Luis "King Louie" Mercado

Digital Strategist. Social Media & Editorial Guru. Writer. Music, Sports, Culture & News Enthusiast.

Original Writings

Hot97 •

The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air First Aired 30 Years Ago Today

Now, this is a story all about how, my life got flipped turned upside down and I’d like to take a minute, just sit right there, I’ll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel-Air.

On September 30, 1990, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air first aired on NBC. The show was centered around Will Smith, who was sent to live with his rich aunt and uncle in Bel-Air to get away from the streets of Philadelphia in hopes to live a better life and getting a good education.

It was the first time a Hip
Thatsenuff.com •

2013: A Year Of Hip Hop & R&B In Review [Video]

Jay Z, Kanye West, Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake (twice), Eminem, Wale, French Montana, Lil’ Wayne, J. Cole, Drake. These are just some of the heavy hitters of the hip hop and r&b game to release a project in 2013. We have had surprises, and new rules brought to us throughout the year, those that changed the landscape of the music business for the future. We’ve also seen the beginning of a new sound movement in New York City, and some new artists emerging on the scene, giving some hope to the futur
HOT 97 | Where Hip Hop Lives •

3 Years After Trayvon Martin: Are We One Step Closer To Justice?

Today marks three years since Trayvon Martin was shot and killed by George Zimmerman. What was an innocent trip to the store turned into a tragic night which sparked new rage about race and justice in this country which we still hear about today.

At 6pm on February 26, 2012, Trayvon Martin put on his black hoodie and walked towards a local 7-Eleven to grab some Skittles and a tall Arizona. Little did he know, the next half hour will make him a new age symbol of justice.

After talking to his gi
HOT 97 | Where Hip Hop Lives •

Charged Up: Meek Mill VS Drake Beef Began One Year Ago Today! [PHOTO]

At 11:43PM On July 21, 2015 Meek Mill wrote the first tweet…And nothing was the same.

Minutes before midnight Meek Mill took over the Internet with his first shots at his now foe Drake after the Toronto rapper failed to promote Meek's latest album Dreams Worth More Than Money.

Let's go back to July 20, 2015 before the tweet dropped. Meek Mill's career was on the rise. FAST! His album was number one on the Billboard 200 beating out Taylor Swift and his latest single “R.I.C.O.” featuring Drake w
Hot97 •

‘The Life of Pablo’ 2 Years Later [PHOTOS]

As we reflect on the two-year anniversary of The Life of Pablo (TLOP), let’s highlight the train wreck release of the album, as well as the last great twitter moment from Kanye West. Three years ago, West announced the name of his 7th solo studio album, So Help Me God. A year later, he changed the name to SWISH and finally, weeks before the release date, he changed the name to WAVES. In hindsight, the constant revision of the album name, coinciding with the irrational nature of West’s tweets, wo
Hot97 •

Top 25 Hip Hop And R&B Albums Of 2017

2017 was a big year for some of the most established artists in hip hop as well as a good year for a brand new crop of artists who have created a buzz with the youth, and helped extend another subgenre in rap.

Some of the biggest moments in hip hop this year came from the women in rap. Remy Ma & Nicki Minaj going to the bars, and the rise of a new star Cardi B. They will surely continue that momentum into 2018 as they prepare to drop their albums in what can become the new female MC revolution
Hot97 •

Female MC’s: NOW Is The Perfect Time To Take The Throne! [PHOTO]

Now is the time!

On Saturday (Feb 27), Remy Ma released a diss track towards Nicki Minaj called “shETHER.” The track not only allegedly exposed some details on her life and career, but challenged the Young Money rapper’s undeniable title as the top female MC at the moment.

Nicki Minaj has held that crown for years now, seemingly unchallenged. After bubbling on the underground scene following the release of her classic mixtape Beam Me Up Scotty, her verse on Kanye West’s 2010 hit single “Monste
Medium •

A Different Perspective: Why I Can Never Be Lawrence

On November 28, men across the nation celebrated as Lawrence made his decision to leave Issa after cheating on him and have the roughest of sex with Bank Teller Tasha (and all her sexiness).

This piece isn’t about THAT decision. Instead it’s about Issa decision in the beginning of the show to stick around as her man got his life together. Well at least kind of.

See, the show made me realize one thing. I can’t be Lawrence. …Ever.

Issa’s boyfriend in the show was busy working on his app while d
HOT 97 | Where Hip Hop Lives •

Celebrate 2Pac's CLASSIC Album 'All Eyez On Me' 20 Years Later [VIDEO]

The year was 1995. Tupac Shakur was sitting in his jail cell after being found guilty of charges of “first-degree sexual abuse.“

Although he admitted that he did not do the crime itself, he did apologize for not stopping a terrible situation from happening.

Hip Hop was on pins and needles at that time, and quite possibly the most aggressive it has ever been. Months earlier, Tupac was shot at Quad Studios in New York City. He was also facing charges for allegedly sexually assaulting a woman at
HOT 97 | Where Hip Hop Lives •

How T-Pain Survived 'Death Of Autotune' [EDITORIAL] [AUDIO]

Today, T-Pain is somewhere celebrating his 30th birthday.

It’s been over 10 years since T-Pain first busted out on the scene with his hit single “I’m Sprung.” This catchy hit over the summer of 2005 had everyone singing “do, do, doo, dodo, doo, do, doo” as he opened up and bravely told the world how badly he wanted this woman.

Starting out with the Nappy Headz in 2004, T-Pain changed his whole career after going from rapping to singing. He signed with Akon and Konvict Muzik and with the help o
HOT 97 | #1 For Hip Hop •

15 Years Ago Today: Nas Responds To Jay Z On His Birthday w/ 'Ether' [AUDIO]

It was the battle of all battles. Who was the king of New York? Was it Jay Z? Nah, it was Nas. We are still debating 15 years later.

Jay Z made hip hop history when he declared war against Nas and others as he made history on the Summer Jam stage with the debut of his single “Takeover” back in 2001.

The hip hop community didn’t know what was to come next. We waited months wondering if Nas was going to respond. But on December 4, 2001 we found out how ugly this battle would become.

At the time
HOT 97 | #1 For Hip Hop •

A Breakdown Of The Beef Between Pusha T & Drake [VIDEO]

There were some early fireworks Friday (May 25), as Pusha T released a track taking some shots at Drake in "Infrared," with Drake responding hours later with "Duppy Freestyle."

Both tracks have fans wanting more, while also wondering what the origins are of the beef. What if we told you that it's not about Drake at all? A beef starting with Clipse and Pharrell vs Birdman, has certainly bossomed into this years later.

So let's take a look back. Back into time to see where the origins of this be
Hot97 •

September 11, 2001: The Day We Forgot About The Music [VIDEO]

September 11, 2001 is a date that holds close to everyone in the nation, especially those who lived in the New York City area at the time.

It has been years since that incident changed the world forever, yet for many of us that whole day still holds vividly in our memories, as we are reminded of how we felt on that day every year on this very date.

But, as we remember this day, how perfect the weather was, how there were no clouds in the sky, students getting their groove back in school mode,
Hot97 •

Reasonable Doubt: Re-Living Jay-Z’s Classic Album 24 Years Later

Boom Boom. Boom Boom. The beat thumps through the speakers. Four seconds in, the words of a man with a Colombian Scarface accent sets the tone with his threats.

“Ah shit, okay, okay, alright. Big man! You wanna make some big bucks, huh? Let’s see how tough you are. You know something about cocaine? Be a man!”

Transitioning smoothly into the laid back sounds of the Knobody produced piece as a young Mary J. Blige starts harmonizing through the beat. “Can’t Knock The Hustle” becomes the theme of
Hot97 •

This Is How Biggie’s Death Changed Hip Hop Forever

Things were just different.

The Notorious B.I.G. passed away on March 9, 1997 weeks before his sophomore album Life After Death was set to be released. It was an event that stopped this so-called east vs west war once and for all as two of the biggest artists at the time were gunned down due to senseless violence. Who would have known that hip hop would change like this?

Let’s roll the clocks back to a time in 1997. Hip hop was going through a transition at the time. With the death of 2Pac, an
Hot97 •

The Day We Knew Biggie Was Watching

You can’t talk Biggie without telling a story. This hip hop shit just became too real.

How the hell did we get here? The year is 1997. It’s been six months since the passing of one of the most complicated, and notorious rappers in the world was shot and killed in Las Vegas. We were in the middle of this East vs West war. Something that took a shocking turn that September night when Christopher Wallace lost his former friend and mentor turned foe.

Surely we could not go through this kind of tra
Hot97 •

Charged Up: Meek Mill VS Drake Beef Began On This Date 2 Years Ago! [PHOTO]

At 11:43PM On July 21, 2015 Meek Mill wrote the first tweet…And nothing was the same.

Minutes before midnight Meek Mill took over the Internet with his first shots at his now foe Drake after the Toronto rapper failed to promote Meek’s latest album Dreams Worth More Than Money.

Let’s go back to July 20, 2015 before the tweet dropped. Meek Mill’s career was on the rise. FAST! His album was number one on the Billboard 200 beating out Taylor Swift and his latest single “R.I.C.O.” featuring Drake w
Hot97 •

Inside The Creation Of Drake’s Hit Single ‘Nice For What’ & The Influence Of NOLA Bounce

“No One Has Done It Like This.”

On April 7, 2018, Drake surprised fans with a brand new single titled “Nice For What.”

The Toronto rapper is known for incorporating different sounds from around the world, and this time he infused a New Orleans signature style of music called “New Orleans Bounce” or as radio DJ Wild Wayne (aka the Mayor of New Orleans) would call it, “Rhythm N’ Bounce.”

“NOLA bounce artists and DJ’s take a mainstream r&b song and speed up the bpm’s, chop the hottest parts of t