"This girl is a rare R&B talent. You should really listen to her work." Lupe casually pulled SZA into his arms. "The record market right now doesn't seem very interested in black female singer-songwriters. No one can predict the appearance of the next Beyoncé."
Lupe first praised SZA's talent in various ways, then told the heartbreaking story of this girl drifting from St. Louis in the south to Chicago.
Last year she was rejected by Diddy's Bad Boy Records, and in Los Angeles, she was rejected by Aftermath Entertainment. Now she had to release records as an independent artist.
"Hearing you say that, I think she's a girl with potential." Leon responded perfunctorily. He didn't want Apocalypse Music to be treated as a dumping ground.
Naturally, he wouldn't accept the chubby girl that Dre and Diddy didn't want.
Beyoncé's success was because in the post-Mariah Carey era, the market needed such a black female singer with both looks and strength.
Mellow voice, excellent appearance, voluptuous golden ratio figure, plus some creative talent...
For a black female singer to become famous, the appearance threshold is actually much higher than for white female singers. Judging by SZA's looks, she didn't fit the public aesthetic.
"Why don't you exchange contact information with Leon quickly and send him the demos you recorded?" Lupe patted SZA's exceptionally ample buttocks and said with a smile.
Since he was on someone else's turf, he had to give face to the host. Following this principle, Leon still gave his phone number to SZA.
"Thank you so much, Leon!" SZA held the phone to her chest as if guarding some incredible treasure. "I wrote over fifty demos, handling everything from lyrics and melody to the beat by myself. I hope to get your evaluation of my work; this is very important to me!"
"I'll listen to them when I have time."
The hour hand on the dial pointed to midnight. Von and Lil Durk returned to the private room after the performance.
The Walking Dead label's first collective performance presented a total of five works. Except for Panda, all were Drill raps created based on their life experiences in O-Block.
Each work was a crime story, covering everything from "zero-dollar shopping" (looting) and robbery to shooting enemies.
The crime process was detailed. If the police wanted to investigate these cases, the lyric book could be directly used as evidence.
"Look at the audience's reaction! We blew this place up!"
Von saw the scene in front of him—a group of scantily clad girls squeezed together, body on body—and dived headfirst regardless of anything.
Rubbing his head against the girls' bodies, he enjoyed himself and said, "My mom warned me before that if I continued to mess around on the street, I might die on the street one day... Now it seems she was completely wrong. I will definitely die on top of a woman."
"Hahaha~"
Lupe saw Von's hands rubbing all over SZA, feeling both angry and helpless.
Considering that the other party was Leon's subordinate, he could only spread his hands helplessly. "Young people in Chicago are very energetic, right?"
"That's right. This kid's nature is hard to change no matter where he goes." Leon shrugged.
"Bro, there's something I have to remind you." Lupe lowered his voice, looking secretive. "Have you heard of GD (Gangster Disciples)? One of the largest local gangs in Chicago."
"What about GD? Does it have anything to do with me?" Leon pricked up his ears.
"Duane Davis, Diddy's biggest reliance on the street, came from Chicago GD. Recently I heard some street rumors that Duane recruited a group of gunmen from GD." Lupe said, "Although it's just a rumor, I have to remind you to be careful. Everyone knows this guy is at the end of his rope."
Just a month ago, the NYPD disclosed some more clues about the Diddy case.
Besides exposing the messy affairs under celebrities' pants, it also insinuated the biggest unsolved case in the music industry of the 90s—the death of Tupac.
For a time, it sparked heated discussions among music fans. With the police endorsement, the truth seemed to have surfaced.
But the blood-stained Duane had long fled without a trace. To disappear into thin air under the joint investigation of the FBI and the police, someone must be helping him behind the scenes.
That person could only be Jay-Z.
"I will be careful."
The news Lupe brought wasn't firsthand information for Leon. He had long deduced this possibility based on intuition.
Once the competition between him and Jay-Z entered a truly white-hot stage, violence was the most direct and efficient trump card.
"Jay-Z will definitely attend the American Music Awards in two days. You have to be prepared for security." Lupe reminded, "I've been hanging out with him since 2000. Prey targeted by him cannot escape easily."
"Thanks for your reminder, buddy, but you forgot that I am also a hunter." Leon raised his glass and smiled.
Lupe curled his lips helplessly. Those who tried to challenge Jay-Z's status, whether it was 50 Cent who was shot nine times, or Nas who was arrogant enough to call himself the "Son of God" in the early millennium, all failed in the end.
Nas and Jay-Z engaged in fierce confrontation for four years, constantly attacking each other in public, even threatening family members' lives.
Although the two sides eventually chose to reconcile, since then he had fallen from the ranks of superstars, far from his peak.
At 1 AM, although the sound wave in the nightclub still hurt people's ears, Leon was already yawning from sleepiness.
Von, on the side, pulled SZA into his arms, his movements becoming increasingly bold.
Leon frowned at the sight. Even a fool could see that there was something between this girl and Lupe.
Drinking the host's wine on someone else's turf and hitting on the host's girl was somewhat unjustifiable.
"Watch it, ngga!"
"Understood, boss, I understand..." Von withdrew his hand.
Lupe didn't want to have an unpleasant scene over a woman, so he could only use empty words like "we are all brothers" to cover up the embarrassment. "It's understandable for young people to drink too much. It doesn't matter; everyone is a good homie..."
Von didn't understand the deeper meaning of the words at all and shouted, "I like this girl; I want to take her to see my mom!"
Saying that, he pressed SZA under him in front of Lupe, puckering his thick lips that were on par with hers, ready to kiss.
Just as he was preparing to do something more excessive in public, he was suddenly grabbed by the arm by Leon and left the private room unwillingly.
---
The next day, at the home in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles.
Not long after Leon got up, he received a call from Phil about his visit. The other party would accompany him and Cardi B as their manager throughout the AMA ceremony.
Wearing a white bathrobe, he opened the door and walked through the garden towards the iron gate.
Normally, such a big house should be equipped with at least one butler and no less than five servants to ensure it could be managed.
But out of privacy considerations, he chose the same practice as the previous owner, Vin Diesel, only using regular cleaning services without hiring a long-term butler.
"Look at this house, Cardi. Compared to Los Angeles, the concrete shell of New York is simply uninhabitable for humans." Phil shouted, "Hurry up and speed up the recording process of the new album. Maybe it won't be long before you can own a mansion in Beverly Hills too."
"I love this pool to death!"
Cardi stood by the pool, her eyes shining, her mind full of scenes playing dirty games with a group of muscular men under the moonlight.
"Cheer up. The media's attention on you tonight is higher than Adele, who received four nominations!" Phil said.
For Leon, this wasn't his first time attending the American Music Awards. The last time he attended, he was still a newcomer who hadn't even released his debut album.
Unlike the Grammys, where results are voted on by entertainment industry professionals, the American Music Awards are decided by record consumers' votes. Radio and record sales data become the sole indicators.
With unrivaled record sales, Michael Jackson won the trophy 24 times, becoming the male singer with the most awards in AMA history.
Because of this, the AMA is regarded as the best proof of a singer's market competitiveness. In short—strength is king.
Although Leon released multiple hit singles near the end of 2011, the award nomination process had already closed in October.
Old Town Road and We Don't Talk Anymore were at the peak of their popularity, and the large amount of data generated failed to enter the statistical scope.
So he was only nominated for Best Pop/Rock Male Artist in this award ceremony.
But there was something more important than getting nominated—he would perform as a guest with Taylor, premiering Shallow live at the AMA.
The organizer's arrangement earned enough eyeballs. The couple Leon and Taylor had been dominating trending searches and entertainment headlines recently, attracting more attention than Adele, who harvested 4 nominations.
Phil rented a stretched Lincoln limousine, escorted by an Escalade in front and back, driving towards the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles (now Microsoft Theater/Peacock Theater).
"I guess those reporters will definitely ask you about marriage later. You have to release some news to them. No matter what you answer, it will definitely make headlines tomorrow!" Phil chattered endlessly along the way.
"I know what to do." Leon rolled his eyes, slightly helpless.
During the days Taylor was busy touring, her head was filled with details about the wedding.
She often sent messages late at night, asking Leon whether he preferred the Duomo di Milano or Hagia Sophia; discussing the pros and cons of modern wedding dresses versus classical ones; whether to live in New York or Los Angeles after marriage, etc...
Taylor even showed off a large number of books she bought about getting back in shape after childbirth.
Various signs indicated that this new-era diva, who had repeatedly stated publicly that she wouldn't have children for any man, seemed to have really made that important decision.
Fifty meters from the red carpet, Leon saw Jay-Z walking side by side with Lil Wayne from a distance.
The two didn't know what they were talking about, occasionally revealing sinister smiles. More than ten tall and burly bodyguards blocked the reporters.
Leon opened the car window and could vaguely hear reporters shouting his name at the top of their lungs.
"Listen, kid, don't be impulsive this time. You are not who you used to be."
Phil broke out in a cold sweat thinking about the incident where he provoked Diddy at the Grammy Awards. That incident became a famous scene in Grammy history.
Since then, the conflict between the two sides had become irreconcilable, escalating from a war of words to real guns and knives on the street.
Leon achieved his hype goal as he wished, but he was also almost framed and sent to prison, or even lost his life.
"Of course, provided that Jay-Z and his gang don't do anything excessive."
Hearing him say this, Phil breathed a sigh of relief. "Lil Wayne is nominated for two awards. He will compete with your girlfriend for the biggest award tonight, Artist of the Year."
"But your opponents tonight are Bieber and Mars. Unless there's an accident, that white-ass Canadian kid will win again. Various capitals in the entertainment industry are hyping him."
Even without Diddy's care, Justin Bieber still had Braun, the most resourceful manager in the industry.
Under the operation of capital, he was now not only a household name in North America but his influence even extended to Europe and the Asia-Pacific region, once impacting the trainee system in South Korea.
When Leon's convoy was about ten meters away from the red carpet, Taylor stepped onto the red carpet.
While waving at the camera, she looked back for his figure.
Five minutes later, as soon as Leon walked onto the red carpet, Taylor reached out and took his arm. The combination of the top-tier couple instantly drove the media crazy.
"Miss Taylor, can you get closer to Mr. Leon?" a reporter egged on.
"Is this close enough?" Taylor satisfied his request, her chest pressing against Leon's arm, glancing at Leon with a wicked smile.
"Can you get even closer? The picture of you two in the same frame is just too beautiful!"
There was no gap between their bodies anymore. The only way to get closer was to merge.
Even the reporter himself didn't expect his ridiculous request to receive a response. Taylor's red lips pressed over, lightly pecking the corner of Leon's mouth.
The scene of publicly displaying affection on the red carpet made reporters pick up their cameras one after another, pressing the shutters so fast sparks almost flew.
"You look very handsome in a suit."
Taylor had a thing for suits. Last night on the phone, she used coquetry, coercion, inducement, and other methods to finally make Leon compromise and wear a black tuxedo to the awards ceremony for the first time.
To make the scene of the two in the same frame look more harmonious, she thoughtfully wore shoes only five centimeters high, so there was almost no height difference when walking together.
In the car behind, Cardi B, Ariana Grande, and other artists under Apocalypse Music also walked onto the red carpet one after another.
King Von, attending an awards ceremony for the first time, was excited as a monkey, making various gang signs with both hands at the camera, fast enough to show afterimages.
Except for Robbie, all artists of Apocalypse Music reunited on the red carpet, attracting all the cameras in the venue.
Leon was surrounded by female stars in the center position, looking like a young emperor.
"Whatever else, this kid's eye for talent is really sharp." The neglected Lil Wayne looked at Jay-Z. "Did you know that Cardi and Ariana are releasing new albums?"
Young Money Records had signed more than forty rappers in the three years since its establishment, but only Drake, Nicki Minaj, and Tyga had taken off.
Roc Nation had signed hundreds of singers with a big hand, and the probability of scratching a winning lottery ticket was even lower.
Compared with these two labels, Apocalypse Music only signed three singers, and counting the The Walking Dead label, there were only five people.
Except for Lil Durk, they all proved themselves on the Billboard.
At first, many musicians, including Lil Wayne, thought that the popularity of these newcomers relied on Leon's almost perverted creative talent.
But as the news of Apocalypse Music's upcoming new albums spread, industry experts were slapped in the face frequently.
Every singer Leon signed wasn't just a pretty face; it was no exaggeration to say they all had the ability to support a micro-record company alone.
"He can't draw good cards forever. Everyone's luck will run out one day." Jay-Z gritted his teeth in anger.
Since Leon turned out, his luck as the "King of New York Lottery" seemed to have been taken away.
First Diddy went to prison, then the heavyweight album created for Rihanna in collaboration with Def Jam Recordings didn't achieve the expected results, suppressed by Leon's new songs one after another.
What was more annoying was that Beyoncé's attitude towards him had taken a 180-degree turn.
Before 2011, Jay-Z and Beyoncé were the most talked-about couple in the music industry. Their love and wealth made everyone envious.
However, now Beyoncé even refused to sleep in the same bed with him.
Jay-Z couldn't figure out where the problem lay. Under the influence of tabloids, he fell into deep self-doubt, and the "feeling of being cuckolded" lingered in his mind—Did this kid really sleep with my wife?