Latif Mercado

YES YES Y'ALL Book 1 Latif Mercado

On the block they call him El Rey, which means The King, and when it came to rapping, that he was. Friends and neighbors couldn't understand why he didn't already have a record deal, and would bother him about going out there and getting one. Little did they know was that he already was, in fact he's been on dozens of auditions in and around the city. However, at many he was stopped dead at the door, the explanation was simply, He didn't have the look! Rey couldn't understand it, as far he knew, he did have the look. In fact, his look was on point, the perfect example of how a rapper should look. Rey kept his large afro tucked under his collection of Kangols, and with his Lee jeans and Adidas to match each of them, Rey stayed Fresh and his prized possession being a pair of black-framed Cazals, made famous by Rap Rock stars Run DMC. Rey could've easily been the 1980's poster boy for Urban New York. Rey never considered his light skin and Nordic features to be the problem due to the success of the Beastie Boys, though in his opinion, they were far from what he considered Rap to be.. But you see, Rey's look was confusing. If he was black, or white, they knew where to put him. But he was Puerto Rican, and as far as the industry was concerned, there was no market for Puerto Rican rappers. Until one person stepped up with an idea that would transcend all barriers, and though it wasn't exactly what Rey was hoping for, it was in fact an opportunity... Or was it?