The opening of China Entertainment Group gave Jay Chou a head-on confrontation

Chapter 960 Aiming at the Beatles

Greatest of All Time, or GOAT for short, means the greatest of all time.

It is an honorary title that originated in the sports world. In the early 1990s, Muhammad Ali's team popularized the concept of "greatest of all time" and made it deeply rooted in people's hearts.

Later, figures such as Michael Jordan in basketball and Pelé in football received this title, which was recognized by both the official and unofficial parties. GOAT has thus become the highest praise for an athlete.

In early 2000, legendary American hip-hop artist James Todd Smith released his ninth studio album, "GOAT." The term "GOAT" officially entered the music scene through this album, no longer limited to the private resonance of individual fans.

Hip hop, those who know, know. They talk about love and peace, but in reality, they can even fight over hair and find a clear winner.

It was precisely because of this that, although James' album did not help him achieve the critical acclaim he had hoped for, it sparked a ranking competition throughout the music industry, with one legend after another being put into the arena by enthusiastic fans.

As we all know, cyber power fighting crickets and Guan Yu fighting Qin Qiong are practically ingrained in human DNA. Cyber ​​power enthusiasts are found all over the world, and they always try to rank themselves first, second, third, fourth, or fifth whenever they have the chance.

After the concept of "GOAT" officially sparked a war in the music industry, the Beatles, who had become a thing of the past, went through many battles and hardships before finally succeeding in sitting on the throne called GOAT.

But now, Zhou Yi is trying to put this crown on his own head with just one word. How can this be allowed?

You claim to be the most popular man of your time, and no one has the confidence to refute you. But if you call yourself the GOAT, then we'll have to talk about that.

Michael Jackson was the world's number one pop star for so many years, and any fan who dared to call their idol the GOAT would be met with a barrage of criticism and attacks from fans of this legendary figure. Jackson himself avoided this topic whenever possible.

If he can't avoid it, he'll humbly say that the Beatles are the GOAT.

Over time, even Jackson's fans lost the motivation to fight for him. After all, Jackson himself had surrendered with his hands raised in various interviews, so what was the point of fighting for him?

Unexpectedly, the "Popular Men's Challenge GOAT" was restarted after many years. It wasn't due to extreme fan comments, but rather because Zhou Yi himself brought it up when facing a group of reporters from various media outlets.

Immediately, the media across Europe and America—no, more accurately, the UK and the US—reacted with extreme intensity. After all, the Beatles are one of the symbols of British culture, and they naturally wanted to defend their status.

Spike's Getting Inflated! Blinded by Honor!

Warner Bros.' exaggerated claims, and Spike's despicable intentions!

Spike's wolfish ambitions exposed! He attempts to rewrite the mainstream memory of pop music!

This is a threat from China! Spike becomes a pioneer in industrial restructuring!

"..."

One incident after another, all sorts of news stories flew by, successfully adding fuel to the fire of public opinion on the I Ching, which was already in the eye of the storm.

Many casual fans were somewhat helpless—

Bro, I'm begging you, bro. I just want to listen to a song quietly. Can you please watch your mouth and stop spouting nonsense everywhere?

I admit that your songs and albums are indeed good, but your mouth has undoubtedly lowered your reputation!
A large group of fans who flocked to the concert because of Zhou Yi's "upholding of justice" were frowning deeply at the endless stream of negative news about arrogance and conceit.

Was Spike really this kind of person?
This was quite different from the sacred image they had originally imagined.

France, on the other hand, seemed to enjoy the drama, becoming the first country where most mainstream media outlets offered commentary favoring the I Ching.

The value of the century-old friendship between Britain and France needs no further explanation!

Only the long-time fans who have followed Zhou Yi all this way were so excited that their cheeks flushed, and they were typing faster than anyone else—

Correct!
That's it!

Spike, you're my god!

"I've wanted to say this for a long time: for the Beatles, for John Lennon, Paul was clearly the soul of the Beatles! But look at Paul now?!"

"Spike produced all the albums by himself, which is something the Beatles couldn't match. Besides, John Lennon didn't have any good works left before he died; he just benefited from dying young!"

"That's right. If John Lennon hadn't died, he would be criticized for being of low quality just like Paul!"

"Spike doesn't do drugs, doesn't drink, doesn't fight, doesn't race cars, and has no scandals involving illegitimate children! He's practically a good boy! Can the Beatles compare?"

"In terms of the album's significance, Spike's determination to pursue peace is no less than that of the Beatles!"

"Wrong. Spike is clearly stronger when it comes to speaking out for peace."

John Lennon protested America's war of aggression by stripping himself and his wife naked onto album covers and engaging in performance art, without any danger to his life.
"And Spike? He truly risked his life to uphold his ideals, putting himself in danger! The difference is obvious!"

Zhou Yi's past album concepts have become the key element in his fans' verbal battles. Without this core concept, vying for the GOAT would be impossible, but Zhou Yi doesn't lack it now.

Not only did he not lack anything, he even produced a golden statue!
Zhou Yi's only apparent weakness is that his total album sales are far behind the Beatles' decades of accumulated sales.

Of course, he also had a major weakness behind the scenes—the culture of the golden age of English-speaking cultures, symbolized by the Beatles.

"No matter how much we argue, the two successive hegemons of the Western world, Britain and the United States, will never admit that I am the GOAT."

Inside a Beverly Hills mansion in California, Zhou Yi, who was typing on his laptop, snapped his fingers, turned the laptop around, and pushed it in front of Qian Jiang: "Because this essentially represents the discourse power and defining power of English culture."

"So, you—uh? Maradona?"

Looking at the rough plan displayed on the screen, the image of the Argentinian man that first caught Qian Jiang's eye instantly made him understand which path Zhou Yi should take. Diego Armando Maradona, the Argentine football legend who officially announced his retirement on October 29, 1997.

In Qian Jiang's memory, his impression of Maradona far surpasses that of Pelé from a long time ago—in fact, it could be said that Maradona was the football king and GOAT recognized by his generation under the influence of propaganda, rather than the blurry image of Pelé.

Compared to Pelé, Maradona, who was dirty on the field and chaotic off the field, could be considered a complete scumbag, regardless of his football skills.

There's no need to dwell on the mess off the field; the fact that the "Hand of God" goal, a goal so blatantly rigged, was ultimately touted as a glorious feat, not only without shame but also as a widely recognized classic in the football world, is undoubtedly a trampling on the spirit of competitive sports.

Yet, this man still became a football legend.

"FIFA has never officially recognized Maradona as the King of Football or the GOAT. In this regard, they have always only considered Pelé as the best candidate. But this does not prevent football fans and audiences on all five continents from regarding Maradona as the new GOAT."

Seeing Qian Jiang intently watching the screen, Zhou Yi picked up his coffee and took a sip: "And the era when the Beatles were active is too distant for today's young people."

To put it bluntly, it's still the classic theory of removing doors and opening windows.

If you come out and say you want to surpass the Beatles (Pele), neither the official nor the public will accept you; they will find it hard to accept.

However, if one were to settle for simply becoming the next GOAT, standing shoulder to shoulder with the old masters, then given your exceptional individual abilities, the public would gradually feel that acknowledging you wouldn't be a loss over time.

This would force the authorities to acknowledge your GOAT status.

Maradona had his own publicity campaign, and so did he.

Moreover, the propaganda machine he controlled was far more powerful than Maradona's at that time.

Football requires 11 players and teammates, and music theoretically also needs helpers—yet Zhou Yi miraculously managed to do it all by himself, with no teammates' names appearing on the album's credits.

"Then you'd better pray that the rest of the Beatles don't end up like Pelé." Although it was meant as a concern, Qian Jiang's tone was full of excitement.

As an industry professional with a background in talent management, what could be more exhilarating than personally nurturing a GOAT?

No.

This means that his career has completely reached its peak.

"I do not mind."

Zhou Yi, who had just put down his coffee cup, raised an eyebrow: "If it's really like Pele, it'll give me some extra buzz."

As the only officially recognized GOAT by FIFA, Pelé takes his title of King of Football very seriously, and anyone who might threaten his honor is, to some extent, someone he doesn't have a good relationship with.

This includes Ronaldo, the legendary striker who, like Pelé, hails from Brazil.

The only one who can hold his own against Pelé in verbal sparring is Diego Maradona, who currently enjoys the unofficial GOAT status.

Previously, in the official GOAT selection of "Player of the Century," FIFA chose to award the official prize to Pelé, while Maradona won in the fan vote. The two therefore refused to share the stage.

Pelé called it "an insult to history," while Maradona called him "a puppet of bureaucracy."

The two even clashed in the media last year, with Maradona mocking Pelé as an official mascot who dared not have his own thoughts, while Pelé kicked the lame man's good leg and lashed out at Maradona for drug use and alcoholism.

"Even if we really do start tearing each other apart, the Beatles are just two old men left now, and they have tons of dirt on them. What can they possibly say about me?"

In a good mood, Zhou Yi even had the mind to joke: "They are also afraid that every word they say to me will turn into bullets that hit them."

"I don't think the two remaining old men are that concerned. The real concern is the Beatles' huge middle-aged and elderly fan base."

Qian Jiang shook his head: "If you keep breaking the record with your '25' album, it will soon threaten the Beatles' new millennium record."

In 2000, The Beatles' greatest hits album, *1*, was released. This album included 27 number-one singles from the band's career between 1962 and 1970 in the UK and the US. After its release, it topped the charts in 35 countries and has sold over 3100 million copies to date.

This album, "1", is also the fastest album to reach 3000 million copies sold in the 21st century.

"You've broken the records for the fastest 1000 million and 2000 million copies sold. Now the Beatles only have this record left for the fastest 3000 million copies sold."

Qian Jiang rubbed his hands together with great anticipation—

This album, "1," is a compilation of the Beatles' most condensed and essential number one singles since their formation.

"You have to thank the Beatles' copyright holders for releasing this compilation album in early 2000, so that your achievements in the new century can be compared."

"25" is not far from breaking 3000 million views.

"If you push yourself a few more times, give it a push, squeeze it out of its limits, and aim for the Beatles' record, I think a lot of young people would be willing to support you."

"Don't worry, I'm familiar with this."

Zhou Yi nodded.

This round of hedging is essentially a new generation's challenge to the old guard.

(End of this chapter)