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HXH : Highschool of the Dead
"Interesting... just like Dre said, you want to start a war." After listening to the recording, Eminem's impression of Leon fundamentally changed.
Before this, he always thought a white guy singing rock and dabbling in rap was a complete joke.
Now, his view had shifted completely.
Someone without street experience could not write a song like this.
"I don't care," Leon said. "Diddy and his crew of bastards are always coming at me, overtly or covertly. This is just self-defense."
"Self-defense..." Eminem nodded. "I watched the first cut of your MV. The filming was fantastic, but you seem to have missed someone."
"Who?"
"Lil Wayne."
When Eminem mentioned this name, the corner of his mouth twitched noticeably.
Lil Wayne debuted around the same time as him, roughly in the late 90s.
But Eminem was already huge by 2000, while Lil Wayne didn't release his first studio album until 2004.
That year became a major turning point.
Since then, Lil Wayne swept major hip-hop awards with the unstoppable posture of a king, breaking sales records repeatedly.
In contrast, Eminem fell into a long period of depression.
Lil Wayne mocked him publicly multiple times: "A white kid making hip-hop music? Only idiots buy his records."
The conflict between the two started then.
Leon spread his hands and said, "I'm too lazy to mention that epileptic junkie. He just wants to leech off the clout."
There was no bad blood between the two. Lil Wayne simply blasted Leon on talk shows multiple times because of his friendship with Diddy.
It was quite baffling.
Other than leeching off the heat, there didn't seem to be any other possibility.
"Alright, I must warn you to be careful of that guy," Eminem said. "He hasn't been out of prison for long. I heard he got to know a lot of inmates while serving time on Rikers Island."
Leon nodded solemnly, indicating he would take this advice to heart.
Although Lil Wayne was short and looked twisted like Gollum from Lord of the Rings, he held a very high status in the rap circle.
He was not only the boss of the Young Money label but also the leading figure of New Orleans rap, worshipped as a hero by kids on the street there.
Like Atlanta and Chicago, rappers from New Orleans were widely considered the craziest bunch.
In the New Orleans underground rap circle, bloodshed never stopped.
When the single Billy officially hit the market, it would inevitably cause huge controversy.
While gaining massive traffic, getting shot from the dark was something Leon had to guard against.
---
Two days later, Billy was released simultaneously on streaming platforms and offline.
Hip-hop fans across the US had long been gearing up for this moment.
Under the heat of the "Second East Coast vs. West Coast Gang War," record stores in major US cities were packed.
The first batch of 300,000 records printed overtime was declared out of stock within a day.
The last time a hip-hop record triggered such a buying frenzy was Eminem's yearly champion album Recovery.
"Rock singer Leon Smith, known as Street Jesus, produced a new single 'Billy' for 50 Cent, sparking huge controversy..."
"Parents in New York State took to the streets in protest, demanding a ban on teenagers buying this record."
"This is pioneering, unprecedented gangsta rap. Only N.W.A's 'Fxxk tha Police' can compare."
"Have you guys seen this MV? I don't think they're acting..."
"After the release of 'Billy,' multiple armed robberies broke out in major cities like New York and Los Angeles..."
The discussion triggered by Billy swept across the US like a hurricane.
For a time, all music radio stations, magazines, and TV shows were discussing this song.
The heat in online communities was ridiculously high.
Some fans with special channels even analyzed the MV frame by frame, digging up the criminal records of every actor in it.
"Congratulations, Boss!"
Leon's office was bustling with excitement.
Everyone put down their work to celebrate the success of this record.
In fact, they couldn't work at all.
From 8 AM when the record officially went on sale, the phones of these employees were blowing up.
Their families and friends kept calling to ask if they could get autographs from Leon or 50 Cent.
Working at Apocalypse Music seemed to have become something worth bragging about to everyone.
"From what I know, Diddy is furious," Bonnie said. "He canceled a magazine interview originally scheduled for this morning. According to the magazine staff, Diddy smashed a valuable sculpture on the spot."
"He also said..."
"What else did he say?" Leon looked down and sipped his coffee, unable to suppress the smile on his lips.
"He said he's going to kill Leon, kill 50 Cent..." Bonnie swallowed. "He said he's going to kill everyone related to you!"
There was an uproar in the office. Before coming to this company, they never thought there was a risk of losing their lives in the entertainment industry.
Aisha stood up and joked, "Now everyone in this room is in danger. Maybe you should give us a raise."
Leon smiled and spread his hands. The atmosphere was harmonious.
Until Phil, that annoying old geezer, appeared.
For once, he didn't even use hair gel, rushing into the office with messy hair.
"Congratulations, you bottomless bastard, you successfully pushed this Beef to a climax," Phil said.
Leon waved his hand and didn't respond.
"Is this the result you wanted?" Phil continued. "You might have to go to prison to enjoy this monstrous traffic..."
"What did you say?" Leon's smile stopped abruptly, and he narrowed his eyes.
"I said you might be going to jail!" Phil shouted. "My friend at the NYPD got news that the internal department is already verifying the authenticity of the content of this song!"
Phil kept spraying endlessly. The gist was: You guys played way too hard.
NYPD Commissioner McMahon was a regular at Diddy's parties. As long as he wanted, he could find an excuse to handcuff Leon at any time.
Those actors in the Billy MV—even if you blindly arrested them and sent them to the electric chair one by one, not a single one would be wrongfully accused.
Phil's sharp critique extinguished the joy of everyone present.
But Leon lay in his swivel chair, looking disdainful from beginning to end.
"Are you done?"
"Don't you dare ignore what I said..." Phil said grumpily.
"Don't be so nervous, man. Panicking at the slightest wave is your biggest flaw," Leon said. "You bastard lived for more than fifty years, but you have no vision at all."
Phil was speechless from the retort, but Leon's relaxed appearance didn't seem fake.
"He should be here soon..." Leon looked down at his watch.
Bang—
The office door was pushed open and slammed heavily against the wall.
A punk youth with rainbow-colored long hair and a nose ring barged in.
As soon as he entered, he shouted loudly, "Leon! You son of a bxxch, you are truly a genius!"
There was light in his eyes as he ignored everyone and rushed up to hug Leon.
Everyone in the office, including Phil, was stunned. This rude and arrogant young man actually talked to the notorious Street Jesus like this directly.
Everyone looked confusedly at Leon hugging the youth enthusiastically, unable to recall such a figure in the entertainment industry.
"Awesome!" Henry's eyes shot out fanatical light. "This is the most ruthless Diss I've ever heard!"
"Glad you like it..." Leon responded lukewarmly.
"Hahaha!" Henry laughed maniacally. "Before coming here, I joked with my father, asking him when he would send a villain like you to prison!"
Leon fell into a brief silence. He originally thought this political princeling was just a bit hedonistic.
Now it seemed his brain wasn't working too well either; he looked completely crazy.
"Relax, I was just joking, man~" Henry continued. "When will you produce a work like this for me?"
"Don't rush, that day will come." Leon suppressed his anger and perfunctorily said.
"Better not make me wait too long," Henry laughed. "The current music circle sucks; it needs a genius like me to save it!"
Leon didn't want to talk anymore, secretly noting down this idiot's behavior in his heart.
After sending Henry away, Phil hurriedly greeted him: "Who is this damn little bastard? Acting like he has no upbringing, like his dad is dead."
Leon rolled his eyes at him and said unhurriedly, "Henry Evans. His dad is a Senator."
"He's Charlie's son?" Phil exclaimed.
"Exactly."
Only then did Phil understand the reason for Leon's fearlessness.
With the support of a Senator, as long as he didn't actually send people to shoot Diddy on the street, no matter how much he acted up, he wouldn't have to bear the consequences.
---
After a morning of heated discussion, the office finally quieted down.
Leon had a rare moment of peace, sitting in his swivel chair and paying attention to social media.
Overwhelming keywords flooded every corner of the internet.
Celebrities who had nothing to do with this matter flocked out to take sides, afraid of missing this wave of traffic.
Among them, the one leeching the hardest and most greedily was Kim Kardashian. This woman seemed willing to sacrifice everything for traffic.
Disregarding her boyfriend Humphries' face, she talked about her colorful romantic history with Leon on a podcast.
Although this wasn't the first time she had done this, she obviously went too far this time.
Besides those fabricated details—like Leon liking role-playing games, whipping her taillights, and other nonsensical words...
She exposed the incident of performing the "disappearing rolling pin" close-up magic for Leon at Diddy's party.
Since this incident actually happened and the details were described extremely explicitly, almost everyone who watched the show firmly believed it must be true.
"Fxxk that damn bxxch." Leon cursed out loud in anger. Her loose mouth touched his bottom line.
He unhesitatingly called Kardashian.
Beep—
The phone rang for two seconds before being picked up.
"Hi~ My street hunk~"
Ignoring Kardashian's overly sweet voice on the other end, Leon said in a deep voice, "Shut up! Your big mouth seems to lack discipline recently."
Kardashian was stunned for two seconds, then continued in a succubus voice, "I'm so sorry, honey~ I'll make it up to you..."
"Listen, stop your stupid games immediately." Leon interrupted her and scolded, "I mean immediately!"
"Okay... I understand." Being shouted at like this, Kardashian's tone carried a crying tone.
But Leon saw through this woman's green tea (manipulative innocence) tricks long ago and continued to warn, "If you continue to talk nonsense in public, I will pick up a horse whip and whip your fake ass!"
"Do you understand what I'm saying, bxxch! You know I can do it!"
Kardashian was terrified. She immediately thought of the scenes in that MV.
In the MV, Leon sat among a group of vicious thugs like a king in the gang world.
She stammered, "Understood, I won't do it again..."
"Bxxch!" Leon hung up the phone.
After calming down a bit, he continued to stare at social media, paying attention to any changes that might appear in this Beef war at any time.
P. Diddy, Pitbull, Lil Wayne...
These famous rappers seemed to have been cast with a "Silence Spell," not issuing any response.
However, Taylor Swift, the little diva who rarely participated in circle disputes, attracted Leon's attention.
She liked Leon's tweet about the release of Billy.
Leaving aside her personal relationship with Robbie, just for Kanye's "mic-snatching grudge" in 2009, she had to stand with Leon.
Thanking someone for venting this anger for her.
Taylor wrote in a DM: "Your MV really scared me. I might have to see a shrink. You have to compensate me."
Leon laughed as he read. This woman was much wealthier than him. In terms of wealth, no female singer of Taylor's age could compare.
What could he compensate her with?
He typed a reply: "What kind of compensation are you referring to? If it's financial, I'm afraid I can't afford it."
The bold teasing didn't cause Taylor's disgust; on the contrary, she gave an unexpected reply:
"Do you want to compensate in a special way?"
WTF...
Now it was Leon's turn to be confused.
Although he firmly believed there were no so-called innocent idols in this circle, Taylor didn't look like an easy woman to mess with.
Just as he was puzzled, he received a new reply: "When can we collaborate? I want to try some new styles."
Only then did Leon realize he was overthinking it. But if what she said was true, it would definitely be a good thing for him.
Although he was ridiculously hot right now, his status was still a tier lower than Taylor's.
He replied without hesitation: "No problem, it's my honor."
"You agreed so readily? Robbie won't be unhappy, right?" Taylor replied.
"Relax, we're just collaborating on music, not anywhere else."
After sending this DM with obvious teasing, Taylor went completely silent.
Leon left the computer he had guarded all day contentedly, diving headfirst into the sofa to rest for a while.
But resting seemed to be a luxury today.
Two minutes after he lay down, Bonnie pushed the door open and walked in.
"The company email just received an email from Vibe magazine!" Bonnie said.
"What did they say?" Leon lost all sleepiness immediately.
"It was sent by Miss Kidada personally. She said her father is willing to talk to you again about the price."
"Very good..." Leon grinned from ear to ear.
All troubles were resolved after the release of Billy.
First, the opponents were collectively silent;
There were no more arguments from haters online about "fake gangsters";
Now, the acquisition of Vibe magazine also took a turn.
Just as Leon thought before, Jones, that senile old miser, wouldn't take a dying, money-losing magazine to the grave.
Although 5 million dollars might not be the final transaction price, since Old Jones actively sought negotiation...
The final number presumably wouldn't deviate too much.