hollywood billionaire

Chapter 410: History Repeats Itself (Part )
"what do you mean……"

As if there was mercury in his thoughts, Madison Beal spoke the second half of his sentence very slowly.

However, this cannot be blamed on her. After all, in the United States, if you want to discuss such sensitive topics, you must have great wisdom and courage, as well as extreme caution and prudence.

“They don’t want to see people who represent alternative genres and alternative culture… gain mainstream traction?”

"Absolutely."

Zhao Youzhen knew that Madison's subtext was more than that. Having been immersed in Western society for a long time, she knew very well how to continue the conversation along this hidden thread without making the subtext clear.

This is one of the required courses that anyone who wants to develop in the United States must master.

"We all know what the 1981s were like for the United States. The s were turbulent, with the failure of the Vietnam War, the oil crisis, industrial decline, and the collapse of liberalism. The s were a turning point, with everyone waking up in and accepting the new free market consensus. The s were peaceful, with the Cold War won, business booming, and history 'coming to an end'."

"No offense, but I always find this kind of talk entertaining. The idea that a Cold War victory could stop the Earth from spinning... what kind of Civilization victory is that?"

“People always see the world through a kaleidoscope of their own making.”

Zhao Youzhen knew that Han Yi was a game head of some size, so she would treat the occasional weird quotes from unknown sources as video games and ignore them - this was an area that no matter how much Han Yi explained, she would not understand, and she had no interest in understanding.

"For those of us living in East Asia, the world was changing every day, and it is still the case today. But for most Americans, the end of the Cold War represented the most precious period of stability since World War II. Without opponents anymore, the era of hyper-globalization led by the United States was fully realized, neoliberalism prevailed, capital flowed freely, and the US dollar could enjoy almost all the goods supplied by the world. Families returned to traditional values, and the whole country was undergoing a 'moral self-repair', because many important indicators that were said to indicate 'social collapse' rose sharply in the late 1960s and 1970s, and stabilized at high levels in the 1980s, but in the 1990s, they fell rapidly."

“Forrest Gump.”

Han Yi has created a film that best represents the ideology of the 1990s. This is a conservative work that could not have been produced in the previous thirty years, nor could it have been supported by investors. Jenny, who was anti-cultural, drug-addicted, promiscuous, and anti-war, died, but at the last moment she reconciled with Forrest Gump, who had an extremely conservative lifestyle, and Forrest Gump continued to live with her regrets and blessings, holding chocolates in his hands at the bus stop, waiting for the next bus to arrive.

You don’t need to be a political commentator with unique insight to see the transformation of the United States from the plot. This is a return to the so-called traditional "American values" after the Cold War, and a collective rightward turn of the entire social and political spectrum.

"Yes, Forrest Gump. Some say 1994 was the most glorious year for the Hollywood film industry. From that year on, a country's cultural products began to have the power to transcend religious, racial and regional differences, and were consumed and absorbed by the whole world. This is the cultural cosmopolitanism created by the United States - conservative, cautious, but indeed innovative and peaceful. This country used this method to declare to the world its victory in the Cold War, to show off the achievements of the 'city on the hill', and to depict the beautiful 'end of history'. Driven by this idea that 'history has come to an end, and balance and tranquility should be maintained by us', any attempt to break the status quo, to expose the flaws of American society, and to radicalize art again will be collectively suppressed by mainstream Hollywood capital."

"And gangsta rap is such a trend, right?" Han Yi found a precise coordinate for Zhao Youzhen's grand narrative, "This trend was created by Dr. Dre and his generation of hip-hop musicians."

"This is the trend they fear the most. Against the backdrop of the collapse of the Soviet Union, Hollywood is making every effort to make the United States the world's only utopia and return the United States to its golden age before the emergence of hippies. Therefore, they don't want to see anything that will hinder this process."

"Now that you mention it, hip-hop and hippies seem to have a lot in common." Madison Beer, a loyal fan of 1960s pop culture who was obviously born in the wrong era, resonates with Cho Yoo-jin's words. "Different times, different backgrounds, different styles, different pursuits, but hip-hop and hippies are both marginal subcultures in our society, and both sneer at mainstream aesthetics and traditional values."

"So, Hollywood in the 1990s could not accept the emergence of hip-hop culture at all - to be more precise, they could accept hip-hop culture staying underground, but could not accept it coming to the surface. Hip-hop music, especially the metropolitan ghettos depicted in gangster rap, was the loudest slap in the face of the 'American value narrative'. At that time, many people believed that hip-hop culture and gangster rap would have a devastating impact on the younger generation and lead the United States back to the path of moral decline like during the Vietnam War."

"This argument is indeed unfair. Social problems are not caused by works of art created to reflect these problems. The problems must have existed before the works of art, otherwise where would the basis for artistic creation come from?"

Han Yi's reply is just as obscure and intriguing as Zhao Youzhen's narration. The two, who were both born in East Asian countries, can actually easily see the essence of the problem as bystanders - hip-hop culture and gangster rap have indeed accelerated the moral decline of American society to a certain extent, destroying the traditional values ​​and identity that were painstakingly established in the 1990s after the end of the Cold War. From this point of view, rap music has indeed played the role of a "negative effect amplifier" for the development of the entire American society.

The unremitting running and the box of chocolates given by life in "Forrest Gump" have been replaced by the death canyon with loud gunshots and the inescapable gang paradise. The younger generation who relish the latter will naturally be more worrying to the capitalists who design and regulate mainstream culture than the "Reagan sons" who regard the former as a guiding principle.

But in front of Madison Beal, all of this cannot be revealed too obviously. It is not important whether McGrady holds the same view or not. What is important is not to let this politically incorrect view show through one's words and deeds. This is a social reality that outsiders need to respect, and it is also the basic rule for dealing with people in North American countries.

Moreover, as Han Yi said, hip-hop culture reflects the struggle of a discriminated community that has been going on for hundreds of years. Rappers can only be regarded as spokespersons for the devil, and the devil itself was created by those at the top who tried their best to cover up the existence of the devil.

"Big companies never like betrayers and whistleblowers, and in their eyes, hip-hop plays exactly that role. Hip-hop music shows the world another side of America, a side that Hollywood doesn't want people to know. The influence that rappers gradually gain and the power to reshape mainstream culture are also things they absolutely don't want to lose. So, led by Bob Dole, a purge and persecution of hip-hop music began."

"Bob Dole?" Han Yi frowned, "Why does this name sound so familiar?"

"He was the Republican presidential candidate in 1996 ... the one running against Bill."

"Ah." Han Yi shook his index finger, suddenly realizing, "No wonder I knew this name... but I never knew he was an avid opponent of hip-hop culture."

"Yes, I also learned about this from a news report I searched a month or two ago." Zhao Youzhen nodded slightly, "Apparently, before participating in the presidential election, as the majority leader of the Senate, Bob Dole launched a vigorous cultural cleansing campaign. He claimed that Hollywood now tolerates too much sex and violence in its movies, television and music works, especially Time Warner Group, because it has a music company called Atlantic Records, which owns 50% of Interscope Records, and Interscope Records is the biggest supporter of the 'degenerate culture' of gangster rap. From 1990 to 1995, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and their partners sold a total of 1900 million gangster rap albums, and they are the most powerful force in this emerging music genre."

"This attack sounds too specific and too targeted." Madison Beer, who was born in 1999, was very interested in the history of the music industry that had been buried in the dust of time before she was born. She listened very seriously and raised very constructive questions. "It sounds like someone is supporting him, like... they conspired with him to plan this purge, right?"

"Yes, many of his most loyal donors are actually the most powerful companies in Hollywood and Wall Street. In fact, a large number of them are shareholders of Time Warner. So why are they targeting Time Warner? I'm sure you can figure it out."

In this answer, the smart and cautious Yoojin still only said half and left the other half - it is true that the big money donors who provide political donations to Bob Dole do have an influence in Hollywood and Wall Street that cannot be ignored. But what Cho Yoojin did not reveal is that most of these big money donors are Jewish capital. In fact, although he is a pure Irish, Bob Dole's biggest political bargaining chip is his close relationship with the Jewish community. He is called an old friend of the Jews with a long and harmonious relationship by the Israeli government and other influential Jewish organizations.

Bob Dole and Congressman Jack Kemp were the leaders of the so-called Soviet Jewish liberation movement in the 1996s, and he was recognized and rewarded by the Jewish community for his actions. He succeeded Nelson Rockefeller, who retired from politics, and became President Ford's running mate. In the following decade, he has been active in politics as a candidate for the Republican presidential candidate. After ending his political career in , he also thrived on K Street and became a lobbyist on Capitol Hill for many companies with Jewish capital backgrounds. In addition, he also took a different approach and opened up a unique path to become a TV celebrity. Not only did he frequently appear on Larry King's talk show, Comedy Central's satirical news programs, and serious commentary programs such as " Minutes", he also became a brand spokesperson for Pepsi, Visa credit cards, and even Viagra.

In addition, his public identity as a Freemason is also considered by many conspiracy theorists to be one of the main reasons why he spared no effort to support the interests of the Jewish community. After all, the so-called "Jewish-Freemason conspiracy theory" has always been the most enduring and eye-catching conspiracy theme in Western society.

Therefore, Zhao Youzhen's subtext is actually to point out Bob Dole's close relationship with Jewish capitalists. It is precisely because of this relationship that he stood at the forefront of opposing hip-hop culture and gangster rap. As for whether Han Yi and Madison Beer can understand her hidden meaning, they need to figure it out by themselves.

"Every political movement is related to power dynamics. It's either to gain power or to prevent losing power." Han Yi was the one who obviously understood. "If I'm not mistaken, Bob Dole shouldn't be the only politician who actively speaks out, right?" "You're right." Zhao Youzhen smiled with relief. "Also actively opposing rap music are President Reagan's Secretary of Education, devout Catholic William Bennett, and Cynthia Dolores Tucker, who was called a 'traitor' by the black community."

"That makes sense."

Han Yi nodded in agreement. Historically, the suppression of the New Wave was basically composed of these three forces: the rentier class who actively maintained the status quo, the stubborn and conservative extreme conservatives, and the capitulators within the New Wave.

In the cultural war of 1995, William Bennett represented the neo-conservatives who rose to prominence after the end of the Cold War, while Cynthia Delores Tucker was considered a capitulator by black rappers such as 2Pac. Of course, whether this active advocate of the civil rights movement, who opposed the further expansion of hip-hop culture out of "fear that rap music would promote misogyny and threaten the moral foundation of African Americans," was a betrayal of the ethnic group itself is a matter of opinion. But at least in the minds of most black Americans, especially hip-hop musicians represented by Dr. Dre, Mrs. Tucker is a traitor who caters to the mainstream white ideology.

"With their political influence and the cooperation of their backers behind the scenes, the negative information about hip-hop culture and gangster rap has become the most common political news for Americans. The U.S. Congress has held many hearings, large and small, on the depravity and harmfulness of this music genre. Finally, under the triple pressure from inside and outside the industry and inside and outside the company, Doug Morris, chairman and CEO of Warner Music America, began to demand to take over Interscope Records, or at least obtain the approval rights of Interscope Records' unreleased music, but this request was strongly resisted by Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field...Finally, Atlantic Records announced in the second half of 1995 that it would sell its shares back to Iovine and Field for US$1.15 million. Doug Morris, who was in charge of handling this matter, was defeated in the internal power struggle because he could not effectively control his subsidiaries and was fired by Time Warner. At this time, it was less than a year since he was promoted from CEO of Atlantic Records to CEO of Warner Music."

"That's why Doug Morris and his disciples are hostile to Jimmy Jovin and Ted Field, right?" Madison Beal speculated. "Jovin and Field could have pretended to agree to Morris's request so that he could report to Warner Music, but they chose the toughest way."

"I think that was because they didn't understand that there was also a power struggle within Warner Music at the time, and they mistakenly thought that Doug Morris wanted to use this as an excuse to take back management rights from them." Han Yi gave a more reasonable explanation, "Unexpectedly, Doug Morris' competitors wanted to kill two birds with one stone - expel Interscope and get rid of Morris."

"Anyway, the relationship between Jimmy Iovine and Doug Morris has become very tense since then." Zhao Youzhen glanced at Han Yi deeply, silently agreeing with his opinion in this way. "After leaving Atlantic Records to become an independent label, Iovine and Field have been actively looking for the next partner. And EMI, BMG, PolyGram and MCA, the music industry giants in the 1992s outside of Warner Music, are all very interested in Interscope. This is because Bob Dole's political persecution not only did not affect the development momentum of hip-hop culture and rap music, but instead created a lot of publicity gimmicks for Interscope. The entire label recorded a total of 1995 million US dollars in gross profit from 3.5 to , and the profit margin was rising every year. Time Warner's political hedging has brought them a financial defeat."

"After realizing that they couldn't completely eradicate hip-hop culture, those...large groups began to find ways to blend rap music into mainstream culture in another way. Interscope's valuation also rose in rounds of competition. In the end, MCA Records acquired 2% of Interscope's shares for $50 million. Coincidentally, at that time, the CEO of MCA Records was Doug Morris, an old enemy of Ioven and Field."

"How could this happen? I'm talking about MCA acquiring Interscope's equity." McGrady blinked in confusion, "If Doug Morris is their mortal enemy."

"Because there is more than just Doug Morris inside MCA Records... In other words, the new mercenaries are completely unable to compete with the veterans who have been working here for six years. Do you still remember who sold his record company and inspired Jimmy Iovine to found Interscope?"

"David... Oh, yes, the acquirer of Geffen Records is MCA!" McGrady raised his index finger, excited as if he had discovered a new world. "So David Geffen played an important role in the acquisition of MCA?"

"I don't know the specifics of the situation. After all, I was not an eyewitness. I can only make reasonable guesses based on the information I have collected... Records from all sides clearly show that David Geffen was the driving force behind Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field's successful move of Interscope to MCA. Geffen sold his record company to MCA in 1990 in exchange for $5.5 million worth of MCA shares. A year later, Panasonic acquired MCA and bought David Geffen's shares at a premium of $6.7 million. In exchange, Geffen continued to stay at Geffen Records as the helmsman for four years... until he pushed through the acquisition of Interscope and brought it under MCA."

"The two-way choice between Interscope and MCA... is indeed a very interesting thing." Han Yi stroked his chin and said softly, thoughtfully, "Compared with EMI, BMG and PolyGram, old guys that have survived in the industry for nearly half a century, the new entrant Panasonic is obviously a more suitable choice for Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field. As new forces breaking into Hollywood, they can work together to gain a higher status, greater voice, and more room for activities for Interscope."

"It must be said that Mr. Iovine has a lot of experience in cooperating with Asian capital." Zhao Youzhen took over the conversation. "Doug Morris strongly opposed the acquisition of Interscope, believing that the addition of these gangster rappers would cause the already huge and bloated MCA to fall apart, and would also make Panasonic, which had just entered the market, a target of public criticism. But Panasonic was obviously more inclined to adopt David Geffen's opinion. After all, they knew very little about the power struggle in Hollywood. All they could see was Interscope Records' far-leading sales. So Doug Morris could only watch Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field complete the agreement with MCA and turn Interscope into the flagship label of the music group."

"In the year the acquisition was completed, Interscope delivered a perfect answer to the group - with the albums of Bush, 2Pac, Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg, it became the first label in 1996 years to occupy the top four of the Billboard album chart. In 2.5, the annual revenue was million US dollars, which helped Matsushita Electric sell MCA at a high price and transfer the group to the Canadian beverage giant Seeger Group."

"After Seeger took over, MCA was renamed Universal Music Group, with Doug Morris continuing to be at the helm. And Interscope, its most important label, merged with PolyGram's A&M Records and Geffen Records after Universal Music acquired PolyGram Records to become the current Interscope Geffen A&M. At its peak, Interscope alone accounted for 30% of the group's total sales."

"The winners of the first round were indeed Jimmy Iovine and Ted Field. But Doug Morris did not choose to surrender. The strength of Interscope Geffen A&M greatly squeezed the living space of other labels, especially Sony and Warner. In other words, although Interscope survived the siege of rap music, they had more enemies than before. Sony, Warner, and even Universal's own CEO all wanted to see Interscope fall apart. Doug Morris wanted to support a rival within Universal, Island Def Jam. Since 2000, IDJ has been trying to catch up with Interscope. Generally speaking, Interscope is still the strongest, Atlantic Records is second, and Island Def Jam is third. Jam. In addition, Morris also wanted to create a new branch to further weaken Interscope's influence within the group. However, since the beginning of the 2006st century, Universal Music Group had been undergoing drastic structural adjustments and was not stable until Vivendi took over, Morris waited until to join hands with Clive Davis of Sony Music, who sent the Lipman brothers to join Universal Music to form Republic Records.

"Everything that followed is history. Doug Morris poured all the resources he could mobilize into the newly created Republic Records, helping the label quickly overtake Interscope - in 2007, it was ranked eighth in total sales, but by 2012, it had surpassed Interscope and topped the global sales chart. At the same time, Doug Morris also tried to build his own power within Interscope Geffen A&M. He introduced Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo's label Star Trak Entertainment, and used the musical talents of the two top producers to cultivate popular stars such as Black Eyed Peas and Keyshia Cole, allowing IGA to gradually get rid of the situation dominated by 'Interscope'. More and more champion singles and albums began to be released under the name of 'Geffen', especially the 'A&M Records' that was closer to Doug Morris. In addition, Doug Morris also used the characteristics of rap music to ignite countless fuses within IGA, the most famous of which were The Game and 50 Cent dispute... Then in 2007, Doug Morris bought Octone Records from Sony Music and reorganized it under A&M, bringing in a large number of famous musicians such as Maroon 5, further reducing Jimmy Iovine's control and voice..."

"How Mr. Iovine specifically dealt with this situation is not something that can be found out by just collecting data. Maybe one day when the situation is right, you can ask him directly... But we can see that he must have made a lot of efforts. The carefully crafted girl group The Pussycat Dolls and Interscope's final peak work Lady Gaga are proof that he is trying to gain the upper hand in the struggle with Doug Morris. But he should also be aware that without being able to use other gray means to overthrow Doug Morris, the resources he can mobilize are definitely not as good as the CEO of the parent group. He must be careful to ensure that every step he takes is correct, not to release albums with poor sales, and not to promote artists that cannot make profits, so as to maintain Interscope's status and influence in Universal Music and ensure that he will not be overthrown by enemies within the group. Doug Morris does not need to have such concerns. He only needs to mobilize troops and command various labels to fight in turn until Jimmy Iovine is exhausted and has no other way to go."

"If you put it that way, Jimmy Iovine... has absolutely no chance of winning against Doug Morris." Madison Beal let out a long sigh and lamented, "If Interscope's performance is not good, it will give the headquarters an excuse to make personnel adjustments. And if Interscope performs well, Doug, as the head of the group, will also gain points in Vivendi's eyes. No matter what Jimmy does, he can't beat his opponent within this rule. At best, he can only maintain the status quo."

"Very clear insights." Zhao Youzhen glanced at McGrady approvingly. "This is why Jimmy Iovine teamed up with Dr. Dre to break out of the traditional commercial development framework of musicians and establish the Beats brand to make headphones and audio equipment. Most hip-hop singers, after becoming famous, would collaborate with Nike or Adidas to launch some shoes and sell some clothing and peripherals to subsidize their luxurious lifestyles. No one would want to spend a lot of effort to truly design a product, establish a production line, and make such a practical and huge investment. The reason why Dr. Dre and Jimmy Iovine did this is because they saw the reality clearly - they were being marginalized by Universal Music, and since they were no longer young, it was impossible for them to go to Sony or Warner to re-establish a flagship label like Interscope."

"So Beats was actually a desperate self-rescue action, but it was successful in the end." Han Yi made a summary. "In order to truly establish a career in the music industry that is completely under their own control and to get rid of the influence of Universal Music to the greatest extent, Jimi and Andre chose an entrepreneurial path that no so-called "insiders" had ever chosen before. Audio equipment is a business sector related to music itself, but it is outside the content production chain. Traditionally, this field only attracts the interest of technology companies, not musicians. Jimi and Andre made a bold and extraordinary move and reaped rich rewards. Beats became the world's number one headphone brand and was eventually acquired by Apple, and then became the CEO of Apple Music. Doug Morris and his companions should never have thought that Jimi Iovine, who had been exiled to the edge of the music industry, could return in such an unexpected way."

"The most amazing thing is the establishment of Apple Music. From an audio equipment manufacturer to a music streaming platform provider, Jimmy Iovine not only got money, but also got power that he could not imagine before at Universal Music. There are only five or six streaming platforms on the market that have begun to take shape, and only Spotify and Apple Music have real global influence. It can be said that in this era of streaming media, Jimmy Iovine directly holds the lifeline of all record companies."

"Now I know who the mysterious behind-the-scenes driving force behind Taylor Swift's story is," Han Yi said with a smile. "The one who helped Frank Ocean stage a victorious escape was Jimmy Iovine himself. Apple Music bypassed the record companies and dealt directly with the artists, and negotiated so many exclusive agreements. Its purpose was not just to embarrass Doug Morris. What Jimmy Iovine wanted to do was to completely break the dominance of the three major music groups and make Doug Morris and his accomplices the gravekeepers of this old system."

"Now I understand why everyone wants to destroy our company." Madison Bill raised his chin and drew out his voice, "We are too close to Jimi and Andre... Yi, there must be a lot of people who mistakenly think that you are the spokesperson they have fostered to subvert the order in the record industry."

"If they really see me this way, then I would feel... relieved." Han Yi gave an answer that McGrady couldn't quite understand, and then turned his attention to Zhao Youzhen. "We've finished talking about Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, but what about David Rubinstein? Just because CEP-III invested in Han Music, does that mean he's also an accomplice in this conspiracy?"

"Do you really not know, or are you pretending that you don't know?" Yuzhen frowned, his eyes full of confusion.

"What should I know?"

"Before Apple acquired Beats for $30 billion, it was the Carlyle Group that bought part of the shares for $5.14 million, helping Beats' corporate valuation reach $ billion."

"I have never met Mr. Rubinstein, and I don't know the extent of his relationship with you..."

"But, at least from an outsider's perspective, neither Yovan nor Dr. Dre is the mastermind of this counterattack..."

"David Rubinstein, who stands behind Beats, is the mastermind who wants to change the color of Hollywood and the music industry."

(End of this chapter)