"OK~ I think we can wrap up early today, everyone!" Joseph's joy was practically overflowing.
This MV shoot, which brought together three major gangs, was even more successful than expected.
"Hey yo~"
"Welcome to Compton~"
The successful collaboration united groups that should have been enemies. Hearing the director call "cut," they fist-bumped each other.
"How was it?!" 50 Cent ran over and asked urgently.
"Excellent!" Joseph said. "I have to say, you guys successfully scared the shxt out of me! I can't wait to see the audience's reaction to this MV!"
Leon smiled and nodded to the actors passing by.
He could already foresee that releasing such an MV into the market would cause a massive wave.
There was a high probability that this song could ride the heat of the Second East Coast vs. West Coast Beef War straight to the top of the Billboard charts.
Drill, this rotten music from the slums, even had hope of stepping onto the Grammy stage.
That day wouldn't be too far off.
"BOSS~ How was my performance just now?" Cardi B jumped excitedly in front of Leon.
Wrapped in the tight leopard-print bodysuit, she looked like a real panther.
Having grown up in the violent neighborhoods of the Bronx, she showed unusually high interest in today's scene.
Compared to mingling in the entertainment industry, mingling in the streets was her true comfort zone.
"Fantastic. Your ass has more lethality than those nggas' Glocks."
Saying this, Leon slapped her taillights hard.
It provoked a strange squeal from Cardi.
Robinson walked over, looking worried.
It was agreed to just be a cameo, but even he didn't expect the actual shooting formation to be so different from the script.
"Man, you'd better have a lawyer ready," Robinson said. "I take no legal responsibility for any consequences this song might cause."
Hearing this, Leon was stunned for two seconds. Robinson wasn't the type to joke around.
"Is it that serious?" Leon asked tentatively.
"Of course." Robinson nodded. "You have to know that the cops don't like their kids listening to this kind of music."
"I've heard many stories about people getting caught by the cops because they slipped up in their lyrics. Sometimes they treat the lyrics directly as clues."
Is it really that exaggerated?
That was Leon's first reaction.
But by now, the MV shooting was complete, and the subsequent recording plan had been meticulously arranged.
It was impossible to change now.
Even if there was time, he wouldn't make any changes.
The bigger the controversy, the bigger the heat.
The film crew packed up their equipment and returned to the business vans.
On the way, 50 Cent and Leon kept discussing the recording details.
Aftermath Records' top arranging team was working overtime to rush the beat production. Barring any accidents, formal recording could start tomorrow afternoon.
"Bro~ I can't wait to see Diddy's face when he hears this song!" 50 Cent laughed loudly. "We brought out the real hard shxt!"
Leon nodded perfunctorily while taking out his phone to assign tasks to DJ Marcus.
From now on, all radio stations under Apocalypse Music would promote this new song, Billy, with full force.
Using gimmicky titles like "The Most Ruthless DISS in History," "All-American Gangster Carnival," and "The Great Reconciliation" to warm up the promotion.
---
On this trip to New York , Leon still didn't choose to stay in a hotel. He was already used to staying at Robbie's apartment.
"Robbie~" He opened the door, but his call received no response.
He subconsciously assumed she wasn't home.
Ever since Robbie exploded in popularity with Faded, her commercial performance footprint covered the globe.
Success in music also brought greater progress to her acting career.
Entertainment media recently released news multiple times that the production team of the 23rd James Bond film, Skyfall, was in contact with her agent Maggie.
Sony Columbia Pictures executives admired Robbie and insisted on inviting her to join, ignoring Director Sam Mendes' opposition.
But due to issues with salary and screen time, the two sides had not yet reached an agreement.
However, judging by the current situation, Robbie had a high probability of becoming the new "Bond Girl."
Leon took off his shoes and slumped onto the sofa.
He scrolled through social media on his phone, liking a string of female stars' selfies.
Taylor, Ariana, Amber Heard—he didn't miss a single one.
Among them, the swimsuit photo posted by Ariana was particularly eye-catching.
After being "injected with positive energy" by Leon, the childishness on this girl had clearly faded a lot, becoming increasingly bright and beautiful.
Smiling, he sent a DM to Ariana: "The swimsuit suits you very well!"
Ariana quickly replied with a shy emoji.
She was shooting photos for Harper's Bazaar. In the original plan, the shooting outfit was a very conservative one-piece swimsuit.
But to the surprise of all the staff, Ariana chose a style with much less fabric.
Ariana sent a message: "I still have secret photos I haven't posted. Are you interested, Boss?"
The corners of Leon's mouth grinned to his ears, and the fatigue from a whole day of shooting was swept away.
He completely failed to notice the subtle footsteps coming from the direction of the bedroom.
By the time he reacted, Robbie was already looking down at him.
"WTF..." Leon turned off his phone screen and asked, "I thought you weren't home."
"What were you looking at just now that made you so happy, Honey?" Robbie narrowed her eyes like a cunning golden fox. "Why didn't you tell me you came to Los Angeles?"
"My work has been very busy recently. Diddy, the Beef, you know the deal," Leon answered.
"Anyway, you always have excuses." Robbie spread her hands. "I've lost count of how many times this is~"
Leon wanted to defend himself, but she couldn't wait any longer to release the seal on her body and jumped on him.
She straddled Leon and initiated the attack. "I learned some interesting knowledge from a friend recently. I think you'll like it!"
"Friend?"
"Yes, Miss Kate Winslet. She's a great beauty~" Robbie's eyes were as charming as a fox.
And Leon's mind was full of Kate's name at this moment.
This woman gained global fame with the century classic Titanic and was the enlightenment teacher for countless teenagers worldwide.
How do she and Kate know each other?
Leon was full of question marks at first, but thinking about Robbie being from Australia, it wasn't strange.
In Hollywood, the British gang and the Australian gang, both belonging to the Commonwealth, had always been close.
Kate Winslet was the brightest star among many British actors in Hollywood.
Out of his deep impression of Kate in Titanic, Leon couldn't help asking, "What did she teach you?"
"You'll know in a moment~" Robbie whispered in his ear, blushing.
Immediately after, the sofa shook violently, producing "squeak squeak" sounds.
The friction between the two lasted for half an hour, rolling from the sofa to the carpet.
When Leon lit his post-coital cigarette as usual, he found his legs were a bit disobedient.
"Looks like Kate indeed taught you some very interesting things..." Leon said.
"Miss Kate is an elegant and mature lady~" Robbie said. "Director Sam is a bastard for abandoning such a perfect lady."
Hearing this, Leon remembered that Director Sam Mendes was Kate's ex-husband.
Their divorce last year had been hyped up by the media.
The cause was a passionate sex scene Kate had with Leonardo DiCaprio while filming Revolutionary Road.
According to crew leaks, the two often went to the hotel to "study the script" all night after wrapping up.
"Sam didn't do anything wrong," Leon said. "Should he endure his wife sleeping with Leonardo just for a damn marriage contract?"
"How is that possible!" Robbie covered her mouth and exclaimed, "Miss Kate couldn't possibly do that kind of thing with that bastard Leonardo!"
Leon snorted coldly: Do you really not know or are you pretending?
After a moment of silence, he retorted, "You said yourself that Leonardo always likes to make moves on his co-stars, let alone a beauty like Kate?"
Leon fully believed the two had been together since filming Titanic in 1997.
Both were at the peak of their looks then, radiating strong hormones from the inside out.
It was normal for sparks to fly.
But more than ten years later, Kate was already a mother of two. For Leonardo to want to relive old dreams was a bit unkind.
The wife gave her peak looks at 20 and her best technique in her 30s to someone else; divorce was already the most conservative approach.
If this kind of thing happened in the rap circle, Leonardo would have to hire a few more bodyguards when going out.
"Fine, maybe you're right." Robbie rolled her eyes, but even so, she didn't think Kate was at fault in the marriage.
"Don't obsess over that boring gossip," Leon said. "I don't care what you think of Sam, but you must secure the role of the Bond Girl in the 007 movie!"
"Mhm!" Robbie nodded solemnly.
When Leon first debuted and was still on the fringes of the music industry, the news of their relationship indeed gained her a lot of attention.
But later, Robbie's career success was entirely attributed to Faded, which Leon wrote for her.
This song allowed her to leap from a B-list actress to a music superstar.
Leon thought it was time for her to feed back into his career.
With the blessing of the "Bond Girl" halo, both the already released Faded and future records would benefit.
---
At nine the next morning, Leon arrived at Aftermath Records' studio as agreed.
50 Cent, who was usually unpunctual, had actually arrived early and was communicating enthusiastically with a group of arrangers.
"Bro~" As soon as they met, 50 Cent hugged Leon.
During the "Los Angeles Nightclub Incident" last year, they were just ordinary friends.
After experiencing this Beef event, Leon's status in his heart had reached a new height.
"Enough..." Leon pushed 50 Cent away. "You're squeezing the breath out of me. I didn't rest well yesterday."
"Bro, you do look a bit haggard," 50 Cent said.
Last night, Robbie had indeed used some novel moves—mysterious wisdom the British had absorbed from the East during their colonization of India.
Even Leon had to sigh: Even if the empire has declined, the legacy of the one upon which the sun never set still remains.
After working all night yesterday, the beat was complete.
Now a group of people was discussing the issue of vocal style.
Although 50 Cent was a pure gangsta rapper, there was still a significant gap between his "rage voice" effect and what Leon heard from the "Inspiration Refresh."
To achieve a perfect work, the Flow (rhythm) and tone had to bridge these gaps.
Only then did Leon notice that the figure beside 50 Cent looked somewhat familiar.
Although he wore his hoodie up and hadn't said a word from start to finish...
He felt like he had seen him somewhere.
It wasn't until the person turned around to reveal his profile that Leon fully confirmed it.
Eminem, currently the highest-earning rapper in the world.
He fulfilled yesterday's promise to serve as the co-producer of Billy.
"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Eminem." Leon extended his hand proactively.
Em still had a serious face, looking unapproachable.
It wasn't that he had any beef with Leon.
For a long time, he had been plagued by drug problems.
Fentanyl, methadone, sleeping pills, weed...
Substance abuse and alcoholism had tortured his mental state into tatters.
Even though he had long stayed away from these drugs, the brain damage was irreversible.
So he couldn't always control his expressions, looking cynical forever.
"Hello." Em extended his hand, his tone lukewarm.
In the subsequent discussion, he gradually started talking more.
Eminem was a recognized Flow master, with so many rhythm changes it made people click their tongues. He could spit out 5 words in a second.
With his help, all issues regarding vocal style were quickly resolved.
Recording entered the formal stage.
50 Cent entered the booth, put on the headphones, and quickly got into the zone from the second the beat started.
He tore off the shell of a rap mogul who had been in the entertainment industry for years and had everything in his thirties.
He rediscovered the state of walking the streets of the Bronx slums with a dagger when he was a teenager.
Able to pull a gun over a verbal dispute;
Robbing people on the street for a pair of Jordans...
Returning to his true ngga nature!
"These words were all said by me! Tell them exactly as is!"
"These haters can't keep their mouths shut again, huh!"
"Then let's follow our street rules and put bullets straight into their chests!"
After the intro, 50 Cent took a deep breath and roared into the microphone with all his might:
Y'all say you ain't heard of me in the streets, I ain't heard of you either, lil bro!
Get the fxxk out my face 'fore I catch a murder case on you!
Send shots, shots, shots, shots, shots...
Clap—
Hearing this, Eminem suddenly clapped his hands. "Fxxk, I like this ruthlessness~"
"The best part is yet to come," Leon said.
Eminem looked at his confident smile, his eyes unconsciously focusing, paying attention to the content that followed.
After the first verse ended came the essence of the whole song.
50 Cent slowed down the rhythm, lowered his voice, and began to introduce the criminal histories of his homies.
My lil bro been slangin' D since fifth grade to feed his mama, whole hood knows he a good kid!
This my homie Bobby, he already smoked three nggas who disrespected our set!
Cops, let my homie out the cage! We stay loyal to the hood forever, never tellin' y'all where the bodies at!
Free them!!
This segment, similar to a criminal statement, was entirely based on reality.
Based on the oral accounts of gang members during the MV shoot.
"WTF..." Eminem's eyes widened in shock.
He had struggled in this industry for over a decade and experienced several Beefs, but this was the first time he had heard such blatant lyrics.
"How did you come up with this?" Eminem's eyes were overflowing with admiration. "No one has ever done this before."
"This style is a bit dangerous." Leon spread his hands and said, "I think we created a new rap genre..."
"Confession-Style Rap."