Our Story
La’ Entertainment actually started out as a conflict of interest...
You see, I managed artists that I released on my very own label. Neither entity did very well, and therefore the company remained stagnant for a while. It wasn’t until I started hitting the road with Freestyle Legend Lil’ Suzy, that things began to change.
Unlike many other artists of the genre, Suzy’s fanbase exceeded the typical Tri-State area, allowing us the opportunity to pe*****te other markets.
Enjoying the success they experienced with Suzy, Promoters wasted no time in trying to figure out who to bring in next. I would run off a few of the ones I personally knew but they would just return to me a blank stare. They shot off a few names of their own, and immediately, the challenge began. They requested acts such as Stevie B, Lisa Lisa, Doug E Fresh and The Cover Girls. I didn’t realize it at the time, but this was the best thing that could have happened, because the acts from that list, including Lil’ Suzy were big draws, and established me as the new Go To Guy for Freestyle and Old School artists. The Cover Girls weren’t back together at the time, but the lead singer, Angel was the natural alternative and worked well for them.
It wasn’t until one of the acts asked me how much of a commission I was going to charge them before I even considered charging at all for the service. You see, I was working at Freestyle Powerhouse Metropolitan Records, and making pretty good money, not to mention what I made for my road work with Suzy, that I booked acts simply as a favor to the promoters, most of whom I had become good friends
I looked deeper into the business of Bookings and saw a lot of potential, not to mention it sort of made me “The Man” among artists who I was in fact a fan of. Word spread quickly about the new kid who was booking shows around the country, and before I knew it, the money I was making from shows, far outweighed what I had been making at the label. It was a hard decision to make as I had grown accustomed to the stability (and benefits). But thanks to my wife, who at the time was my girlfriend, and her trusty Pros and Cons List, we both realized what side of the fence was the grass greener, and it was at that moment that I decided to go all out and focused on being a Booking Agent.
Though the company was still quite small and intimate, the strong network of fans turned friends that had turned out around the country, gave La’ Entertainment the perception of being bigger than it was, and leveled the field so that we too could play with the big boys!
Well, times have changed a bit since then. Mostly due to the induction of the internet, where the privileged accessibility to practically every Freestyle artists in existence, has now become a mere click of the mouse, and anyone interested in booking an artist can do so without the agent.
And though it was a bit of a catastrophe to my business, on the other hand, it became a blessing to the genre as a whole.
The challenge now isn’t so much on booking the most acts, but rather providing the best service, while using technology to try and enhance the Freestyle Music genre to benefit all involved. I absolutely love what I do, and feel so blessed to have been a part of this incredible genre called Freestyle.
