great! But wait, I’m low on cash, and need an ATM machine. I ask someone working in the area where I could find one, and they point to a bank next door.  We go inside. The bank is closed, but like in the states, they have an open ATM in the vestibule.
I like to keep at least 4 or 5 hundred dollars in my wallet when I’m away. Just me, makes me feel safe I guess. But, I know we are about to get back on the ship and I don’t think we’ll be spending that much more between now and when we board the ship again.  So I decide to take out just $200.00.
Cool, I swipe my card, punch in my pin and …. Oh Snap! It shot me out $200. in Bahamian money. Thank God I just took out $200. So we took it to the Hard Rock and had a great time. Bahamian Money and American money have the same Value in the Bahamas.  If you take it back to the states, and exchange it, you’ll take a lost.

So we stuff our faces, give the waitress a big Bahamian tip, and get back to our ship. Earlier on the cruise, Angel had lost one of her earrings. It upsets her, I’m use to it, she’s always losing earrings. Anyway, we get back to our room and sitting on our bed is an animal shaped out of a towel.  This is a regular thing that the room attendants do while you are out… this and I guess go through your stuff Lol.
So he made this towel animal, put Angel’s shades on it and the earring that she had lost earlier in the trip on it’s nose.

I gotta be real here for a minute. Honestly, I have to admit. This could be a great way for attendants to secure themselves a good tip at the end of the trip. Find something of value, in the beginning of the trip, then give it back at the end. Well, if that was the case, then it worked, because Angel was thrilled she got her earring back, and our attendant got a fat tip. We hung out on the deck for awhile, then went to get ready for our final dinner.

Special Thanks to a few of the people that made our1st Cruise Special.

Juan, the Assistant Waiter

Desmon, our Waiter

Alberto, our Room Attendant

Our good friends Black Beard and Poly

All our Fellow Cruisers that weekend.

Our Ship “The Majesty Of The Seas”
And of course….. GOD!

For making it all so perfect!

Thank you joining us on our 1st Anniversary!

Lil’ Suzy, Angel “The Original Cover Girl”
and Lisette Melendez… Aka S.A.L.

Have you ever seen an S.A.L. performance? If you haven’t, then contact your local club or concert promoter and tell them that you want to see S.A.L.
As far as I know, S.A.L. is the absolute “Newest” Freestyle concept to actually have any kind of success, except for O.C.G. of course, but that’s another blog.

You see, S.A.L. was actually created from my own Laziness. Doesn’t make sense? Then read on.  I’ve been on the road working with the incredible Lil’ Suzy, since she was 5 years old (yes I will have another blog based on this). Anyway, for approximately 25 years (sorry Suzy, this might reveal your age) I have been traveling the United states as well as Canada and Mexico with Freestyle’s Lil’ Sister. Every single weekend, I would meet Suzy either at her house or at the airport and off we went, 98 percent of the time we were flying to the West Coast. Texas, California, Arizona… yea you get the idea!

I truly love what I do and am so grateful to God for giving me this glorious life I live. But as I was getting older, the traveling was taking it’s toll. getting to the events was great, the flight and more importantly, the preparation for the flight was becoming a tedious ritual. For most Managers or Road Managers who travel with their artist, it might be a bit easier, but for me as a Manager and Booking Agent who was about to meet another very important client, the way I presented myself, was just as important as the way my artist presented herself.

So as the artist prepared, so did I. Fresh haircut, new clothes, and of course a new pair of sneakers. Hey, my clients have to send me money so let me at least put them at ease and present myself in a professional manner.

So off we went, every single weekend, me and Lil’ Suzy at first with either one of her parents and later, just her and I.

Then, I got with Angel, the lead singer of the hit girl group “The Cover Girls” the actual voice of all your favorite Cover Girl songs. her and I started dating, and eventually got married.  Angel, had a lot of drama going on with her career, forces behind her were basically trying to wipe her out of the market. This was a situation that I had no experience with and really didn’t know how to handle it. The only advice I was able to give her was to sit back and stop performing while I try and figure this out.

Angel sat back for a year and put everything in my hands…. You should know the rest of this story!

So now, here I had two very talented and yes Beautiful young ladies who’s careers I was basically now responsible for. they both had tremendous Freestyle Hits and great stage presence, but there was just one problem. They reached different Freestyle Markets. Never thought something like this ever even existed.

While I had Suzy performing in San Jose California, I had Angel performing in Los Angeles. While Suzy was in Dallas, I had Angel is Arizona. Not that they both couldn’t or didn’t do the other markets, they did, I just couldn’t get them on at the same time.  First off the two are pretty pricey individually, so together, they were an investment many promoters could handle.

I was able to book their shows (note, no one books them but me) without anyone losing out. I would just alternate them. It worked for a while, about a year, but I was getting beat up, note to mention I was gaining weight and me being so busy kept me from doing any kind of exercise. What does that have to do with the story you might ask? When was the last time you sat in one of those airplane seats?

I kept saying to myself, “I need to figure out a way of getting these girls to perform the same markets without compromising their fee”.

Angel and I had bought a Brown Stone in the Bronx and I booked a show in Rhode Island with her and Lisette Melendez. Suzy had just done the area so I couldn’t get her back their so soon. I’ve met Lisette in the past, but never really got to know her.  She arrived in the Limo with her Husband Robert and we had a pleasant 4 hour ride to the club.

We all got to know each other and it was kind of cool being with another couple in the business. We got to the club, did the show and were out. The trip home was just as enjoyable. We learned a lot about Lisette and Rob in that short time and really dug them both.

When Angel and I got home that morning around 5am, I was wired and had this great idea, but was reluctant to even bring it up to Angel. Finally I told her that I think I found the bridge between her and Suzy, and that would be Lisette Melendez.

  
         Lil’ Suzy                 Angel (OCG)          Lisette Melendez 

Lisette didn’t do as much West Coast as we did, but she held a strong and loyal fan base whom I thought would love to see these three ladies together. I had a song that I wrote years back, that Angel found laying in my paperwork.  The song was called “Me And The Girls”. This I felt was the absolute best song for them and it would give the clubs a reason to book them together.
Angel loved the idea (she’s always supportive of my ideas) and the next morning I presented it to Lisette. I actually sang the song for her over the phone and after she laughed at me, she agreed to try it out. I was excited, I presented it then to Suzy, who I knew wouldn’t have a problem doing it.

I right away started putting the buzz out there and the reaction was great, I knew we had something here. My promoters were already asking me when it would be done. I now had to find a producer excited enough about the project. A task that I found very difficult. You see, my ideas have always seemed outlandish to many people, but what the people need to see is, my ideas usually work.

I went through a handful of producers and even paid one, and I didn’t get what I was looking for. I personally have spent so many years in studios, that I don’t really enjoy it that much anymore. A little Latif trivia here, I am a graduate from CMA (Center For Media Arts) in New York City, who majored in Audio Engineering.

I was discouraged and refused to put out any inferior product whatsoever. These three ladies have release incredible music and I would never put out anything below that, ever! I was forced to put the who recording on the back burner for a moment while I figured this thing out.

Shortly, all the promoters began calling me about the status of the song because they were ready to book them. One of the clients were one of my biggest, Mike K from Low-Rider Magazine. I was booking all his car show entertainment. I went to sleep that night with this on my mind and the determination of having a solution in the morning. This is something I do often.

Sure enough I woke up with this incredible idea. Instead of focusing on the song, I would focus on having the girls perform together on stage. I went back to the drawing board and put together this really cool concept that I thought would benefit “Everyone”!

The artist, the fans, the promoters and yes, me too! I chose 3 of the girls biggest hits. For Suzy, I chose Real Love, Promise Me and Take Me In Your Arms. For Angel My Heart Skips A Beat, Because Of You and Show Me. And for Lisette, A day In My Life, Goody Goody and Together Forever… Hey, but Goody Goody isn’t a Freestyle song!  In my opinion, anything a Freestyle singer sings, is a Freestyle song. Besides, Goody Goody is a great change to the flow, very effective in my opinion, even though Lisette has challenged me on it many times.

I had to get all nine of these incredible songs into a 30 minute show tape, without losing the meat. I decided to alternate the songs from Angel to Suzy, to Lisette, then back to Angel etc… I hired a great DJ to put the show tape together for me. I directed him as to how I wanted it edited and he did a great job. So good that I never wanted to change it. We were able to keep “All” the meat in the show tape by editing out all the long intros, outros, breaks, hooks, bridges etc.

I wanted to close the show with Angel’s “Show Me”, not out of any kind of favoritism as some might thing, but more so, because I felt it was the “Only” song that was know to be performed by 3 girls, so this was a great ending where all three ladies can step up to the front of the stage.  And to justify Angel closing, I made her also “OPEN” the show, so Angel is the S.A.L. Guinea Pig. She hates going out there alone, but you have to take the good with the bad.

The show tape came out great. I now had to name the group. HhmI slept on this for about a week. Got suggestions from everyone I knew. The Diva’s Of Freestyle, The 3 Diva’s, Girls of Freestyle, Ladies Of Freestyle… it went on and on. I hated them all. I though about using their initials, I though L.S.A. because it sounded like the drink Alize’, but it wasn’t smacking me in the face. I needed something very catchy.

I woke up around 3am and woke up Angel saying “I got it”. “That’s great baby, now go back to sleep” was Angel’s reply. No! I got the name for the group. S.A.L. (Suzy, Angel, Lisette) Angel sat up as said. Do you realize it spells Sal? Of course I do! “But people are going to think that Sal is associated with this” Angel said. That’s the beauty of it, I responded.

As always, Angel, look at me as if I were crazy, shrugged her shoulders and went back to sleep.  The next morning I called Suzy and told her the fantastic name I came up with. Thinking back now, she too thought I was nuts. She even had her father Tony call me. By the way, he was the one who suggested “The Diva’s Of Freestyle” Lol.. I love Tony, that’s my brother, but I didn’t feel that the Diva’s Of Freestyle would work.

Then I called Lisette, and told her what I wanted to call the group.  Now this was tricky, because Lisette still had and I think still has a sort working relationship with Sal (oh, for those who don’t know what Sal I am talking about, it’s Sal Abbatiello from Fever Records). You see the subliminal beauty behind it was that Sal has had working relations with all 3 of these ladies in one capacity or another. Suzy’s first label where she recorded “Randy” was on Fever, Lisette was Managed by Sal at one point and we all know the story behind Sal and The Cover Girls or should we say Angel “The Original Cover Girl”. Sal has made a nice living off the names of these and many others, and that’s cool, we basically do that. But now for once, artist, mine in particular can make money off Sal’s name. Okay, Sal, that’s it’s I gave you your 15 minutes of Freestyle Blog fame, no more!!!

So anyway, I fought it and yes, I won… Sorry girls. S.A.L. is the name of this group and just as I had thought. It’s very catchy, very controversial, very memorable and right to the point. These days, put any kind of group or collaboration is difficult. Artist now have different lives, kids, homes, spouses etc, have all made having a continued and successful career in this business even more of a challenge. At this time, Angel and I were in The Bronx, Suzy in Staten Island and Lisette in New Jersey. Everyone had shows and getting the girls together for anything was a task.

I booked the group for their first performance for Low-Rider in two weeks and for a great price. I priced the group so that the promoters save money and the girls actually walk away with more more than they would individually.  I kept just myself on as Road Manager and of course shared a room with Angel.  So it was the fee, 4 flights and 3 rooms. Low-Rider does their shows a bit differently.  They don’t like to book hotels so basically you are in, do the show and then you’re out!

I rushed my DJ to finish the show tape which I received the final cut the day before the show. I brought with me 4 copies of the show tape and 3 CD Walkmans that I bought, (Hey Lisette, I just realized, I never got my CD player back!). I made sure all three girls sat together on the plane. I handed each of them a CD Player and a copy of the show tape and told them “You have 2 hours to put together a routine”

They gave me a crazy look in unison then I took a seat behind them and prayed….
The show was in Indiana Indianapolis for Low-Rider Magazine in a venue that sat 8500 people. A limo picked us up at the airport, took us directly to the venue and escorted us to a huge dressing room and said we are on in an hour.

I didn’t say much to the girls the whole trip but rather watched them closely as they got to know each other. I was hoping that I would see some magical chemistry between them, I did. I stepped out of the dressing room so they could change and walked around the venue. I went backstage where I could see the audience.  The place was packed. I was a nervous wreck. Not because I was worried about how the crowd would react, but more importantly, how the girls will work out.

It’s show time! I escort the girls who by the way looked incredible, but more interesting was that even though they tried to match somehow, they expressed their individuality.

For anyone who has ever run music for an act performing, can attest to the fact that it can be a pretty intense job. Having your music malfunction in anyway during a performance is bad enough with one act. But here I have three. The girls have their mics, I stationed on stage to the right.  The announcer comes out and introduces as such, “For the first time ever! give it up for Lil’ Suzy, Angel “The Original Cover Girl and Lisette Melendez as S.A.L.”… 

The crowd went bananas as the show tape began. S.A.L.’s performance was the longest 30 minutes I ever experienced. But we did it! The girls were thrilled and confident. I felt relieved, yet ready to do it again.

We rushed back to the dressing room, then back to the airport and home. It wasn’t long before I had booked us another gig. The girls got together at my our house and tried to work out a sort of routine. I had mixed feelings about this. I kept trying to visualize it and I just couldn’t. I was with Suzy a long time and new her ways, movements etc.. And with Angel long enough to also know her capacity. But I had to learn Lisette’s.

The girls got together and tried rehearsing some steps and ideas. I stood in the next room where my office was with one eye on them the whole time. I heard the girls talk about everything from new photos to outfits, but something wasn’t right for me. I didn’t speak on anything until it was crystal to me and sure enough, after nights of thought, I figured out that these ladies have been stars in their own right for many years.  Their individuality is what made them stars. Their music represented their personalities perfectly, which of course carried with it, their own looks and styles.

So there it was all along. S.A.L. would not survive as a group, but as the concept they were initially pulled together for. As a sampler of their own individual entity. Now I had to make them understand. The first thing I did was to take each of their individual photos. Photos that the fans were already use to, and add their three photos together as one. Of course since each of their photo sessions were at different times, different lighting etc.. I needed to somehow put them on a common setting.  The idea I had, was a consistant sketch of the three photos as one. I didn’t have time to fine an artist, not was it really necessary. I paid a friend of mine to create it on his computer.

 The ladies all wanted to take my head off because they all hated their picture. But you see, if I would’ve consulted with them, this would never had gotten done.

The next thing now was to get across to them, and everyone else that S.A.L. is NOT a group! I attempted to bring them into the studio to record a song, but I wasn’t happy with what was coming out, so I canned it. Many other producers approached me about producing songs for S.A.L.  All I could tell them was. Let me hear it.

The next thing was their outfits.  I explained to the girls that they dress the way they do because it works for them and that I wanted them to express their individuality. Little by little I tried discouraging them from sharing their clothing ideas for the next show.  This was turning out great, almost like a game that everyone wins.  It seemed as though they were trying to predict what the others would wear. What was happening here is, they were really learning each other and their reasons as to why they would wear this and that. Sort of like knowing how the engine works rather than just knowing how to drive the car. I personally felt this was important.

Now their routine.  Till now you can still see traces of their attempted choreography. What we had to put it to rest. Say I don’t know what I am talking about, and you might be right.  But if it ain’t broke, why fix it?  These ladies had their own unique routine on stage that I didn’t want to touch. I felt that by them performing enough together that they would eventually mesh in all aspects and that would end up being the real beauty of S.A.L.

S.A.L. has performed over two dozen shows at the asking price. Which I am proud to say was market value. Those who know me know that when I set a price, I first make sure that it is the fairest price for all parties, then I stick to it. My theory is, if I lower the price for you, then I just screwed one of my other important clients. So my price is firm.

After a couple of dozen shows, our girl Lisette became pregnant and gave birth to baby boy. She came back into the market, did a couple of S.A.L. shows, until our girl Lil’ Suzy became pregnant and also gave birth, but for her it was a beautiful baby girl.

The girls are back now and ready to perform as S.A.L. once again. Individually, I keep them busy,but they are always ready for an S.A.L. show. 

Latif Mercado and S.A.L. (Suzy, Angel, Lisette)

Who would’ve thought, that 20 years later, Freestyle would have its own cologne? Not me! Freestyle by La’ is just that, a unique fine fragrance created by me, Latif Mercado. This is something I’ve always wanted to do. Was it difficult? Absolutely! Confusing? Hell yea. But somehow someway, I figured it out.  And now, 500 gallons and over $40k in the hole, I created the first Cologne ever dedicated to the Freestyle Community.

Now all you have to do is get yourself a bottle and become a part of Freestyle history.Freestyle by La’ debuted at the 2008 Freestyle Music Awards (also created by… me!). I’m sorry, I’m not trying to brag, just trying to make a point.  What point you might ask?  Just that no matter what they say, Freestyle isn’t dead. No, it’s here and actually growing.

In the last few years, Freestyle has made a remarkable resurgence and Freestyle club and concert events have been everywhere.  From Miami to Los Angeles, New York to Hawaii I must take my hat off to all who have been a part of this incredible movement.

For those who attended the 2008 FMA’s, you probably got a bottle of Freestyle by La’. It was in the goody bags for all to take, free of charge. But the FMA’s are over till next year, but Freestyle by La’ is still here and hopefully its success will give us the opportunity to release a female version.Right now, I do need the support of the Freestyle community.

From the artist to the fans, DJs. producers, everyone. Not only should you all get a bottle for yourself, but help us move them into the market. I have created various business opportunities for the Entrepreneurs of Freestyle, so if you are interested in making some money and smell good doing it, then contact me, either email or phone.

                                             The Cover Girls

The magical re-uniting of Caroline, Sunshine and Angel, better known as “The Cover Girls” has sent a surge through the Freestyle industry like never before. One of Freestyle’s most imitated groups has finally come together, and now the Freestyle pubic is filling our email boxes with questions and offers. On the downside, we are opening doors to crooked promoters ready to capitalize on this situation by promoting Cover Girl tours around the country with the intentions of using one of the imitating groups.This blast is to inform the Freestyle public, that the “Original” Cover Girls are nowexclusively managed by none other than La’ Entertainment. The company behind such Freestyle greats as Lil’ Suzy, Angel “The Original CoverGirl” S.A.L., and the newest Freestyle Phenomenon Pain who debuted at the recent 2008 Freestyle Music Awards.If you hear of any concerts featuring the “Cover Girls,”  please contact us immediately so that we may clarify any misinformation. Past management of the “The Cover Girls” claims to “Own” the name, a claim that means absolutely “Nothing” without the “Original” face and voice of “The Cover Girls”. 


                  The Cover Girls

To all the loyal fans of the “The Cover Girls” please pass this email to all you know and let’s not allow the integrity for one of Freestyle’s greatest female groups be tarnished. The La’ Organization works diligently on the re-establishment of the Freestyle Market and it is deceptive practices such as this that create a mockery of this industry affecting “All” involved.

If we do not put a stop to these deceptive pratices, then what will stop them from imitating other Freestyle groups? This message goes out to artist as well as other industry personell. Continue to support this type of behavior and the future of Freestyle will be over before you are retired!

If anyone has any questions or comments, please email me at Latif@La-Entertainment.com

The butterflies in my stomach are yet to land. The first ever Freestyle Music Awards could not have been any better. We got back home last night, and I tossed and turned all night thinking about what I have just experienced, as well as what I would like to see in the 2009 Freestyle Music Awards, yes we are already working on it.Before I even begin a re-cap of the event, let me first begin by acknowledging some really important people behind the scenes. First off, my partners Lily Bolden and Ovidio Santiago. Two people who took my vision and brought it to life with class and professionalism. Lily makes everything we do look effortless. Her classiness and love for Freestyle made her go all out. Ovidio Santiago and his years of experience promoting some of the biggest Freestyle Concerts in Florida and his love for Freestyle, made him work endless to achieve what we prayed for.


              Mr. and Mrs. Bolden

I also want to acknowledge Mr. Leonard Bolden (Lily’s Husband). At any point, he could have told his wife, stop! That’s enough! And he didn’t. He not only supported this event financially and emotionally, but he rolled up his sleeves and supported it physically. Thanks Leonard!To Al, our stage manager, thanks so much for everything you did to make this event a success. I know we didn’t make it easy with all the last minute changes, but you proved you are a professional in every sense of the word.Thank you so much, and to your entire staff who made it happen as we had envisioned.To  Oscar, Rachel, Javier and everyone else from the Bolden camp, that took care of so many different aspects of the event. You guys are the absolute bomb! Thank you.WebMaster Dave, you did a great job on the programs and T-Shirts not to mention the Fragrance logo. You took on the merchandise table when I knew you wanted so bad to see the show. I’m still very sorry about that. Like always, you came through.DanSki, man, I am so so proud of you! You did a spectacular job. We worked you to death and you didn’t complain once.  You did what you had to and you did it with professionalism and perfection.
  Mickey Garcia and La’ Radio’s DanSki


God really blessed me when he put you in my path! Thanks Ski.
Mickey “Mic Mac” Garcia, Not only was it an honor having you open the FMA’s on the Red Carpet, you have been a blessing since the idea came about. You were no doubt the ultimate consultant and adviser in making sure the right people knew about this. You know that spot will be there for you next year.DJ Ciro, who can rep Miami better than you? You did an incredible job, thank you so very much.To my artist, who came to me when they saw what we were doing and without any questions, volunteered to be a part of this historical event.But I can’t even begin this subject without first mentioning my boys Freestyle Evolution. LB, you were the first to step to me about performing at the FMA’s. You had that much faith and trust in what we were doing. Believe it or not, you opened up the door for the other acts, because I wasn’t sure if I was going to have artist perform, I had something totally different in mind.  Let me tell the readers how your show came about, because it is important to the making of the event.  (For those unaware, LB is the Key Member of Freestyle Evolution.) LB, heard that we were putting together the event, he actually knew months prior because I had brought it up to him. Anyhow, he called me and said, “Yo La’ what’s up with the Freestyle Music Awards, everyone’s talking about it”.  I explained that yes we were in the mist of producing it. He asked what was up with the performances, and me, being someone who was always uncomfortable about asking for favors, basically told him that I was planning on producing a Freestyle Awards Ceremony without having Freestyle acts perform. LB was like, “What? Yo La’ this is my home town, you gotta put us on!” I told him, “L, honestly, I don’t think you’ll be able to pull it off the way I envision it.” He asked me to explain, and all I could come up with was, “L, no disrespect, but if you aren’t landing on stage in a spaceship, I don’t think your performance will work”. You see, me being an agent as well as a manager that has been on the road for 20 plus years and have basically seen everyone’s performance, I didn’t want this in no shape or form to resemble a typical Freestyle concert. LB calls me back an hour later and says “La’, just wanna let you know, I’m working on that spaceship!” Then he hung up.I sat there thinking for a moment and knew that if I could get that same attitude from some of the other artist, then we might be able to put on an even more spectacular event. One by one, the acts began coming out, and approaching me about performing at the FMA’s. It was a very emotional time as artist put all their trust into what we were doing, without any questions or hesitations. Talk about pressure! I think the excitement in preparing for the event was as much fun as the event itself, it was like everything was top secret, the acts all had their own ideas and unlike other events, we encouraged them to perform other songs besides their hits. Yea, I was bashed about it, from not only haters, but a few artists as well. But all I could do was shrug my shoulders and get back to work. 


Jenea (Sweet Sen) K7, Caroline (OCG),
Wilson (TKA), Sunshine (OCG), Carlos (TKA)
Angel (OCG), Sheila (Sweet Sen) and Johnny OAll the artist were put up at the beautiful Hyatt Regency Miami, we had Limos pick everyone up and gifts awaiting them in their rooms. We wanted to set the tone.  What a great feeling it was when we walked into the Hyatt and saw a 14 foot replica of the La’ Award beside a beautiful banner.The vibe was exciting and beautiful as each act walked into the lobby of the hotel. Lily took me, Ovidio and Leonard (Lily’s husband) to the Tuxedo shop to get us fitted.  Wow, I haven’t worn one of these since I was the Ring Baron at my cousin’s wedding (I was seven).  It felt good though, we picked some really cool tux, had them fitted and delivered to the hotel. When I got back to the hotel, Lily had a beautiful watch delivered to my room.  She is so generous and thoughtful.That evening, we had a private party in one of the clubs in the hotel where everyone casually got together for drinks and food, all complimentary of course.There we gave awards out to all the people who help us put the event together. One of the highlights of the night was the re-uniting of Angel and Sunshine, two of the original Cover Girls. We made sure this moment was captured on film. It was very emotional for everyone, as these two ladies haven’t seen each other in over 15 years. The third original member, Caroline was to meet with them the following day in the lobby, of course our camera crew was their to capture the moment. It was such a great vibe, like back in the day.  Everyone was there hanging out, seeing old friends and making new.The following day, we called all the acts early in the morning and told them to be in the lobby of the hotel by 6pm for pick up to the Miami-Dade Auditorium. I get chills just thinking about the vibe that was in the lobby that evening.  All the acts, their managers, husbands, wives and children all greeted in the lobby. The women looked stunning, the men as sharp as can be. This was it! This was the feeling I was hoping to create, and it was there.I made my rounds in the lobby, greeting and thanking everyone for coming. It was emotional for me, but I hid it well behind my shades. The response I received from everyone there was so sincere, many of them didn’t have to say a word, their eyes spoke for them. I felt at that moment, any questions or doubts that people may have had of my intentions in putting this event together suddenly disappeared.Finally, it was time! Twenty-Two Limos awaited my beautiful artists and their beautiful families.As you stepped out the Hyatt, you saw an unending line of Limousines. One by one, I personally opened each of their doors, and gestured them in.My partner Ovidio, his wife, mother and daughter, myself, my wife Angel and my son Adam, got into the last limo and drove through the closed off streets of Miami. As we were about six limos away from the entrance of the Dade, I rolled down my window a bit to hear, probably one of the most soothing and familiar sounds I know. It was the voice of La’ Radio Live’s Program Director DJ DanSki. On the Red carpet with Mickey “Mic Mac” Garcia Djing behind him.As we stepped out, of course we were introduced as the producers of the show as well as Angel “The Original CoverGirl”.  Caroline and Sunshine were already on the Red carpet waiting for Angel to take pictures. It was amazing and “The Cover Girls” looked beautiful.
As we entered the Lobby, sitting center carpet in a glass case was the La’ Award. Could I have been any more proud?To many, it might seem a bit boastful; to feature the La’ (short for Latif) as the head of the trophy, but you see, the La’ really represents an organization of dedicated people who are working endlessly toward the re-establishment of Freestyle. In 100 years, you’ll understand!From inside the lobby of the Dade, 400 foot Red carpet continued. Out the side door, through the side yard and into a huge elegant white tent, totally designed and catered by Mrs. Lily Bolden. Straight up Cuban style, with white plush carpeting and elegant seating. Aside from the food, Lily topped it off with a Mojito Bar and Cigar Rollers…
Company B pose with their Award

It was basically the same vibe we had in the club in the hotel the night before and the hotel lobby, except once again the setting had changed.My mom, someone who supported me and encouraged me to move forward in my career is no longer with us. My only close family now is my wife, children, sister, brother and in-laws, and when I glanced across the room, there they all sat!I made my rounds greeting our guest, artist, execs and friends, thanking them for attending. The response I received was overwhelming as so many congratulated me and thanked me for putting on this. Once again, I could never have done it without Ovidio Santiago and Lily Bolden.Well, it was Showtime, and the butterflies in my stomach suddenly transformed into bats as we asked everyone to please go into the auditorium and take their seats. Oh my God, I was shaking and at this point, I had to hand the reins over to my partner Ovidio. You see Ovidio is the director of promotions for Clear Channel Radio and doing what he was about to do, is basically what he does for a living.I think that’s what makes our partnerships so perfect; it is that we are all experts in the roles we played to make this happen. You see, I’m a manager, booking agent and I specialize in sales and marketing. I am an entrepreneur in every sense of the word and an innovator. I am the creator/owner of the entire La’ Organization, from our booking and Management Company, to our i-Radio station La’ Radio Live. I created FreestyleBlast.com where I communicate the re-development of the Freestyle market to the masses as well as freestyleBlogs.com, the site you are currently on. I am responsible for transforming Angel into “The Original CoverGirl” and Lil’ Suzy, Angel and Lisette Melendez into one of Freestyle’s most requested acts S.A.L.One of my newest ventures is the high quality fine fragrance I created called, what else?  “Freestyle” By La’.Basically, what I am trying to say is, I do Freestyle for a living! So creating and organizating all the elements of the FMA’s were what I did.Once all the pieces were there, Ovidio and I then put them into what we felt was the logical order. This took place every evening when he was home from work, we would stay on the phone and computers for hours.Ovidio’s experience in working with major corporations such as his current Clear Channel, put me at ease when he made suggestions as to how this would transform live. Ovidio stayed up late the night before, writing the script for the presenters and host and he did a remarkable job. He had asked me the day of if I wanted to proof it, and I said, for what? We’re not changing anything, let’s go!Now our third partner, Mrs. Lily Bolden, you see, she is responsible for taking what we did and giving it beauty and elegance. She dressed everything from the hotel lobby, to the tent to us! Yes, she made sure we were in Tux!Bolden Corp was also our main financial backer, and even though Ovidio and I also had a financial stake in the development, between our dealings with all involved, from favors we pulled to just our own individual man hours, Lily allowed us to create an event without compromise. Like I said, it was a match made in heaven!Sad to say, their were many people, including artist, that doubted out intentions about putting on this event. I’ve known many of these doubters for many years and have never given them even a slight hint that I might be a selfish person. I’ve come through for many as well as gone to bat for many without expecting any type of return. Did it hurt? Of course it did. When your intentions are sincere yet you are looked at with suspicion. But, it’s cool. I guess when you’ve been screwed so much, it’s really hard to trust anyone. I hope next year, they all contact me and say they want to be a part of it. Just in case any are reading this, my door is always open to them.Okay, back to the awards!
K7 with Jenea and Sheila (Sweet Sensation)

I stood backstage, heart pounding. I looked at La’ Radio’s Program Director DJ DanSki as he concentrated on the script in his hand. If he had turned his head to look at me, he would’ve seen my face, like a proud father at his kid’s football game. He looked nervous, but ready! All of a sudden, he said it! “Ladies and Gentleman, Welcome, to the 2008 Freestyle Music Awards”. I held my breath the whole time, it look as though he was too. He looked at me and smiled with relief as the audience began to applaud! He sounded great!The lights dimmed as the absolute first presentation that I produced for this event began. I envisioned this part front the beginning. I love the song “Promise Me” by the Cover Girls. My wife of course recorded the song.  If you never seen the video, please check it out on youtube, it’s a beautiful song. I saw this song as the opener from the beginning, but thought, that because it was Angel’s song, I didn’t want to come off bias. I explored other ballads as well as a few up-tempo joints.  The only one I had mention it to, was Angel, of course she didn’t object.For days I was listening to so many Freestyle songs trying to figure out, what I can use, and every so often I would go back to “Promise Me”. At one point, I was listening to Promise Me, and WebMasterDave, who was sitting at his desk beside me turned his head and said “Why don’t you use that song” It sounds like an Orchestra.  He was right, and I had to stop fighting it, “Promise Me” was the natural opening song. I was excited at that point and told Angel, she seemed to know that I was going to use it after all. Now I had to sell the idea to Ovidio, because I am a team player, and don’t make any moves without him agreeing. He had no doubt whatsoever that “Promise Me” would be the perfect opener.I must’ve played the song 100 times that day, envisioning the orchestra playing it and the reaction of the crowd. But wait! Would it be entertaining to an audience? I might be fascinated by live musicians, but that doesn’t mean others will be.Damn! What can we do to compliment the Orchestra? I knew I didn’t want to have Angel sing, that would be way too much. I started exercising the idea of have the Miami Ballad, or a choir, but for some reason, it still wasn’t coming across big enough for me. Man, this was the opening number, what can I do to blow people away.I sat with this for about a week. Went to bed with it on my mind and woke up with many ideas, none of which were truly moving me. Something reminded me of the New Years prior, where I, Angel and the kids spent it in Disneyland in California. I saw this incredible Laser Light Show and remember being fascinated by it. Immediately, I got on line and began my search.After tons of calls and emails, I finally got a call from a guy names Jon, who owned a company called DayStar. Jon was very personable, and informative. He was no doubt an expert in his field as well as a fan of Freestyle, a huge plus in him getting the job. I sent Jon a copy of “Promise Me” a song he was very familiar with and loved. And from their we began the creative process. I was a little limited because I really didn’t understand the ins and outs of how the lasers worked and therefore didn’t really know what it was they could do.Okay, sorry, back to the show!  So the lights dimmed, and I could hear the conductor cue her orchestra and it began. My hairs stood up as the chimes chimed and Orchestra Miami began. I couldn’t see to well, the scrim where the lasers would bounce off of, but I could see some of the audience as they became mesmerized and in aw of our opening number. It was incredible!Well the Awards continued and at first it took off a bit rough, but in no time, Ovidio got it under control. Thank God.From where I stoop back stage and the fact that I was running around way too much to be able to get a good look at any of the performances. But I can tell you this. The feedback I got was great. I asked everyone that I knew was sitting in the audience, from my 7 year old daughter to the ushers at the back of the room. Who was their favorite? What did they like? What didn’t they like? Etc… and I was really proud of the results.What the acts did do that made me feel good, was they listened and cooperated with our ideas. I wanted them to go on stage, regardless of the negativity and give us something new!  New music, new show, different twist.  This is what Freestyle needs, and all those who did what I asked, walked off the stage very happy and satisfied.  I am already getting acts calling me telling me their ideas for next year.
        Lil’ Suzy with Latif Mercado

Was it difficult for Lil’ Suzy to choose to perform a song that she has never performed before, and in Spanish, opposed to performing her trademark hit “Take Me In Your Arms”.  Of course it was. But she took a deep breath and did it, and proved to everyone that she is a true and talented artist.Did people expect Angel (OCG) to perform Show Me? of course.  Were they surprised when the curtain went up and she was standing their in a nightgown and barefoot looking at Sito from the group PAIN, tied to a bed center stage… That took guts and faith on her side, that I knew what I was talking about. People, this is the key. I don’t want to own it. I want to share it with the Freestyle community. We need change! And we cannot change the condition of this market, unless we can change the condition of our hearts.Well the show was over, and I hugged the life out of my partner Ovidio and thanked God. I was on cloud 9, I felt great, proud, accomplished and itching to do it again. After the show, we all headed back to the VIP tent. Everyone looked so happy.People came up to me for photos and autographs. And as much as it seemed that they appreciated what we had done, I couldn’t stop telling them how much I appreciated what they had done. Brenda K Starr, Carlos Berrios, Company B, Coro, Debbie Deb, Dj Ciro, Erotic Exotic, Freestyle Evolution, Henry Stone, Johnny O, K7, TKA, Lewis Martinee, Lil’ Suzy, Mickey Garcia, Pain, Rockell, Sweet Sensation, Vito Bruno, Lily and Leonard Bolden, Ovidio Santiago, The Original Cover Girls, Sunshine, Caroline and of course, my wife Angel “The Original CoverGirl” someone who is playing a much bigger role than anyone really knows. She fights side by side with me for the Freestyle Community. 
Angel (OCG) and CoroShe has the power to encourage me to keep doing what I am doing, or discourage me. I’m up a dawn and I don’t shut down till around midnight, and she never complains.  On the contrary, she supports me, and makes me comfortable so that I could help move this community forward.The 2008 Freestyle Music Awards has come and gone and I am back at work, already working the market up another notch. We have tremendous plans for all so please stay tuned. For those asking about whether the 2008 FMA will be available on DVD. The answer is, eventually, but right now we are focusing on a “Major” Network deal.  That’s right! Television distribution.  A DVD will help us a bit, a Major television distribution deal will put us back on the map!To all who are professing to love the Freestyle Market. We need to protect it. We need to put a stop to all who are bashing or attempting to discredit or sabotage what we are all working so hare at to accomplish.  Don’t let them mess it up for you! Someone says something negative, you need to stop them!Freestyle 4 Life!La’ 

Latif Mercado Deep In Thought 

Talk about a learning experience. I don’t think I have ever been as mentally exhausted as I am these days.  We are just about 2 weeks from the 2008 Freestyle Music Awards and we still have so much to do. All the presentations I’ve mentioned before have been secured and are currently working the creative parts now.
We had tons of support from some really great people, I just want to thank them so much for everything, especially for believing that we are going to pull this off. Along with the support, there is also the hate, wow, I never realized the serious issues some people have, it’s sad. The same people that are claiming to love and support this market, are at the helm of its destruction. I don’t get it, how can you claim to support Freestyle and try so desperately to bad mouth and sabotage the first ever Freestyle Music Awards? Of course to no avail. But just the thought that someone can be so bitter and angry about their own failures that they can’t stand to see anyone else succeed.
But those that attempt to go against me and my people are going to lose. Why? Our intentions are sincere, with our number one priority in mind being to conduct an event so spectacular that the masses will be forced to pay us some mind.
You see, God don’t like ugly, and he’s proved that to me many many times as I keep seeing the ugly one’s get kicked out my path.
What saddens me is when I see the weak fall for the deception put out by the enemy, and when I try and warn them, it’s too late, they’ve fallen for their trap and are engulfed by their hatred.
I’m a bit exhausted, but at the same time, the obstacles being thrown in front of me, kind of make me smile.  You see I’m an advent reader of Biographies, especially those of successful people. And the thing in common that those successful people share, are the obstacles that are thrown in front of them. It’s as though it is a necessary must in order to achieve a certain level of success.
From Martin to Malcolm, JFK to Jesus, all have experienced resistance, deceit and hatred from the same people they were trying to help. A hatred so strong that it finally resulted in their death.
Of course, the situation that we are in, is not even close to those, but the principle is exact.
The 2008 Freestyle Music Awards will happen. Same date, same place, same time. And negotiations to bring it back next year are already happening. A big shout out to all, who have been supporting us and helping us.  To my partners Ovidio Santiago and Lillian Bolden and a big shout out to my wife Angel, who is more a part of this event than anyone would ever expect. Her support and encouragement is unending, as she makes life’s as easy as possible for me so that I could stay focused. I keep nothing from her. She is the first to know when I am excited about something and the first to know when I am down. Either way, she’s there for me, to celebrate with me when things are going great, and to pick me up when things aren’t going exactly as planned.
I’ll see you guys at the 2008 FMA’s

Latif and Adam

Tomorrow Feb 12th, my 17 years old son Adam is leaving home for a bit. Whereas many teenagers go to Collage or the Military, Adam decided to go to Job Corp. My son remind me a lot of me and my ways when I was his age. High School seemed like it was never going to end. I was always pretty smart in school, but clowned around a lot and hardly did homework. When test time came around I would get mad at the teacher, saying that how is she going to test us on something she never taught us. Well, of course she taught us, I was just too busy goofing around to pay attention.I always enjoyed reading, not novels or any of kind of fiction, but more so, non-fiction books like autobiographies, history and my favorite as far back as I could remember are success stories. I loved and still do, stories that told about someone who struggled, and succeeded. But anyway, back to Adam. For those who never met him, he is a great kid. Tall, good looking and a charmer I must say.

Girls have been calling the house for him since he was about nine. I wasn’t raised with my father, so I pretty much learned how to be a dad on the fly.  Adam’s birth mother wasn’t always around and Angel (OCG) raised him with me during the critical stages of his life (Teenage Years). When Adam was born, my priority was him. I use to take him to studios, trips, shows etc. I use to carry him around in one of those, what I call, baby backpacks. My friends use to laugh when I would show up to meetings with him strapped to me. We were like Siamese Twins.I tell people who are about to have babies, that once they do, their lives make this remarkable change, and that their priorities make a sharp turn. I hear stories of parents who abuse and kill their children, and I just can’t comprehend it. By the way, I never watch the news because of that, ask Angel.Adam started getting suspended from school, for  what I felt were careless reasons. Talking on his phone, texting oh, he even got suspended when he was caught reading a letter that his Girl Friend passed him in class. The teacher wasted no time in calling me and reading the letter to me over the phone, did I say X-Rated? The Dad in me wanted to say “That’s my boy!”, but the Father in me knew that it wasn’t cool.It got to a point where High School was basically becoming a waste of time for all of us. I received some info at one point that actually made it unclear as to what grade Adam was actually in. I could’ve sworn, it was 10th, but the info indicated that it was 9th.  Now he had gotten left back before and I knew about it, but this one must’ve slipped by.  Angel and I asked Adam one evening at the dinner table. “Son, what grade are you in?” He began with the infamous “Hu!”, then looked at us and said “Uh, 9th slash 10th grade!” Angel and I just looked at each other and said, what? As I mentioned before, Adams a charmer and some how, some way, he made sense of the whole thing, then walked into his room.I’ve always stressed to him the importance of an education. The role that collage plays nowadays. Back when I was growing up, collage wasn’t really that important. They use to use a term many of you probably remember, “Collage Material”. “I’m against that term, parents, please, never use that term with your kids, it’s a negative term and convinces them that ‘No” they are not collage material. I’ll tell you what, I hated High School and failed miserably.  But I was an A+ student in collage and a self-taught music business professional!Finally, Adam expressed his interest in leaving High School and going to Job Corp. I knew people who had went, but never asked about it so I knew nothing about it.  I went on-line and started researching. It began making sense to me and actually seeming like a really good idea. The kids their get free room and board, they learn various trades and even get their High School diplomas or GEDs. I sat with Adam and got into his mind, and saw that he was really serious. Deep down I think a big part of it is so he can feel as though he’s on his own. His curfew was always a subject matter. I could be strict. It’s probably because I remember all the crap I did when I was his age.But you see, Job Corp. seems very structured. I’m sure there are going to be idiots in there also, but hey, that’s life! I made the appointment for him to have an interview with the counselor. It was a two hour meeting and she made it very clear to us what it was about, and like any situation, it’s what “You” the individual takes from it.”After the meeting, I checked with Adam to make sure he was still interested and he said yes. He had to write an essay stating why ‘He” wants to go to Job Corp. They want to make sure that it is the kids that want to go, not the parents trying to get them out the house. They ran a background check on him which was spotless and gave him his date.Tuesday Feb 12^th 2008 at 2pm. Angel and I will bring him to the Bus depot in Charlotte, where he will meet up with others going to the same place. We took him shopping and got him his wheeler suitcase. The program runs from 8 months to 2 years.  They get to come home on the weekends at our expense, and they send him home on Holidays at their expense… Pretty cool. It’s going to be hard for me, just as it is hard for me just to write this blog. But I am proud of him and I know his going to be very successful in life… Hey, he’s my son!Be safe Adam, I love you kid,  Daddy! 

Are you getting spammed by FreestyleBlast.com?  If not, you should be! For those who don’t know, FreestyleBlast.com is an eBlast marketing system developed by the La’ Organization that targets the Freestyle market. There is a good chance that if you are reading this blog, that you are on the list and are currently receiving the blast. Our email count is currently at 88,000 emails. But you’re probably saying “But their aren’t 88,000 Freestyle Fans out there”. I would have to disagree with you due to the turnouts I’ve experienced throughout the country. But, our email list isn’t just Freestyle Fans. In order to have ended up on this list you have to have some how come in contact with someone in our industry, whether you knew it or not. We have people from all walks of life that are on our list. It’s growing tremendously and is constantly being up-dated and cleaned. We wanted to create a system that would reach the Freestyle Masses. When promoters book through La’ Entertainment, we add them on to our blast, “Free of Charge”, and Blast their event every Thursday. Once a week is enough, anymore than that and you will have a lot of people opting out of your list. In the beginning, promoters from Los Angeles, didn’t see the point in promoting to people in New York, but, since Freestyle is a narrow targeted market, word of mouth is “King”. With the popularity of the internet, and social networking sites like myspace etc., People have made friends all over the world, and when your buddy from New York ask you about the show in “your” area, that is where the value is. Our Opt-Out rate is very low, and we actually receive “Thank You” emails from many of the recipients who truly appreciate the information. This service is for everyone. The promoters, the artist and the fans. We have at times blasted other events that we are not directly involved with just as a favor with no strings attached ‘Yes we do that at times” and we also charge a small fee to others who are locked in with other agents but want to get the benefits of FreestyleBlast. If you are on the FreestyleBlast mailing list, please pass this info along to your friends and family who might be interested. If you are not on the list… Join it now!