George and T-Ray had absolutely no counter to Jay-Z's aggressive approach. In fact, relying on money and power to snatch talent from small labels was Jay-Z's standard operating procedure.
Back in 1991, during T-Ray's most glorious era, his ace in the hole, Nas, had caught Jay-Z's eye.
Jay-Z used every trick in the book: money, threats, honey traps...
But none of those tactics moved Nas. Ultimately, in 1997, Nas signed with the Godfather of the West Coast—the only person in the rap game who could rival Jay-Z in status—Dr. Dre.
George knew perfectly well that a small workshop like Black Panther Records couldn't hold onto talent in the face of predatory acquisitions by major corporations.
But letting go of the gold mine they'd worked so hard to find without a fight? Impossible. They had to make the other side pay a heavy enough price.
Seeing the Big Homie George instantly turn soft in front of Jay-Z, T-Ray shouted anxiously to Leon, "White boy, say something! The power is in your hands!"
T-Ray believed Leon could see everything he had done for him. When splitting profits, T-Ray had never used his gang status to take an extra penny, and he never forgot to invite Leon to every orgy.
Even knowing Leon was a greedy scumbag, T-Ray still believed his "sincerity" could melt this emotionless iceberg!
Under T-Ray's hopeful gaze, Leon said with a serious face, "It has been my dream since childhood to work with Mr. Jay-Z."
"Are you kidding me?!"
T-Ray finally realized his "sincerity" had been fed to the dogs. Leon was the only person who could have stopped Jay-Z.
Without a contract binding him, he was a free agent.
As long as he chose to refuse, no matter how powerful Jay-Z was, he couldn't exactly put a gun to Leon's head and force him to sign.
But Leon had absolutely no reason to refuse.
Originally, he was pissed that Phil had sold him out without asking. But the moment he saw Jay-Z, all that anger vanished.
Jay-Z and Beyoncé were just too damn rich!
In the entire US entertainment industry, they were in a league of their own. After getting married on April 4, 2008, in New York, they became the music industry's first couple with a combined net worth exceeding $1 billion!
Because of this, Jay-Z was always extremely generous to his artists. He spent money like it was scrap paper without batting an eye. Beyoncé's jewelry collection alone was worth over $100 million.
Just the spending on diamonds—that product of the marketing scam of the century—exceeded $20 million, living up to her nickname "Golden Venus."
Compared to struggling in a gang hideout, following a boss like this was a no-brainer.
Choosing between the two was the easiest question on the test.
"You made a wise decision, young man..." Jay-Z, chomping on his cigar, gave Leon a thumbs up.
"Listen, bro, I can't let you just take this white trash away. You have no idea how much effort I poured into him!" George's veins bulged, the "super-male" gene (XYY syndrome) in his body seemingly acting up. He looked like he was about to lose control.
"I understand that, of course. I won't let your efforts go to waste." With that, Jay-Z signaled his bodyguard to place a black briefcase on the table. "Open it and take a look."
Although George had anticipated what was inside and was prepared to haggle over the numbers with Jay-Z...
When his vision was filled with the pale blue glow of fresh bills, both he and T-Ray were rendered speechless.
Inside were fifty neat stacks of brand-new hundred-dollar bills.
Leon stamped his foot anxiously on the side: Since when am I worth this much money?
At this moment, he started to regret using T-Ray to release his record. If he had been ruthless enough to secretly raid Bonnie's stash to fund it himself...
Then he could have sold himself to Jay-Z and kept the whole $500,000.
Watching George's comical expression of shock, Jay-Z smiled. "I don't like dragging things out. I think this money is enough to satisfy you greedy nrs."
"Take the money. Go open a strip club. Be a happy pimp..."
"Do whatever you want, just don't touch the record industry anymore. Since the 90s, you guys have always been a bunch of losers."
"And I am a born winner."
Faced with these insults, George chose to swallow his pride. With that much money on the table, who needs dignity?
Remember, Leon and Black Panther Records had no binding contract. The only reason George got this $500,000 was because Jay-Z wanted to solve the problem the easy way.
If money can solve it, there's no need for violence. The lives of every nr in Brownsville combined weren't worth as much as Jay-Z's time.
The negotiation that followed took less than five minutes. Jay-Z handled everything.
After accepting the $500,000, Leon had absolutely nothing to do with Black Panther Records anymore—not even half a cent.
Additionally, the agreement stipulated that Black Panther Records permanently lost the printing rights to Take Me to Church. Of course, the revenue from the records already printed still went to Black Panther. That was chump change Jay-Z wouldn't bend over to pick up.
Although T-Ray had some complaints about this, George was very satisfied and agreed without hesitation.
George was used to making quick money through illegal businesses. At a wholesale price of $3 per CD, they'd have to sell over 200,000 copies to net $500,000 profit.
And trends in the music market change fast. No one could guarantee that sales of Take Me to Church wouldn't fall off a cliff tomorrow.
So, Jay-Z used half a million dollars to successfully achieve a result that satisfied everyone—except T-Ray.
Leaving Black Panther Records, Jay-Z stood by his Bentley and patted Leon on the shoulder. "Say a quick goodbye to this place."
"What do you mean?"
"You're one of mine now. You can't keep living in this filthy rat hole."
Saying this, Jay-Z pulled two stacks of cash from his trench coat pocket and tossed them casually to Leon. "Take this. Rent an apartment in Brooklyn Heights. That's where you'll be working from now on."
Dropping $20,000 just like that. Leon almost fainted from the force of the "Sugar Daddy's" money attack.
"By the way, make sure to come to the office tomorrow afternoon. You need to get familiar with the work environment."
"Phil will give you the address."
"Perk up, kid. You are now a member of the Roc Nation."
With that, Jay-Z got into his Bentley and drove off.
Just as Leon was greedily counting the cash, T-Ray walked out of the office.
Leaning against the wall, he sneered, "You shameless bastard... sooner or later you'll pay the price for your betrayal."
"When you lose your value, Jay-Z will toss you to the curb like a stray dog to rot... I've seen it happen too many times."
Judging by his state, T-Ray was clearly salty.
Leon turned around, flipped T-Ray the middle finger, and quickly hopped into his eighth-hand Corolla to leave Chester Street.
As he passed a red light, that voice from hell rang out in his mind again.
[ Infamy Tag Refreshed. New Tag: The Traitor acquired. ]
[ 'The Traitor' Tag unlocks Exploitation Mode: Exploit all remaining musical inspiration from another person's life! ]
[ Tag will disappear immediately after using the Exploit skill. ]
[ Good luck, scum. Satan is watching you... ]