Thursday, 22 July 2001.
ZAGE Campus USA.
After spending several days in Italy, Zaboru had finally returned to the United States and was now working at ZAGE Campus. His schedule was already packed again. ZEPS 4 development, ZAGE Network, Z-Store expansion, online features, publisher negotiations, music rights, regional marketing, and several game-development folders all demanded his attention at the same time.
However, there was one matter he considered especially important for the coming ZEPS 4 era.
Hip-hop.
More specifically, hip-hop artists, rap music, licensing, cultural authenticity, and one game concept Zaboru had wanted to create for a very long time.
A stylish underground fighting game inspired by one of the most underrated fighting games from his previous life:
Def Jam: Fight for NY.
Zaboru leaned back in his chair and sighed. "Hopefully, this goes smoothly…"
He had already asked Ryan Miller from Emerald Wings, ZAGE's official distributor in the United States, to help contact several artists, labels, managers, and music-industry people. Ryan understood American entertainment connections far better than most ZAGE staff, and Emerald Wings had already spent years building relationships across the US market. If Zaboru wanted to approach rappers properly, he could not do it lazily.
He needed consent.
He needed trust.
And most importantly, he needed respect.
The original Def Jam: Fight for NY from his previous life had released in 2004 on PlayStation 2 and became famous because of its brutal fighting style, absurd character customization, and iconic appearances from real rappers and hip-hop figures. Characters based on Snoop Dogg, Redman, Ice-T, Sean Paul, Ludacris, Method Man, Busta Rhymes, and many others gave the game a unique flavor that normal fighting games simply did not have.
It was not only about fighting.
It was about attitude.
Clothing.
Music.
Street reputation.
Personality.
The feeling of walking into an underground fight club where everyone looked like they had their own album, beef, crew, and criminal record.
Zaboru remembered loving that style deeply.
The problem was that this world's entertainment industry was different.
Games and technology were ahead because of ZAGE's influence, but music, movies, television, and broader entertainment culture were still around ten years behind compared to his previous life. That meant the current hip-hop scene in 2001 was closer to the early 1990s in his old world. Some rappers who had been huge by 2004 in his previous life were not famous yet here. Some had not debuted. Some were still unknown local talents. Some had different careers entirely because the entertainment timeline had shifted.
That created a serious problem for the game.
Zaboru tapped his finger against the desk and muttered, "Hmm… should I create the rappers from the original Def Jam as fantasy characters instead?"
He imagined creating original characters with different names, different faces, and different histories while still capturing the same general feeling. A ruthless final boss inspired by Snoop Dogg's Crow. A wild street fighter inspired by Redman. A cold veteran inspired by Ice-T. Stylish fighters with massive jewelry, oversized jackets, sharp sunglasses, colorful tracksuits, leather coats, bandanas, chains, and boots that looked like they could kick through a car door.
It could work.
But it would not be the same.
The magic of Def Jam came from recognizing real personalities and then seeing them exaggerated into fighting-game characters. Replacing everyone with fictional equivalents would make the project easier legally, but less iconic emotionally.
Zaboru crossed his arms and frowned.
Right now, Tupac Shakur had already debuted early in this world and was becoming quite famous. His first album had already been released, and his name was quickly rising in American hip-hop culture. Ice-T was also one of the strongest names in the scene right now. Those two could realistically appear in a ZAGE fighting game if negotiations went well.
But Snoop Dogg was the frustrating part.
In Zaboru's previous life, Snoop Dogg's image as Crow had become one of the most unforgettable parts of Def Jam: Fight for NY. His voice, presence, style, and final-boss aura were perfect. But in this world, Snoop had not yet become famous. He was still not the kind of major name Zaboru could easily place at the center of a massive ZEPS 4 title.
That annoyed him.
A lot.
Zaboru leaned farther back in his chair and stared at the ceiling.
"Damn it… I can't create Crow properly without Snoop."
For a few seconds, he remained silent.
Then his expression slowly changed.
"But still…"
He sat up again and began writing notes.
"Maybe I can mix them. Use real rappers who are already famous in this world, then create original characters inspired by the future Def Jam style from my previous life. Different names, slightly different faces, different backgrounds… but the same kind of drip."
Zaboru chuckled.
That was the key.
The drip.
The original Def Jam games had a fashion style that was almost impossible to forget. Huge coats, sleeveless shirts, baggy pants, bandanas, chains, sunglasses, rings, boots, tattoos, jerseys, caps, and outfits that looked ridiculous and cool at the same time. It was not realistic everyday fashion. It was fighting-game fashion wearing hip-hop culture like armor.
Zaboru wanted to push that even further.
With ZEPS 4, the characters could look far more detailed. Clothing could move better. Jewelry could shine under club lights. Sweat, bruises, and dirt could appear during fights. Stages could be filled with moving crowds, smoke, flashing lights, graffiti, speakers, cages, underground arenas, back alleys, parking lots, warehouses, subway stations, rooftops, and nightclubs.
The whole game needed to feel loud.
Dirty.
Stylish.
Violent.
But not empty.
He did not want to make a shallow imitation of hip-hop culture. He knew very well that rap music was deeply connected to real communities, real struggles, real language, real pride, and real history. If ZAGE treated it like a costume, the game would feel fake immediately. Zaboru could write many things himself, but rap was not something he wanted to fake carelessly.
He respected the culture too much for that.
That was why contacting real artists mattered.
ZEPS 4 would need a strong library of PS2 and PS3-era-style games, and music-heavy titles would become important. Racing games, sports games, fighting games, urban games, open-world games, and character-action games would all benefit from proper licensed music. Rap, rock, electronic, punk, metal, R&B, and pop all needed their place.
But rap was different in one important way.
The rhythm, slang, delivery, attitude, and cultural context were not something Zaboru could simply reproduce by himself and expect to feel authentic. He could remember songs from his previous life, yes. He could recreate melodies, hooks, raps, and concepts with Deep Memory Dive. But that did not mean he should perform everything himself.
Some songs needed the right voice.
The right background.
The right lived feeling.
Zaboru thought of Riders on the Storm from Need for Speed Underground 2, especially the version featuring Snoop Dogg and The Doors. Without Snoop's voice, the song would not have the same atmosphere. The beat could still exist, the concept could still exist, but the feeling would be different.
That was exactly what Zaboru wanted to avoid.
He wanted ZAGE's future games to feel alive because the right people were involved, not because he forced himself into every creative role like a tyrant with a microphone.
Zaboru sighed and looked at another document on his desk.
"Should ZAGE really create its own music agency?"
He had thought about this before.
ZAGE already had Zaraki Band and connections with many music projects. YouTube was growing. Z-Store could sell digital music in the future. Z-Pod was expanding through AKAI. Music videos, anime openings, game soundtracks, idol projects, rock bands, rap collaborations, and live concerts were all slowly becoming connected to ZAGE's ecosystem.
A dedicated music agency would make sense.
It could manage artists, produce songs for games and anime, handle soundtrack licensing, create theme songs, support new musicians, and eventually become a massive entertainment pillar beside ZAGE's games, movies, anime, and online platforms.
The idea was tempting.
Extremely tempting.
But it also meant additional management, legal issues, artist contracts, creative disputes, royalties, scandals, public-relations disasters, and endless headaches.
Zaboru groaned and rubbed his face.
"Maybe not right now. We already expanded way too much these years."
He chuckled bitterly.
"That's what I always say before expanding again and not to mention the glare from Sayuri-san ugh…."
Still, he wrote the idea down anyway.
Future Plan: ZAGE Music Agency.
He underlined it once.
Then he stared at it.
Then he underlined it again.
"Damn it. This is probably going to happen someday."
Before he could think about it further, the phone on his desk rang.
Zaboru immediately looked toward it.
Ryan Miller.
He picked it up.
"Yo, Ryan. Any progress?"
Ryan's voice came through clearly from the other side. "Yes, Boss. We managed to contact several people. Some are interested, some are cautious, and some managers want to know exactly what kind of game this is before allowing their artists anywhere near it."
Zaboru nodded. "That's fair. A fighting game with rappers sounds insane if they don't know the concept."
"Exactly," Ryan replied. "But there's one update you'll want to hear."
Zaboru's eyes sharpened. "Oh?"
"Tupac Shakur wants to talk with you."
For a moment, Zaboru became completely silent.
Even though he had expected that possibility, hearing it still felt strange.
Tupac.
In his previous life, Tupac was not just a rapper. He was one of the most iconic and tragic figures in hip-hop history. His music, charisma, intensity, contradictions, activism, anger, vulnerability, and early death had turned him into a legend. But in this world, the timeline was different. Tupac was alive, rising fast, and still standing near the beginning of the path that had once become myth.
Zaboru slowly smiled.
"Good. That's one of the people I really wanted to meet."
Ryan continued, "He's curious about you too. Apparently, he knows ZAGE, YouTube, and some of your public speeches. He asked whether you're actually serious about involving rappers creatively, not just using their names."
Zaboru's smile widened slightly. "That's a good question."
"Yeah. He doesn't sound like someone who wants to be used as decoration."
"Then he's exactly the kind of person I want."
Ryan chuckled. "I expected you to say that."
Zaboru leaned forward. "Set up the call. If possible, I want to talk with him directly. No corporate mask. No fake script. I want to explain the game concept properly."
"Understood."
"Also, make it clear from the beginning. If we use real artists, they will have creative input on their characters, music, and presentation. I don't want them appearing in the game and then feeling like ZAGE turned them into clowns."
Ryan paused for a second, then said, "That will help. A lot of artists are careful about image."
"They should be," Zaboru replied. "Image is part of their power."
Ryan then added, "We're also tracking several other names. Some are established, some are underground, some are not famous yet but might fit what you want. And yes, we found the struggling white rapper you mentioned. Eminem."
Zaboru's expression changed slightly.
"Good."
Ryan asked, "Do you want us to approach him now?"
Zaboru looked at the notes on his desk.
Tupac.
Ice-T
Ice-Cube.
Future Def Jam.
Original characters.
Rap soundtrack.
ZEPS 4 era.
And Eminem.
He smiled faintly.
"Yes. But carefully. Don't make it too loud yet."
Ryan answered, "Understood."
Zaboru placed the phone down after the call ended and leaned back again.
For a moment, he simply stared at the ceiling.
ZEPS 4 was still not released, but the pieces for its era were already being gathered. Hardware, online systems, engines, developers, movie licenses, anime adaptations, sports clubs, international branches, and now even hip-hop culture.
It sounded absurd when he thought about it all together.
But Zaboru knew something clearly.
The next era of games would not only be about better graphics.
It would be about style.
Identity.
Culture.
Music.
Community.
Online connection.
Games that felt like entire worlds instead of isolated products.
And if ZAGE wanted to dominate that era, it needed to prepare now.
Zaboru looked at the development-folder title on his computer.
Def Jam Projects.
A few minutes later, another message arrived from Ryan.
Tupac Shakur was ready to schedule a conversation.
Zaboru grinned.
One of his goals had already begun moving.
To be continued.
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