America's Top Player

Chapter 32 Personal Label
Li Ang shook his head repeatedly. It was impossible to let those rappers tamper with the exquisite lyrics that were inspired by the new music.

He doesn't think the lyrics written by young rappers who are obsessed with butts and violence are nutritious.

In the rap part of "sucker for pain", the line "no pain no gain" is better than even the crude lyrics of Four Kilograms.

"I will tell my friends about your idea, but I don't know if anyone can accept it." Big Dog said helplessly.

Rappers are different from pop singers. It is normal for pop singers to occasionally perform songs written by others, but this kind of plagiarism is despised in rap culture.

Li Ang didn't hold much hope for what Big Dog said, as all the rappers in this company were very arrogant.

Not to mention big names like DJ Khaled, even young Nico is unlikely to sing other people's works directly.

The recording was put on hold. On the way back, Phil tentatively asked, "What do you think of Cardi B? This girl is going crazy trying to become famous. She will definitely not refuse your proposal."

Li Ang felt both angry and amused when he heard this. Regardless of whether it was appropriate to let a female rapper perform this song, he could tell at a glance what Phil was planning.

His schedule has been very tight during this period, so he often appears in Phil's office to discuss commercial performance plans with him.

Cardi B saw these scenes and was worried.

She really wants to be famous!
After being PUAed by Phil again and again, her emotions finally exploded. When Phil asked her to sign in, she took out a pair of scissors.
Phil was so scared that he almost peed a few drops of urine. In this situation, he had no choice but to officially start recording Cardi's first album.

But once the album production begins, it means one thing - burning money.

Although Phil has some confidence in Cardi B's future market performance, Leon has now entered the Billboard T0P50, and it would be a waste not to take advantage of this kind of fame.

In fact, Li Ang had an excellent candidate in mind. Although they had only met once, they had a very good impression of each other, and they also had a common friend.

There is no need to elaborate on Kendrick Lamar's rap skills. His live performances in New York livehouses have been sold out recently, and the album carefully produced for him by the West Coast Godfather Dre will be released soon.

If the two of them could work together, the topic between the East and West Coasts alone would be maximized.

The problem is that Kendrick Lamar, as the most orthodox gangsta rap inheritor, comes from Compton, the birthplace of gangsta rap.

Can he accept to perform a work written by someone else?

Li Ang just picked up his phone to call Kendrick, but then thought better of it.

The chances of success are slim if you bring this up rashly, and if you are rejected once, it will be difficult to get a second chance.

Suddenly he thought of Margot Robbie again.

"Would it be better to let this girl act as a middleman?"

Li Ang recalled the MV of "sucker for pain" that he saw when his inspiration was refreshed. The protagonist in the MV happened to be Robbie, who was wearing rebellious makeup, had twin ponytails and was holding a baseball bat.

If I were to shoot my own MV in the future, Robbie would still be the best choice!

He believed that as long as he made this suggestion, Robbie would definitely not refuse, so he could just take Kendrick away as a gift!
After thinking about it for a while, Li Ang almost laughed out loud. This was really a great plan.

But the only question is where will the money come from?
Although Robbie is not a big name in Hollywood, her value has skyrocketed since the news of her filming "The Wolf of Wall Street" with Leonardo DiCaprio spread in the circle. Even if Robbie is willing to make a guest appearance in Li Ang's music video, her management team will not agree.

After weighing the pros and cons, Leon decided to report the matter to Lenny before making a decision. Otherwise, with less than six-figure assets in his pocket, a three to five-minute MV might bankrupt him.

In Phil's office, Cardi B is using the simplest recording equipment to record a demo.

He had nothing but an old laptop, a dusty mixing rig, and a microphone—not much better than some street performers' gear.

But even so, the girl still looked excited, with lasers in her eyes, as if the chance to become famous was right before her eyes.

Li Ang couldn't help but curse: "You bastard, you took so many kickbacks from me, buying some professional recording equipment shouldn't be a problem."

Phil coughed awkwardly, feeling exposed. "You have no idea how expensive those recording devices are. I can't even afford the headphones you use at Roc."

Li Ang spread his hands helplessly. Records recorded in such an environment would only be a pile of shoddy garbage, and no one would be willing to pay for garbage.

It's just a pity for Cardi B, this uncut gem. Li Ang always felt that this girl's vulgar and unscrupulous music style would definitely be a big hit in the market.

Phil sighed helplessly: "Shxt, I have already recommended this girl Cardi to T-RAY's Black Panther Records, and she is only one step away from signing."

"You know what happened later. I'm afraid it would be difficult to sign a contract at this time."

Is this a bit difficult?

Leon rolled his eyes at Phil and sneered, "Hmph!" If he dared to go to Chester Street to talk about signing the contract at this time, he would probably be stabbed in the ass by George with a double-barreled shotgun.

Phil went on to say, "I also recommended Kadi to Lenny from Roc, but they thought she wasn't quite right. As you know, she was rejected."

"Now she can only release her first album as an independent musician~"

Li Ang was so angry that he almost cursed out loud. Is this something an agent could say?
In order to protect his own wallet, Lao Deng has already cut the production costs to this extent. If he releases records as an independent musician, he probably won’t be able to sell a single record!

There is no MV shooting team or post-production team, and the most fatal thing is that the important link of publicity and promotion is missing.
The biggest difference between large companies and small workshops is not the equipment and environment, but the fact that the publicity and promotion resources of both parties are not at the same level!
In a market where capital is king, even the best works will be forgotten if you don’t pay for media hype.

At this moment, Phil suddenly showed a sinister smile, and it was unknown what he was thinking. "I am already over 50 years old and I don't have the passion to toss anymore. But you are different, Li Ang. You are so young and you are on the right path."

"Your talent is undoubtedly top-notch, and you may become a superstar like JAY-Z in the future."

Faced with these meaningless PUAs, Li Ang raised his eyebrows, wondering what tricks Lao Deng would play next.

"what do you want to say in the end?"

"I'm just reminding you that if you want to be a true superstar, you need to plan ahead for your future."

Phil slowly stood up, walked to his desk and poured himself a glass of Jack Daniels. "Why don't you start your own label while you're still going strong?"

"A label that belongs to Street Coconut, Leon Smith, and Phil Bryan!"

(End of this chapter)