America's Top Player

Chapter 42 New Vision Records

As soon as Li Ang and his party got off the car, they saw the Anheuser-Busch InBev logos scattered throughout Benjamin Franklin Park.

Before JAY-Z took over the Made in America Festival, its influence was completely different from what it is now. It was just a carnival party launched by Budweiser to promote its own beer.

The invited guests are often heavy metal bands and laboratory-style bands.

The homeless people on the streets of Philadelphia have no habit of buying tickets at all. They usually rush into the venue in groups, clear out all the beer in the merchandise cabinets, and get drunk to the deafening shouts of death rock.

After JAY-Z took over, the Made in America Music Festival quickly became one of the top ten music festivals in the United States, and many singers were even willing to perform for free in order to promote their new songs.

"Fuck, this is the City of Brotherly Love? I'm so surprised."

The park was full of homeless people, like a doomsday scene in a zombie apocalypse. Leon was so shocked that he didn't know what to say.

The homeless people here are not just numerous, they also sit together around the giant "LOVE" sculpture created by the famous pop artist Robert Indiana.

Many homeless men with gray beards hugged each other like lovers and did some unspeakable things openly.

Phil explained: "This is why I hate Philadelphia. It was the first city to admit Nantong couples. Those people here enjoy many benefits, so a large number of Nantong people moved to Philadelphia."

Li Ang had a frown on his face. Having lived in Brownsville, he had already been mentally prepared for this place, but what he saw in Philadelphia still made him physically uncomfortable.

There is a very confusing thing in the United States. The more areas hold high the banner of "freedom", the worse the public security is, while the more conservative the people are, the better the public security is.

Philadelphia is the best example. This great city, known as the "birthplace of the Constitution," is now kidnapped by "freedom."

Freedom can sometimes become a kind of shackles.

Under the guidance of the organizer's staff, Li Ang entered the temporary waiting lounge for singers.

Because they were members of the ROC Kingdom, the staff treated Leon and his group with extra respect. No matter how foul-mouthed Phil was along the way, they always maintained an awkward but polite smile.

"Shxt! You know what I just saw?! I saw a homeless person defecating around here!"

"I don't know what the security here is for. If I were ten years younger, I would kick his ass with my leather shoe!"

Phil's mouth was like a spell machine gun, spewing out magic all the way.

When asked why all the staff here were black girls, Leon quickly covered Phil's mouth.

Although he agreed with most of Phil's remarks, such politically incorrect remarks were not allowed in America, especially in Philadelphia.

In the waiting dressing room, many singers are already trying on makeup for tomorrow's performance.

The moment Leon appeared, they all looked at him. The curses uttered by the two men just now were really too loud.

He smiled and waved to the other singers, then walked towards the dressing table with his name on it and whispered to Phil, "Fxxk, I don't know anyone here."

"The first day's performance is just an appetizer. JAY-Z is a shrewd businessman and of course he understands that the big stars have to make the final appearance." Phil casually took out a cigarette.

The Made in America Music Festival lasts for two days, and most of the audience buys two-day packages.

If Kesha had appeared on the first day, the number of viewers on the second day would have dropped significantly.

In order to light a cigarette, Phil just puffed away in the public bathroom as if no one was around.

"Cough cough." A tall white young man frowned and coughed continuously.

"You idiot, don't you know what manners are?!" A middle-aged woman in a red suit next to the white young man immediately shouted.

Phil held a cigarette in his mouth and adjusted his belt. The woman in front of him was obviously looking for trouble.

There weren't any no-smoking signs here, and even established celebrities were known to be taking drugs without anyone stopping them. He was about to launch a series of criticisms when he realized the woman in red looked surprisingly familiar.

After confirming again and again, he said in a deep voice: "Gray, it turns out to be you, bitch."

"Phil?" Gray, the woman in red, was surprised at first, then sneered, "Damn loser! I thought you were done for. Why are you still here?"

Phil shrugged. "Nothing can defeat me. We'll see, you vixen bitch."

After saying that, he turned around and talked to Li Ang about the woman's identity.

Gray is a professional manager who has risen rapidly in the record industry in recent years. She once worked for Epic Records and is to some extent Phil's subordinate.

Today, she is the vice president of New Horizon Records in North America and also serves as the head of the artist management department.

This company has been growing rapidly in recent years. It is a label under Universal Music, which is known as the "aircraft carrier of the record industry."

Backed by a giant like Universal Music, New Horizon Records has signed many new artists with outstanding performances and has become a force that cannot be ignored in the North American music scene.

Gray was also one of the initiators of the impeachment of Phil from the position of general manager of Epic Records.

She is a typical American female career elite who can sell her body, family, soul and anything else in order to get to the top.

Seeing that her warning had no effect, Gray stepped straight up to Leon in her 18cm high heels and asked, "Did you sign Phil?"

"I must warn you, this industry is very complex... the survival of the fittest is astonishingly fast."

Li Ang looked at the fierce woman in front of him as if she were an idiot.

What a arrogant tone! Who does this woman think she is?

Universal or Warner's boss?

The staff rushed over to prevent the situation from escalating. "We are very sorry, Miss Grey. We will talk to Mr. Leon."

"Talk?! Get them out right now!" Gray turned to look at the tall man in front of the dressing table. "Dan has always been very self-disciplined. The smell of cigarettes will make him feel sick, which might affect the performance of the entire Imagine Dragons band!"

Gray was very aggressive until the staff said that Leon belonged to the ROC Kingdom. Then she became silent as if struck by lightning.

Her status as a record company executive, who she thought was superior, instantly became insignificant in front of the ROC kingdom, not to mention that JAY-Z was the co-founder of the American music festival.

In order to allow her promising newcomers to perform on this stage, Grey even accompanied the executives of Anheuser-Busch InBev Group to have a group sex.

Phil said proudly, "The young man standing before you is the most talented new-generation singer in New York, Leon Smith, the street-savvy Coconut."

"By the way, he was signed by JAY-Z himself."

Grey, who lost face in front of her own singer, blushed instantly and was about to explode again under Phil's repeated provocations.

At this moment, a sweet voice like the sound of nature rang out.

"Please stop this stupid quarrel immediately. The rehearsal is about to begin."

"This is my first time performing at such a major festival and I don't want to mess it up."

Li Ang looked over and saw a girl with a high golden ponytail sitting in front of the dressing table, blinking her big innocent eyes.

She has a petite figure and delicate facial features. Although her skin is a little dark, there is not a trace of black features on her face. She is so tender that it seems like water can be squeezed out of her.

The name tag on the dressing table read her name: Ariana Grande.

(End of this chapter)