America's Top Player

Chapter 171 West Coast Trip

After discussing the matter with Scooper over the phone, the other party did not show any interest.

Obviously, Netflix is more interested in a movie that includes many big IPs than a hip-hop reality show.

However, the other party did not directly refuse, and the two parties agreed to meet in Silicon Valley to discuss the details of the program.

"It just so happens that I have a charity performance in Los Angeles during this period." Leon stared at the ceiling, his mind full of Charlie's weird smile.

After the Didi incident broke out, the police disclosed details to the public like squeezing toothpaste.

Apart from vaguely alluding to certain artists, they did not discuss the specific list or details of the case.

As an important figure on Capitol Hill, it is impossible for Charlie not to notice Leon's problem in the whole incident.

However, he did not delve into it.

He even called through his secretary and asked Li Ang to participate in a benefit performance in Skid Row, a slum in Los Angeles.

Bringing warmth to the growing number of illegal immigrants in the area.

All signs indicate that there is a lot of trouble here.

Li Ang had no option of refusing and readily agreed.

For a moment, he felt that everything that happened from beginning to end was under Charlie's control.

The other party may have already guessed about his own revenge plan.

"Fxxk" The more Li Ang thought about it, the more terrifying it became.

A day later, Leon took Phil and a group of ten people to Los Angeles.

On the plane, Phil was reading the newspaper and muttering, "I haven't been to Skid Row for almost ten years. It's a great place."

"A good place?" Li Ang looked up and glanced at the other person.

The reason why Poor Street is called Poor Street is because it is poor, as the name suggests.

This neighborhood in downtown Los Angeles has the highest concentration of homeless people in the United States, filled with homeless people and illegal immigrants.

"Of course it's a good place." Phil grinned and said, "Where else in the United States can you buy a girl's service for $20? On Skid Row, that's the price ten years ago. Those busty Latinas will give you the best service for $20."

"And then you gave the money to the drug dealers, right?" Li Ang sneered. "It's a miracle you're still alive after all these years. None of those addicts are clean."

"Maybe I'm immune to those viruses?" Phil said proudly. "Speaking of which, those bitches have become more and more valuable over the years. The good old days of getting $20 are gone. Now they just stand in front of the camera and shake their butts for easy money."

"This is the downside of f*cking capitalism. Those rich bastards drive up the prices and even monopolize resources like this!"

Li Ang didn't hear a word of Lao Deng's trash talk, and his attention was always focused on the newspaper in the other person's hand.

It was a Los Angeles Times, and prominently featured was a scene of a group of veterans marching on Skid Row.

Leon began to understand why Charlie needed this Los Angeles tour.

Most of these veterans have been to the battlefield and suffer from PTSD.

The reason for homelessness is surprisingly consistent - bankruptcy due to divorce.

Today, the narrow streets are crowded with thousands of homeless veterans, who often clash with illegal immigrants over a place to pitch their tents.

During the parade, the veterans naturally directed their anger at the Donkey Party.

They blame their relaxed immigration policy for all this, even causing people to wander the streets.

California is a deep blue state, and there has been a saying circulating in online communities: "If California turns red, the Democratic Party can be disbanded on the spot."

At times like this, the white left needs a rally more to stabilize the situation in Skid Row and allow illegal immigrants to overwhelm the veterans in terms of momentum.

Phil noticed where Leon was looking, shook the newspaper, and sneered, "This country has forgotten its heroes. While those rich bastards are driving luxury cars and hugging blonde Barbie dolls, they've forgotten that it was the poor kids from the Rust Belt who bleed to get all this!"

"It has become completely devoid of honor! Ridiculous and depraved!"

Facing Lao Deng's cynical remarks, Li Ang tilted his head and quipped, "If the media doesn't report it, isn't it the same as if it didn't happen?"

"Hasn't that what they've been doing?" Phil said. "You know that fag David Geffen? He's been trying to buy the Los Angeles Times!"

Li Ang had heard about the acquisition of the Los Angeles Times a long time ago.

Geffen dominated the record industry in the 1970s and 1980s, getting whatever he wanted.

Later, he founded DreamWorks Pictures with Spielberg and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

With his superb business acumen, Geffen has become one of the richest people in the entire entertainment industry, and you can even remove the word "one".

He had long coveted the Los Angeles Times, the leading West Coast news media outlet, and in order to acquire the media, he offered an unprecedented price of $20 billion.

Geffen's motives are clear. He is an awakened person and the super-rich financial backer behind the Donald Trump Party.

There have been rumors that Geffen is behind the awakening movement currently breaking out across the United States.

Therefore, he is eager to control more voice channels.

While the two were chatting, the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport.

The Skid Row benefit concert will be held at noon tomorrow. Invited by Kendrick and 50 Cent, Leon will go to Trauma Records as his first stop.

It is mainly to formulate the promotion plan for "Billy" in the second half of the year.

This was the first time they had met since the Didi incident broke out.

50 Cent called more than once to ask what exactly happened at the white party before Dee Dee was arrested.

But Li Ang always evaded the issue by saying "I know nothing".

The meeting place is in the Trauma Music President’s office.

As soon as Li Ang walked in, he felt that the atmosphere was a little strange. 50 Cent and Kendrick were usually very enthusiastic when they saw him.

Now he just stood up and greeted him stiffly.

"Fuck, why do you look so serious?" Li Ang sat down on the sofa and asked the female secretary for a cup of coffee. "You look like you've been cuckolded."

Kendrick pointed to a door nearby and whispered, "The boss is in the room."

"Dre?"

"Yes, the boss said he wanted to talk to you."

Li Ang frowned. He and De Rui did not have a good relationship.

Although the two companies have cooperated, they have also made a lot of money through cooperation.

But De Rui has always been dissatisfied with Li Ang's action of provoking the "Second Gang War".

He accused the other party of hyping up the music for personal gain and destroying the rap market structure that has been formed since the millennium.

While waiting for De Rui, Li Ang walked around the office.

Looking at the artworks in the office that were bought from auctions around the world, I secretly admired, "This guy is really rich."

The record industry compared Dre to Britain during World War II, who didn't have to fight for their lives on the battlefield, but made every choice right.

Finally got one of the three seats in Yalta.

Dre left NWA and founded Death Row Records with Suge Knight.

Later, when the conflict between Sugar and Diddy became more acute, he quit Death Row Records and founded Trauma Music.

Not only did he survive the East and West Coast Gang Wars in the 90s, but he also took over the legacy of West Coast gangster rap and created his own kingdom.

Just as Leon was staring at a painting by Cézanne and secretly feeling itchy, De Rui walked out of the darkroom.

He was wearing a decent suit and there was no trace of street style from head to toe.

"Sorry, I didn't expect you to come so early. I always have the habit of taking a nap."

"I understand. I have this habit too." Li Ang spread his hands in response.

"Do you like Cézanne's paintings too?" De Rui stood side by side with Leon, staring at the paintings on the wall and talking about his understanding of Post-Impressionist paintings.

As a black man, he tried hard to act like an old-fashioned white capitalist on Wall Street.

His awkward look makes people laugh.

Until Li Ang reminded me: "I don't know anything about Post-Impressionism."

"Oh I thought you liked this painting."

"Yes, because it looks valuable."

50 Cent and Kendrick laughed out loud, "No one knows how this thing is worth $1000 million."

The awkward atmosphere eased and the two sat down on the sofa.

Dre poured Leon a glass of whiskey and said, "Congratulations on signing with Columbia Records. I've known Stringer for a long time. He's a good guy."

"I haven't officially signed the contract yet. I'm still with JAY-Z." Li Ang didn't intend to hide it.

Since Didi was arrested, this matter has lost its value in being covered up.

Now the rumor that Li Ang has signed with Columbia Records is known to everyone in the circle.

"It seems like JAY-Z suffered a big loss this time." Dre smiled playfully.

"I'm just a new artist who released one album. It's not a big loss for JAY-Z." Li Ang took the wine glass and took a sip. "He also has Rihanna. That girl is the real money-making machine."

Seeing Leon pretending to be cool without changing his expression, Kendrick looked at him with contempt.

It's a fact that he only released one album, but it's also a fact that he turned the rap world upside down.

Besides, everyone in the circle knows that Li Ang is good at making money and has made money in every field he touches.

Strength is the prerequisite for respect, and no one will treat Li Ang as a newcomer who has only been in the industry for a year.

"That's not all Jay-Z lost. He also lost Diddy," Dre rolled his eyes. "Losing Diddy is like losing an arm for him."

Li Ang took over the conversation, sighed, and said, "I feel sorry for this matter. Although there are some unpleasantness between him and me, this is not the result I want to see. What I want to see is that we all make money together."

Hearing this, De Rui did not respond but just sneered.

Ten seconds later, he suddenly said, "Maybe you should stop, Bro. Everyone knows what you've done."

"what?"

Those few words were like a bomb in Li Ang's head. He was the only one in the world who knew about his plot against Didi.

Even Henry and Didi, the people involved, didn't understand what was going on.

Charlie may have some suspicions, but they are just suspicions. He can't find any evidence that Leon planned all this.

Li Ang's expression didn't change at all. He said in a deep voice, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Dre waved his hand. "We are close friends, so we should be honest with each other. Everyone knows that crazy woman Casey leaked the information at your instigation. You will offend many people because of this."

Li Ang breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he fully understand the other party's intentions.

Casey revealed the guest list of Didi's party one after another, much more efficiently than the police.

The lewd and obscene details in the film shocked the public greatly. They couldn't believe that their idol was so ugly in private.

This caused Li Ang to offend many people in the circle, but it also brought huge economic benefits to Lion's Nest Media.

The number of on-demand views of "Rap on the Ground" has skyrocketed, and it is now the number one hip-hop music program in the United States.

Spotify has already extended an olive branch to it, willing to buy out the broadcasting rights of its programs for $800 million a year, and YouTube is also actively participating in this competition.

Li Ang lowered his head and played with the wine glass with his fingers.

The reason why Dre was so nervous about this matter was that he was obviously involved in it.

He is currently in talks with Apple about acquiring Beats headphones, so he is committed to building an image of a successful businessman.

If you encounter a sex scandal at this time, the economic losses may be calculated in billions.

"Listen Bro, all the media under my control will not talk about any rumors about you. I can guarantee that." Leon did not intend to offend De Rui. Doing so would not benefit him at all.

"Very good." Dre's frown finally relaxed, and he raised his glass and drank it all. "Cheers to our great friendship."

Before he could feel happy for a few seconds, Li Ang poured a bucket of cold water on him, "But I can't guarantee that there won't be problems with other channels. We're just a small media company, you know."

The astute De Rui understood immediately that apart from Li Ang, the only ones capable of leaking the information were the police.

He is one of the Donald Trump Party's financial backers in California and is very confident in his political resources.

He immediately patted his chest and said, "As long as nothing goes wrong on your end, it's fine, Bro."

After the sensitive topic was over, the atmosphere suddenly became cheerful.

50 Cent praised Li Ang's achievements in various ways, and whenever he thought of Didi's name, the nine bullet holes in his body would ache.

No one was more excited than Dee Dee about his arrest.

"I have good news to share with you." Seeing that the time was ripe, Li Ang prepared to bring up the matter of the hip-hop talent show.

For a talent show to be successful, in addition to having contestants who can tell stories, a luxurious lineup of mentors is also indispensable.

"The Voice of America" invited top stars such as Christina Aguilera and Adam Levy to serve as mentors, and the remuneration alone amounted to tens of millions of US dollars.

There are only so many first-line stars in the rap circle, and those who are on good terms with Diddy, such as Lil Wayne, Pitbull, Usher, etc., have all been offended by Li Ang.

If you want to get access to big-name mentor resources, looking to the West Coast is your best option.

"Bro~ Tell me what the good news is. Have you written a new song?" Before Dre could respond, 50 Cent couldn't sit still anymore.

"I want to produce a hip-hop talent show." Li Ang said straight to the point.

"WTF" Dre took a deep drag on his cigarette. In his opinion, this was a really bad idea.

He looked worried as the two sides had just reached an important agreement.

If you offer him to invest in this terrible show now, it would be hard to refuse.

But Li Ang's next words made him feel relieved.

“This show is still in the conceptual stage, but I am very confident that it can become a reality.”

"This couldn't be possible without your help, guys! Think about it, if you could serve as mentors and guide those kids from the slums onto the right track, that would be more meaningful than making any money!"

Li Ang stared at 50 Cent with a fiery gaze. "This is the mission and meaning of existence as a rapper. We should never forget where we come from."

"We're from the streets!" 50 Cent and Kendrick shouted in unison.

"Yes! We come from the streets!" Li Ang smiled. "I never thought about how much money this show could make, but I wanted to do something for the kids on the streets."

De Rui looked bewildered after hearing this. As smart as he was, he couldn't tell whether these were true or false.

From a businessman's perspective, he is very reluctant to do things for such foolish motives as charity.

In the past, when Leon acquired "Vibe" and filmed "Straight Outta Compton", the slogans he shouted were all for the black community.

And these projects were not favored from the beginning.

But Li Ang made huge profits from these projects and gained both fame and fortune.

"Bro! You have to leave this opportunity for me!" 50 Cent's eyes lit up. "I'm willing to join for the lowest possible salary, a friendship price you can't even imagine."

As he spoke, he turned his gaze to his older brother, Dre, with eyes full of expectation.

Things have come to this point and De Rui can no longer say anything more.

I had just received the other party's promise of "not revealing the secret", and now it was time to repay the debt.

He deeply saw Li Ang's method of "collecting debts overnight".

"Okay, guys, this sounds like a great career." De Rui spread his hands.

"Does this mean you've made the final decision?" Li Ang asked.

"Of course, even if you ask me to be the guest, I won't refuse." Dre said with a smile: "We are Fan Mu Lei."

Are you tired of eating?
Li Ang felt a chill when he heard this word. Last month, he was still thinking about how to kill himself in Fanmulei on the East Coast.

At this point, the two parties reached a verbal agreement.

If this hip-hop show can be officially approved, 50 Cent will join at a floor price of US$20 per episode.

Since the shooting period is very long, this quote is already quite cost-effective.

And Dre promised that he would participate in the recording of at least one episode of the show as a flying guest.

With the addition of this West Coast legend, the success of this show is further guaranteed.

At nine o'clock the next morning, Leon knocked on Phil's hotel room door on time.

"Hurry up, bastards, we have to arrive early!" Li Ang urged while staring at his watch.

Twenty seconds later, Phil's door opened.

A group of coolly dressed girls, about seven people, jumped out of the room all at once.

Seeing this scene, Li Ang couldn't hide his shock. How could an old man in his sixties maintain such abundant energy?

"Fuck, stop looking at me like that," Phil said as he pulled up his pants. "Los Angeles is really economical and affordable."

An hour later, three business cars from Li Ang's team drove into the poor streets of downtown Los Angeles.

As soon as we entered here, we encountered a veterans parade.

They held high banners with various slogans and attacked the illegal immigrants' rally in an excited manner.

The leading veteran looked to be over 70 years old.

He wore a 60s Vietnam War-era uniform and stood on a park bench, waving the American flag and shouting:
"Men created the railroads. Men created the factories. Men created the buildings!"

"Man Creates the Fxxking Atomic Bomb!"

"Look what we got! Our wives get to live with this gigolo in the house we paid for!"

"And we can only sleep on the streets, hanging out with these dirty illegal immigrants, like stray dogs with no dignity!"

"I really want to burn this garbage pile with a flamethrower!"

In the business car, Phil watched and laughed, "This group of people has gotten out of control. I want to see how those idiots in the municipal government will deal with it."

"Handle it?" Li Ang sneered. The municipal government can only make empty promises.

The plight of veterans has been a subject of debate for decades in America, where heroes are prized.

Successive governments have vowed to address the problem, pledging millions of dollars in aid, including for housing.

However, despite the fact that about 2,500 veterans found housing in the Los Angeles area last year.

According to new statistics released in May, the homeless population in the Los Angeles area surged 23% last year, totaling nearly people.

About 60 of them are veterans, the highest number of homeless veterans of any city in the United States and an increase of nearly % from the previous year.

This result is not surprising. Compared with the large number of awakened people and illegal immigrants, veterans are obviously no longer the core group that is valued.

After Li Ang took the main stage, the emotions of the veterans in the parade were not under control.

While engaging in a verbal battle with the phalanx of illegal immigrants and awakened people, they shouted towards the stage:

"Get this idiot with the microphone off the stage!"

"Fuck! We don't want to listen to any damn pop music, we need a place to stay and a damn hot shower!"

Li Ang ignored the verbal attacks and just wanted to finish singing according to the established process and run away quickly.

Although he showed agility on stage, he was still hit by drink bottles thrown by the crowd from time to time.

And you also have to be on guard against bras thrown at you by awakened people from time to time.

The two large phalanxes were in chaos, attacking and cursing each other, creating an absurd spectacle.

This performance of "Hou Lixie" was more tiring for Li Ang than any other time. Moving around on the stage almost exhausted his physical strength.

He said to the team behind him: "Let's get out of this damn place!"

Just as the group was about to get into the business car and leave this dangerous place, a gloomy voice called Li Ang from behind.

"Thank you for your hard work today, Mr. Li Ang. I'm sorry we didn't maintain order at the scene." The speaker was Charlie's female secretary, who was also the person in charge of the rally.

"It's okay. This is my duty as a singer and a taxpayer," Li Ang said perfunctorily.
"Great! I knew you'd say that. Mr. Charlie always says you're a true patriot." The secretary smiled and said, "We've decided to invite you to more rallies like this in the future so you can bring hope and strength to more people."

Li Ang suppressed the urge to curse and got into the business car and drove away.

(End of this chapter)