"I think I can meet your needs. I know a car with the temperament of a head of state that suits you very well." Monroe's brain spun fast, blurting out, "How about the latest Bentley Mulsanne? 6.8T displacement, 513 horsepower, tailored for young and promising successful people like you, a true palace on land..."
He spared no effort to praise it in various ways, even expressing willingness to offer a price lower than the market price.
This sales method of sacrificing short-term interests is actually a long-term strategy, usually only for celebrities.
For sports or entertainment stars, as long as they try to buy their first luxury car in life, they can't stop until they fill the garage of every house.
This is essentially different from those wealthy people who made their fortunes in manufacturing or finance. They usually don't invest too much in negative-yield assets like cars.
But for entertainment stars, their money comes too fast.
They don't need to worry about stock fluctuations, potential market risks, and financing. Every commercial performance can turn into green cash, a veritable human money-printing mode.
"The proceeds of a commercial performance can buy a luxury car; this thing is just a big toy that adds gasoline." —This is what most extravagant celebrities, including Tyson, really thought before bankruptcy.
"Your suggestion is very good." Considering the price offered by the other party was very sincere, plus Leon had experienced the ride of a Bentley in Los Angeles before, he couldn't help but be tempted. "Is this car bulletproof?"
"Of course! I can provide you with top-level private customization!" Monroe patted his chest, looking proud: "We will extend the original body by about 25 inches, install a full set of bulletproof armor, including bulletproof glass, steel bulletproof plates, reinforced fuel tanks, fire extinguishing systems, and run-flat tires, everything! The vehicle weight will increase by more than 1,000 pounds, reaching B7 level protection standards!"
"Cool..." Leon was more and more tempted by this, the only thing making him hesitate was the price.
After the standard Mulsanne configuration is completed, Monroe's quote is $380,000, but the price of the extended customized version is hard to say.
This is not a math problem that can be solved by adding the cost of bulletproof upgrade configuration, but also considering the manufacturer's production cost.
"I'm very interested in your proposal, Mr. Monroe. I can't wait to see such a beast..." Leon said.
"It absolutely won't disappoint you. This is the sedan with safety performance second only to the President's car you can find in this country!"
Monroe could hardly suppress his excitement. According to news media reports, Leon is likely to be one of the most profitable artists in 2011, and this is under the condition that this year has not yet ended.
Apocalypse Music provides him with long-term and stable capital income. With the rise of fame, the commercial performance quote has been raised three times within a year.
Lion's Den Media brought Vibe magazine back to life, gradually turning losses into profits through online subscriptions. Its The Rap of America is the most pioneering talent show in recent years.
Not to mention Straight Outta Compton, which raked in $200 million at the box office in the summer season. With the reorganization and birth of SLW Apocalypse, the performance of this emerging film company in the market is becoming stronger and stronger.
"President's car?" Leon recalled the historical classic image of November 22, 1963, in his head and teased: "I hate all damn convertible designs, you know."
"Convertible?" Monroe was stunned for two seconds before reacting, smiling awkwardly. "Don't worry... this car is as airtight as a tank."
Considering that the other party went to great lengths to organize such a "street car show" for his needs, and also gave him an expensive Bugatti to use for free for a week...
More importantly, out of consideration for his own safety, Leon decided on the spot to order a bulletproof extended Bentley Mulsanne from Monroe, with a total price approaching $1 million.
After signing the car purchase agreement and paying a $200,000 deposit, Monroe left satisfied.
Since there is no existing car on the market, this new car will travel across the ocean from the Vickers factory in the UK to the US within a month.
At 4 PM, just after Monroe left, Old Mike brought the MV shooting team to Apocalypse Music.
Seeing the white Bugatti Veyron, he was full of praise and joked: "I bet driving this car around Manhattan Beach, every girl would be willing to give you a freebie."
"Then those girls would steal the car keys while your head is groggy and disappear with a floor-kick of the gas pedal?" Leon ordered Miranda to bring coffee while joking with the other party.
Everyone burst into laughter.
The streetwalkers of Manhattan Beach seem harmless, knowing nothing but skills to please men, but anyone who underestimates these girls from the bottom class will 100% have bad luck.
Stealing from customers' wallets is extra income for these girls, as reasonable as tips.
"I originally planned to put the shooting location on Fifth Avenue, but the municipal department rejected it immediately; they didn't even hesitate..."
To achieve the best shooting effect, Old Mike abandoned Plan B Las Vegas and chose to shoot on the most prosperous Fifth Avenue in Manhattan.
The shooting team proposed to the municipal department to control a section of street about 100 meters long for two hours. This plan was rejected in seconds.
"Expected. What do you take me for? A head of state?" Leon shook his head while laughing.
Except for the President traveling or receiving a very critical head of state of a major country, Fifth Avenue cannot possibly implement traffic control for a singer.
It became even more difficult after 9/11. In case someone in the shooting team has a sudden mental illness and stages "Need for Speed" on the street, the consequences will be catastrophic.
"Need for Speed" in a densely populated area is no less lethal than hot weapon strafing.
"Then fly to Las Vegas?" Old Mike said: "To achieve the psychedelic avant-garde visual effect you mentioned, that is the best choice besides Manhattan."
"I think Brooklyn is good."
"Brooklyn?"
Old Mike repeatedly thought about this proposal in his mind. After nearly a century of development, especially in the great construction era after the end of the Cold War, Brooklyn's prosperity is now among the best in the US.
But in the public stereotype, purely in terms of "luxury," this place is obviously not in the same grade as Las Vegas and Manhattan.
Leon continued: "The starting point of my career is in Brooklyn; this is very meaningful to me."
"I understand." Old Mike was thoughtful, gradually understanding his idea.
More than a year ago, he was still a street singer in Brownsville, causing a sensation with Take Me to Church and becoming a soldier under the rule of JAY-Z's kingdom.
What happened later is familiar to every fan: the street fight with Diddy, the wrestling in the record market after falling out with JAY-Z...
Leon wants to tell everyone through such a psychedelic avant-garde MV that the era of the new king of Brooklyn has arrived!
The phone ringtone that woke him up early the next morning was not from Old Mike, but from Davis, who had been out of contact for a long time.
This ngga lived in Los Angeles for a long time after Straight Outta Compton, living a shameless life with Robinson's cousin weighing more than 200 pounds in Robinson's big house.
Until he was attacked by a gunman under Diddy and lost a testicle, everything changed.
With combat power halved, he obviously could no longer satisfy the 200-plus-pound Tiger tank. The cousin dumped him without hesitation.
Relying on the fame accumulated in Straight Outta Compton, Davis earned a lot of money by chatting about bragging stories with Leon on talk shows and lived a life of drunkenness and dreams in Los Angeles.
"Damn..." Leon checked the time on his phone. It was 6 AM Eastern Time, and New York is three hours ahead of Los Angeles.
It's best not to answer calls from friends in the early morning; nothing good ever happens.
Plus Davis had disappeared for several months in a row. He could figure out with his toes that this ngga must have encountered some trouble again—money!
Just as he guessed, as soon as the phone was connected, a crying voice came: "Bro! How have you been recently? Why haven't you called me for so long?"
While getting up to wash, Leon sandwiched the phone and dealt with it: "I thought you had died on a woman's belly. Heard you had a good life in Los Angeles, spending tens of thousands of dollars in nightclubs a night. You look richer than me."
"Don't make fun of me, Bro. I'm not as glamorous as I look on the surface." Davis's voice became smaller and smaller, completely lacking his usual arrogance.
Although Straight Outta Compton brought him certain fame and good income, it was not worth mentioning compared to his speed of squandering.
Besides buying various luxury goods and diamond necklaces, he also bought a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG, but these expenses wouldn't have plunged him into embarrassment in such a short time.
Women and gambling are the main events. Leon had long heard that he used his celebrity status to take out large loans from banks and financial institutions, and all this money was spent in nightclubs and at card tables.
As the benchmark for nightlife in the US, nightclub expenses in Los Angeles are not a small amount, easily starting at five figures.
It is not new for high celebrities to spend more than $100,000 a night in nightclubs. Models with full-body technological enhancements always have ways to drain your wallet.
Listening to the complaints on the other end of the phone, Leon had already thought of what the other party was going to say next.
He frowned and said: "Listen, I warned you long ago not to squander money. Spending money on directors and producers is much better than spending on women's butts. How many good days have you had? If I guessed correctly, it has only been four months since the movie was released..."
"Man... actually I went bankrupt two months ago. I've been supported by women during this time."
"Is it Robinson's sister? Didn't that fat girl dump you long ago?"
"No no no!" Davis's tone suddenly became serious. "What I'm going to say next is good for you!"
"Goddamnit...!" Leon rinsed his face with cold water. "Can I choose not to listen?"
"I'm serious, buddy! You can't imagine who I've been with during this time!"
"Don't be so mysterious. Are you going to say it's Madonna?"
"No... but this name carries as much weight as Madonna!" Davis lowered his voice. "You have to promise not to tell anyone about this..."
"Are you going to say it or not? If not, don't waste my time, ngga."
"Okay, even my mom doesn't know about this." Davis said, "The woman I've been with for the past two months is Whitney Houston..."
Leon was stunned for two seconds; even the movement of pulling up his pants froze.
Whitney Houston's name is a totem in the history of pop music. Before Mariah Carey became popular, she and Madonna ruled the female music scene in the 80s.
Her debut album Whitney Houston topped the Billboard album chart for 14 weeks and became the best-selling female debut album with sales of 25 million copies.
Currently, she has won a total of 6 Grammy Awards, and global record sales exceed 200 million copies.
"Do you think it's funny to make a prank call to me at 6 AM?" Leon didn't believe a single letter, feeling both angry and funny.
A legendary diva cohabiting with a penniless third-rate bankrupt actor, with an age difference of 30 years. This story is more bizarre than One Thousand and One Nights.
"No no no... listen to me, buddy. To be precise, it's Whitney's cousin, Dionne Warwick!" Davis quickly explained, "I met this lady at a casino in Los Angeles. She is like my Sugar Mommy, giving me help many times when I was most difficult. Even my mom wasn't this good to me!"
Leon's brows gradually unfolded. He was not unfamiliar with Dionne's name; she became popular even earlier than Whitney.
In the 1960s, she was a hot advertising star and sang many enduring songs. In 1985, she participated in the recording of the charity song We Are the World with Michael Jackson, Lionel Richie, and others.
Although she has long disappeared from the public eye, a considerable number of music critics crown her name with the heavyweight title of R&B originator.
"Are you kidding me, bastard?" Even if Davis said it wasn't Whitney Houston, Leon still felt it was too outrageous.
Dionne is 18 years older than her cousin Whitney, and 50 years older than Davis...
Describing the age gap between the two as Sugar Mommy is obviously inappropriate. In the black community with early childbearing, it wouldn't be excessive for Davis to call her great-grandmother.
"Absolutely not! I swear to God!" Davis's voice was sonorous and forceful.
"Okay, wish you happiness. It seems you don't have to worry about your livelihood for the rest of your life." Saying that, Leon prepared to hang up the phone.
Whether the other party was talking nonsense had nothing to do with him not even half a cent.
"Wait Bro, did you forget the surprise I told you about?"
"What exactly do you want to say?"
Davis's tone carried a hint of sobbing, whispering: "We dated for a while. Dionne always tried her best to meet my needs, until the IRS knocked on our apartment door the day before yesterday. Sht... I didn't expect a woman on the verge of bankruptcy to be willing to spend money to buy me GUCCI..."
"I don't quite understand what you mean."
"I mean, Dionne owes the IRS $7 million, and countless bank loans..." Davis sighed.
Leon couldn't help asking back: "What does this have to do with you? Although this old woman owes a lot of money, it has nothing to do with you not even a cent. You just need to enjoy the luxury goods she bought for you with bank loans; don't feel burdened."
"No, Bro, I am determined to tide over this difficulty with her." Davis's tone was firm. "I'm not joking. In this rotten and dirty capitalist world, you can never find a good woman like Dionne again. Those btches only stare at men's wallets and lower bodies. And you know, I lost both of these things. Only Dionne doesn't care about these!"
"WTF..." Leon didn't know whether to laugh or cry. Even the most outrageous gossip news in magazines was not as exciting as the melon (gossip) he was eating now.
He couldn't understand, but still expressed respect. "I wish you happiness."
Just when the phone was about to hang up, Davis shouted: "Wait Bro! Let me finish! You are acquiring music copyrights recently, right?"
"There is such a thing." The advertisement for acquiring copyrights in Vibe magazine has been out for several months, but with little effect.
Most of those intending to sell copyrights are independent musicians with little commercial value; these works are not within Leon's consideration.
"That's great!" Davis said, "I spent a lot of effort persuading Dionne a few days ago. She is willing to sell part of her music copyrights to support us through this difficulty."
Hearing this, Leon's eyes lit up immediately, sleepiness swept away.
But within half a minute, this enthusiasm quickly extinguished again. Dionne was a well-deserved superstar in the 1960s, but those works are too old and should have been sent to the history museum long ago.
How much commercial value is left in these works is still a question mark.
Davis continued to sell hard: "Buddy, this deal is definitely not a loss. Whether it's I'll Never Love This Way Again or Superwoman, Dionne's works are repeatedly used in movies. Licensing fees can let you recover the cost quickly."
"This sounds good."
Leon still hesitated a bit. Looking at the evolution speed of current pop music, the payback cycle of those ancient music works might be measured in decades.
"By the way, Dionne also holds part of Whitney Houston's works."
Davis dropped a bombshell. Whitney became popular in the golden age of American pop music; the gold content of her music copyrights needs no words.
"You really brought me a big surprise, but I must be sure that what you said is true and reliable!"
"Bro, don't you believe in our friendship?" Davis said, "For the copyrights of these works, Dionne and Whitney's family had a very unpleasant time. They always wanted to take these copyrights back. You know Whitney's health is already very poor."
"Very good buddy, find time to come back to New York; let's have a good talk." Leon grinned to his ears. "Anytime works. No matter how busy my schedule is, I will always make time for a good homie."