Leon shook his head repeatedly. Letting those rappers tamper with the exquisite lyrics given by the Inspiration Refresh was out of the question.
He didn't think those young rappers, whose brains were filled with nothing but ass and violence, could produce any nutritious lyrics.
In the rap section of Sucker for Pain, lines like "no pain no gain" were something those rough-edged 4kg lyrics couldn't compare to.
"I'll tell my friends about your idea, but I don't know if anyone will accept it," Big Dog said helplessly.
Rappers are different from pop singers. It's normal for pop singers to perform songs written by others occasionally, but in rap culture, ghostwriting or performing someone else's lyrics is looked down upon.
Leon didn't hold much hope for Big Dog's words. The rappers in this company were all arrogant as hell.
Forget big shots like DJ Khaled; even the young nrs probably wouldn't agree to perform someone else's work directly.
The recording was put on hold. On the way back, Phil tentatively asked, "What do you think about Cardi B? That girl is so desperate to be famous she's going crazy. She definitely won't refuse your proposal."
Leon found this both annoying and funny. Putting aside whether a female rapper was suitable for this track, he could see right through Phil's little scheme.
His schedule had been extremely tight lately, so he often met Phil in his office to discuss gig plans.
Cardi B saw all this and was burning with anxiety inside.
She wanted to be famous so badly!
After being strung along by Phil time and again, her emotions finally exploded. One time, when Phil asked for his daily "clock-in," she pulled out a pair of scissors.
Phil was so scared he almost leaked a few drops. Under these circumstances, he had no choice but to officially start recording Cardi's debut album.
But starting album production meant one thing—burning money.
Although Phil had some confidence in Cardi B's future market performance, right now Leon had broken into the Billboard Top 50. Not leeching off that fame would be a waste.
Actually, Leon had an excellent candidate in mind. Although they had only met once, they had made a very good impression on each other, and they shared a mutual friend.
Kendrick Lamar's rap skills needed no introduction. His recent live house performances in New York were sold out every night, and his album, meticulously produced by West Coast godfather Dr. Dre, was about to drop.
If the two could collaborate, the East Coast-West Coast topic alone would generate maximum hype.
The problem was, Kendrick Lamar was as orthodox a gangsta rap inheritor as they come, hailing from Compton, the birthplace of the genre.
Would he accept performing a song with lyrics written by someone else?
Leon picked up his phone to call Kendrick, but then thought better of it.
Boldly proposing this himself had a low chance of success, and if he got rejected once, it would be hard to get a second chance.
Suddenly, he thought of Margot Robbie.
"Would it be better to have that girl act as a middleman?"
Leon recalled the scenes from the Sucker for Pain music video he saw during the Inspiration Refresh. The protagonist was none other than Robbie, sporting rebellious makeup, pigtails, and holding a baseball bat.
If he was going to shoot a music video in the future, Robbie was still the top choice!
He believed that as long as he proposed this, Robbie definitely wouldn't refuse. He could conveniently "package" Kendrick as a bonus and take him along for the ride!
Leon almost laughed out loud after fantasizing about it. It was truly a great plan.
But the only problem was: where would the money come from?
Although Robbie didn't have much status in Hollywood yet, news of her filming The Wolf of Wall Street with Leonardo DiCaprio had spread within the industry, and her value was rising with the tide.
Even if Robbie was willing to appear in Leon's music video as a favor, her management team wouldn't agree.
After weighing the pros and cons, Leon decided to report this to Lenny before making a decision. Otherwise, with less than six figures in his pocket, a three-to-five-minute music video could bankrupt him.
---
Inside Phil's office, Cardi B was recording a demo using the most basic equipment.
Aside from an old laptop, a dusty mixer, and a microphone, there was nothing else. It wasn't much better than the gear some street performers used.
Yet even so, the girl looked excited, lasers in her eyes, as if fame was just within reach.
Leon couldn't help but curse, "You bastard, you took so many kickbacks from me, buying some professional recording equipment shouldn't be a problem, right?"
Seeing he was busted, Phil coughed awkwardly. "You don't know how expensive that equipment is. The headphones you use at Roc Nation cost more than I can afford..."
Leon shrugged helplessly. Records made in this environment would just be garbage, and no one pays for garbage.
It was a pity for a rough diamond like Cardi B. Leon always felt that her shameless, bottomless style would definitely catch fire in the market.
Phil sighed helplessly. "Sht... I had actually recommended Cardi to T-Ray's Black Panther Records. We were one step away from signing."
"Then that incident happened... you know. Bringing up signing now would be a bit difficult."
A bit difficult?
Leon rolled his eyes at Phil and let out a cold laugh. If Phil dared to go to Chester Street to talk contracts now, George would probably shove a double-barreled shotgun up his ass.
Phil continued, "I also recommended Cardi to Lenny at Roc Nation... but they thought the girl seemed a bit unhinged. The result, you know, was a rejection."
"Now she can only release her first record as an independent artist~"
Leon was so angry he almost swore. Is this something a manager should say?
To protect his own wallet, this old geezer had compressed production costs to this level. If they released the record as independent artists, they probably wouldn't sell a single copy!
No music video team, no post-production team, and most critically, missing the crucial link of marketing and distribution.
The biggest difference between major labels and small workshops isn't equipment or environment, but that their promotional resources are in completely different dimensions!
In a market where capital is king, without spending money on media hype, even excellent works sink like a stone in the ocean.
Suddenly, Phil flashed an insidious smile, clearly plotting something. "I'm over 50, I don't have the passion to hustle anymore... but you're different, Leon. You're young, and you're on the right path."
"Your talent is undeniably top-tier. In the future, maybe you can become a superstar like Jay-Z."
Facing this nutritious-less flattery, Leon raised an eyebrow, wondering what trick the old man was playing next.
"What are you trying to say?"
"I'm just giving you a reminder. To become a true superstar, you have to know how to plan and lay out your future in advance."
Phil stood up slowly, walked to the desk, and poured himself a glass of Jack Daniel's. "Why don't you take advantage of your current momentum and establish your own label?"
"A label that belongs to Street Jesus, to Leon Smith and Phil Bryan!"