American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 88 The World War Finally Begins

The dark night sky was dotted with stars.

The stage, adorned with dazzling neon lights, is ablaze with activity.

Wearing a baseball cap and loose clothing, Eminem casually strolled around the stage, interacting enthusiastically with fans below. When fans expressed their desire for him to do an impromptu rap, the young man, who had just turned 30, touched the brim of his cap and laughed, saying, "Impromptu? Sure! It's just a rehearsal today! But, you have to tell me what you want to hear?"

"Anything you sing is fine!!!"

Yes! Eminem!! We love you!!!

"Give me a little something—Come on—You can criticize anyone—"

The thunderous cheers brought a smile to Eminem's face.

He gave an "Okay" sign to the fans below the stage.

Then, he asked his band to play some music for him.

The next second, a deep bass note suddenly appeared, accompanied by short drumbeats.

He then began to pace back and forth on the stage.

About ten seconds passed?

As if he had a sudden inspiration, he raised the microphone and coughed twice.

"Yo! Check the mic!"

(Hey! Microphone test!)
The moment the sarcastic tone was uttered, the audience held their breath.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, Eminem started blasting the microphone—

"Isabella droppin' discs with a diamond price tag!"

(Isabella releases a record, priced as high as diamonds)

"Claims she'loves the fans' while she's countin' cash stacks!"

(While saying he 'pampers his fans,' he's actually 'counting piles of money.')
"Cash queen wearin' crowns of pure hypocrisy!"

(This is a 'money-grabbing queen' wearing a 'false crown' on her head.)
"Sellin' dreams in plastic wraps—that's her damn pathology!"

(Selling dreams in plastic packaging—that's her true nature!)

"..."

The unprecedented words plunged the rehearsal venue into silence!
However, they quickly realized what was happening and started celebrating again!
"Wowwww——"

On stage, Eminem continued singing—

"No MV shots? Just lazy studio lies?"

(Not making music videos? Is that considered being dedicated?)
"Fakin' artistry while the no-effort train flies!"

(The perfunctory train roars by, and the art has already been stolen!)
"Pay full price for a blank-screen robbery?"

Paying for a blank screen? That's robbery!
“Man, this industry’s clownin’–what a tragedy!”

(Dude! The whole industry is playing dumb! How pathetic!)
"Oh——Oh——Oh——"

As soon as Verse 2 came out, a cacophony of howls and screams erupted from the crowd below the stage.

Since today is a rehearsal, none of the participants have glow sticks.

But this is not important.

Their raised hands and waving arms already demonstrated their excitement.

Eminem forcefully turned his hat brim back, raised his right hand, and held up his index finger—

"Queen of Scam! Takin' dollars on repeat!"

(Queen of Scams! Never Stop Harvesting Fans!)

"Fraudulent diva with stolen tracks on beat!"

(A fake diva! Stealing melodies to create rhythm!)

"If you buy her half-baked trash—you're a fool's brigade!"

(If you buy her half-cooked garbage—then you're part of the idiot gang!)

"Time to kick this hack out the damn parade!"

(It's time to kick this scoundrel out of the bustling music industry!)
Wow~Wow~~Wow~~~

Wow~Wow~~Wow~~~

Wow~Wow~~Wow~~~

During the pause in Eminem, it was as if an impromptu dance from an African tribe suddenly appeared!
The crowd below the dazzling stage began to dance wildly!
The cheers of approval brought a smile to Eminem's face on stage, and he perked up!
Take off the hat and throw it forcefully—

He roared and sang loudly—

"Repackaged covers stuffed in your 'premium' case!"

(The 'high-end' record cases are filled with covers of old songs!)
“Zero soul, all greed–disgrace to the human race!”

(Soulless, driven only by greed, humanity's shame lies in the howling of dogs!)
"Her label's scam machine grinds honest hearts to dust!"

(Her records are a fraud machine, gnawing away at the faith of her fans!)

"RETIRE NOW, before your rep turns to rust!"

(Leave the industry as soon as possible, before your reputation is completely ruined!)

With his final shout, Eminem forcefully opened his arms.

It seemed like he was embracing his fans, but it also felt more like he was welcoming their cheers.

The emperor's blessing gesture sent screams through the crowd once again.

The screams continued for a while; it's unclear whether someone started it or if everyone was on the same wavelength. In any case, once 'Slim Shady' rang out from the crowd, the music festival rehearsal venue instantly transformed into a pilgrimage site for countless fans.

"Slim Shady! Slim Shady!! Slim Shady!!!"

"Slim Shady—Slim Shady—Slim Shady—"

"Slim Shady!!! Slim Shady!!!! Slim Shady!!!!"

"..."

The two-minute video finished playing quickly.

As the screen paused, the CBS studio appeared before millions of viewers.

CBS is currently airing its morning news program.

Tell the news in a talk show style.

The bespectacled host smiled at the guests beside him and said, "Okay, this is the scene from yesterday's rehearsal at the Lora Palo Alto Music Festival. Eminem's appearance brought endless surprises to the fans in attendance, and also brought us too many unexpected events, because we really didn't expect that after Mariah Carey, the next person attacked by Eminem would be our Miss Beaver, Hermione Granger, or rather, Isabella Haywood."

"Oh—this is indeed surprising, but it's also quite normal, isn't it?"

Today's guest is a white man in his forties. After listening to the host's words, he immediately shrugged.

“That’s just how Amu is, to be honest, I’m used to it.”

"Since he became famous, I've lost count of how many people he's attacked."

The guest shrugged.

“Yeah~ I think you make a good point~” The host nodded repeatedly and replied with a smile, “Since his behavior is normal, let’s talk about something else? What do you think of Eminem’s impromptu performance?”

“Uh—improvised creations are bound to have shortcomings—” The guest hesitated for a second before saying, “But that’s not important, because word choice and sentence structure can be polished over time.”

"So what do you think is important?" the host continued to ask.

"I think the most important thing is the content."

At this point, the guest's smile widened even further.

"Because Eminem's lyrics this time are very sharp. He said Isabella is a money-grabbing queen? Because her albums are expensive? He said Isabella wears a false crown? Because her albums don't even have music videos? He also said Isabella has no sincerity? All her works are frauds? Because her albums have a lot of covers?"

"Wow~Wow~Wow~ I won't comment on whether his lyrics are true or not. I just want to say that people who like this song will really like it, and people who don't like it will really hate it. So..."

"Oh, can I take your words as meaning that you think Eminem is going to stir up a storm in the entertainment industry again?"

The host understood what the guest meant and burst into laughter.

"Of course! I even imagine what's coming next will be a scene of rivers of blood!"

The guest nodded vigorously, seemingly enjoying the spectacle, and said with a smile, "And the bloodshed happens on the internet, because the internet has made communication between people zero distance!"

The guest on the CBS show was right.

When the live recording of Eminem's "improvisation" of "Isabella I" was obtained and disseminated by some unknown media outlet, the vast English-language internet, and indeed the global internet, was left with only one voice!

That's Eminem's voice!

The reason is simple—

The two people involved in this incident are incredibly popular right now!

Isabella's popularity needs no further explanation; it's something that even the capital market recognizes.

Eminem's popularity needs no further explanation; there are very few people in the entertainment industry who have been named by the U.S. Congress.

So, a currently popular star is shooting at another currently popular star?

An undisguised attack is bound to make headlines!
then……

Eminem's fans were the first to erupt in celebration—

"Oh! Oh!! Oh!!! Slim Shady's talent is amazing!!!! This impromptu piece is so good!"

"OMG! Slim Shady is doing improvisation at the rehearsal in Lola Palo Cha? The guys there are so lucky!"

"Oh my god, why didn't I go to Indianapolis?!"

"Dxxn! Eminem's new song is so catchy! Especially that line 'disgrace to the human race,' oh my god—I love that angry roar so much, Man!"

Again.

Since the whole world knows that Eminem likes to insult people, when he has another outburst, the public will not be surprised by his behavior. Since the public is not surprised, why would his fans care about anything else?

Right?

Enjoy the song!
Listen carefully to the melody!
That's exactly what Eminem's fans want to do!
However, just because Eminem's fans can like him without restraint doesn't mean others can calmly accept it.

Isabella's fans were furious after watching Eminem's impromptu performance.

To Beaver fans, Eminem is practically a lunatic.

"Hey! Hey!! Hey!!! Is Eminem out of his mind? The fans asked him to do something impromptu, and he's turning his guns on Isha? Our Isha has never even had any contact with him, has she?"

“Yeah! Our Isha has never played hip-hop! Nor rap! So what does Eminem mean by calling Isha a money-grabbing queen? Oh! Sxxt! I think he's the one spewing nonsense!”

"M-Fxxk! This guy, born of a father but raised without one, is trying to grab attention again since he's almost forgotten, right? What utter garbage is this impromptu stuff! He can't beat Maria in a battle, so he moves on to dissing someone else, huh? Oh—this guy really is a clown—"

"Why doesn't this guy who spews filth and spreads rumors every day just die?"

"Exactly! Is your hip-hop scene completely rotten? Why are you always coming to other scenes to find attention?"

To be honest, when they were speaking, Beaver fans actually had very simple ideas.

At that moment, their feelings were the same as those of the supporters of the guys who had been attacked by Eminem before: they felt that this idiot's behavior was inexplicable and disgusting.

Then, just like their predecessors, they fought back forcefully.

However, as soon as a counterattack occurs, the one who was attacked will cry out in pain. And when Eminem's fans discovered that Isabella's fans couldn't accept their idol's art, the voices of rebuttal naturally emerged.

"Oh my god—you're saying our Slim Shady is spewing filth? Good heavens! You bunch of idiots! Emperor Am has already made things so clear, and you're still defending that hypocritical Miss Beaver?"

"That's right! Isabella Heywood is a hypocrite! Her singles sell for more than other people's albums! Her songs don't even have music videos! The existence of people like her is the root of the decline of the record industry! And all of you who like her are trash!"

"Isabella Haywood should get out of the music industry!"

"You brainless fans should also die!"

boom--

The moment those malicious words appeared, the entire internet exploded!

Although Isabella's fans come from well-off and well-educated families, that doesn't mean they won't get angry or just endure it.

Not to mention, Isabella's fans are mostly young and impetuous people.

So……

You want my idol to get out of the public eye?
You called me an idiot and deserve to die?
OK OK——

Since you want to fight, then I'll fucking roll up my sleeves and smash your skull!
On the morning of July 5, 2003—

The news of Eminem dissing Isabella had just surfaced. July 5, 2003, morning—

The global internet is already engulfed in war, with missiles raining down on everything.

The fans of both sides are fearless and will fight if they disagree!
In no time, countless family photos were taken on the battlefield!
As the time approached noon on July 5, 2003—

The battleground has expanded once again.

This is not only because many Beaver fans bought "Order of the Phoenix" and took it home.

It’s even more because…

Mariah Carey's fans stepped in, supporting Hailey Bieber's fans, since Eminem had previously attacked Mariah Carey.

Will Smith's fans also joined in, supporting Beaver's fans, because Eminem had previously attacked Will Smith, which was even a past conflict with Mariah Carey, dating back to 1999.

In 1999, Eminem released his second album, The Slim Shady LP, which became a huge hit.

Because that album contained countless profanities, even though Eminem had many fans, the mainstream media was unwilling to give him awards. As a result, Will Smith beat Eminem to win the MTV Best Male Vocal Performance award that year.

Because Will Smith brought his son, who was under nine years old at the time, to the ceremony to accept the award, he said in his acceptance speech that he was very happy to receive the award because it meant that records without profanity or murder could still sell well.

Honestly, you can't say Will Smith's remarks were problematic.

Regardless of the fact that he was holding his son's hand while accepting the award and that he was speaking as a father, the very fact that popular art should conform to popular aesthetics is enough to make Will Smith's words stand.

But Eminem felt offended.

So he dissed back in his next album.

That's The Real Slim Shady.

Besides, fans of Vanilla Ice, Britney Spears, Moby... all dropped out after the battle began, because Eminem had previously dissed their idols. And after dissing these people, Eminem made a statement that appeared in 2000—

"Celebrities in hip-hop are just personal names. When we diss celebrities, it's like a magician pulling a prop out of his hat. If your name happens to rhyme, you should feel honored."

Hmm, here's someone's reference.

Since Eminem's art is all about offense...

Then who the hell will respect him?

"Eminem is a moron! He's a piece of scum who would abandon even his own mother! It's a miracle that someone like him is still alive!"

North America, California.

Little Robbie pounded away on the keyboard.

She heard the news when she finished filming at noon.

When she learned that her favorite girl, Miss Beaver, had been attacked, she instantly became arrogant.

He didn't even eat, rushed back to the hotel, and went online to investigate.

Then, Eminem's performance made her "Boom—" explode.

Honestly, if conditions allowed, she would even like to rush up to Eminem right now and stab him twice.

Unfortunately, the situation did not allow it.

Even so, she still called out, "Keyboard, come here!"

Then he started exchanging blows with the enemy there.

But this method doesn't really vent much anger.

So after venting her frustrations by posting some comments, she took out her phone and called her dear boss.

As the call connected—

"Hello? Margot?"

Catherine's voice came through the receiver.

"Hi—Keisha, how's Isha? You know about this huge incident in North America? Someone attacked Isha… Oh—that guy was absolutely disgusting—"

Without hesitation, Robbie Jr. got straight to the point.

Catherine glanced at her younger sister on the sofa, where Isabella was listening to the phone with a serious expression.

“Margot, thank you for your concern. Isa already knows about what you mentioned, and she's currently in talks with Warner…”

The Times has already gone so far as to expose the issue directly, so how could Isabella possibly ignore the sudden problem?
After feigning ignorance to evade the questions, she returned to the hotel and immediately began to investigate the situation, and then...

Eminem's songs made her feel nauseous.

The anger in her heart really flared up in an instant.

She admitted that if she were truly a 13-year-old minor, she would have already launched into a tirade, but she wasn't, so she dialed Nathan Bailey's number with a sullen face—and at that moment, she couldn't muster any pleasantries—in her view, Eminem's attack on her was definitely not some impromptu rap, but an organized and premeditated attack.

Because Edgar Bronfman Jr., the vice chairman of Vivendi Universal, wanted to acquire Warner Music.

Eminem is also a member of Universal.

The opposing camps made them enemies from the very beginning.

Indeed, after connecting with Nathan Bailey, the guy known as the "Unlucky Kid" directly confirmed Isabella's guess, stating that Michael Eisner's move this time was extremely insidious. He not only threw smoke bombs during the attack but also took the time difference into account, which is why he was able to catch them off guard.

To be honest, this kind of mistake really annoyed Isabella.

But she knew this wasn't the time to dwell on mistakes; she just wanted to understand...

"Okay, okay, okay, tell me, how do we resolve this?"

"Uh……"

Nathan Bailey, who is based in California, glanced at his boss.

Right now, he's in Barry Mayer's office.

But Barry Mayer didn't have time for him, because he was on the phone with Robert Iger.

However, after catching his gaze, Barry Meyer still picked up the pen on the table, casually drew a few words on a piece of paper, glanced at it, and Nathan Bailey, who had received the prompting, decisively said: "Mr. Meyer is discussing countermeasures with Mr. Egger."

"Because this matter is a bit troublesome."

“Be more specific,” Isabella said.

Nathan Bailey looked at Barry Mayer again.

It was as if it could hear Isabella's words, but it was also more like it had anticipated Isabella's thoughts.

Barry Mayer nodded directly, indicating that Nathan Bailey should speak frankly without reservation.

"Okay, that's how it is."

Nathan Bailey promptly sat down in the guest chair in front of the boss and began to explain, "Michael Eisner's attack this time was very tricky, because making money is a taboo topic in the music industry..."

On the surface, Eisner's claim that Isabella was rigging money was an attempt to smear her.

There are two reasons:

1. Although Isabella's mini discs are indeed expensive, they are only at the top level in the industry and do not exceed the highest price.

The NEXT and Backstreet Boys sell for more than her.

Then, the fact that mini discs don't have music videos and include cover songs is already a permitted practice in the industry.

This could even be considered the norm in the industry.

Because mini-discs are not official albums, but rather a test run for singers before releasing a formal album, or a way to share music. When the production of these mini-discs does not need to follow album rules, do not need to develop concepts like an album, do not need to maintain a consistent musical style like an album, and do not even require each song to look neat and orderly, then mini-discs can be made however you want.

To put it bluntly, Madonna and Beyoncé don't make music videos when they release extended play.

2. The greatest significance of capital is the pursuit of profit.

If releasing records didn't make money, then the record industry wouldn't exist.

Or, you could ask Eminem if he didn't enter the industry to make money.
If he dares to say that, may lightning strike him!
Even if Eisner's accusation of money-grabbing is just mudslinging, you can't directly respond to something like that in the music industry.

As for the reason...

Very simple.

That's because the capital in the record industry has been too aggressive in its pursuit of profit.

Take North America, the world's largest record market, for example. On this continent, a legitimate record costs more than ten dollars.

What is this concept?
A few dollars can buy several fast food meals in the US!

But when it comes to music, which is also a fast-moving consumer good, you can only buy one copy!
The purchasing power of the US dollar is well-known, but in the realm of music, its purchasing power is almost on par with other currencies!
Just from this point alone, you can see just how ruthless capital is in the record industry!

It was precisely because music was so expensive in the United States that pirated music suddenly flourished after Sony and Philips invented erasable cassette tapes.

Then, in the late 1990s, the emergence of MP3s once again highlighted the disgusting nature of record companies.

Anyone who experienced the MP3 era should know that the initial technology of MP3 only allowed people to hear a sound.

Early MP3s had very muddy sound quality.

Let alone instruments like the bass, which are difficult for the average person to distinguish, the sound of strings is often blended together with other notes.

Even so, Napster, which specializes in digital piracy, gained 8000 million users in less than six months after its emergence.

What is the concept?
Everyone knows that MP3s have poor sound quality!
But the official version is just too expensive!

Besides these two, something funny happened in the North American record industry at the beginning of the millennium.

A dozen states, led by Nevada, joined forces to investigate the pricing of records in the industry, because even the state governments believed that the current prices of records in the market were unreasonable. In the end, the investigation ended with Sony being penalized.

what?
Some people ask why Sony was only punished when there are five major record labels in the industry.

This is actually the funniest part of the whole incident—

Anyone familiar with the technology industry should know that Sony holds the patent for audio CDs.

Therefore, whoever releases an album and uses CDs will have to pay Sony a patent fee.

Then, on March 1, 1999, Sony raised the wholesale price of audio CDs.

Each one went up by eight cents.

This can be considered a disguised increase in patent fees.

How much more money did this move make Sony in the following 12 months?

In North America, $4000 million.

This number isn't too high, is it?
Then, as part of the total, it must be distributed equally among the five major groups.

That is, Sony, Warner, Universal, EMI, and BMG all contributed money.

Each family can only contribute 800 million.

Don't ask why Sony has to pay too. Sony Music and Sony Hardware are two companies within the same group, so their accounts have to be kept separate. I'm trying to boost my own performance, so I can't possibly let you pay less, right?

Then, the most important thing happened. When Sony, Warner, Universal, EMI, and BMG discovered that they had an extra $800 million in expenses, they collectively raised the retail price of their records.

In 2000, the average price of a record in North America was 10% higher than in 1999.

On average, each company earned an extra $2 million.

When this fact emerged, the US government believed that Sony's price increase in patent fees was suspected of being a disguised use of its monopoly position to manipulate the price of records in the music market, and therefore fined Sony for the profits it had made.

But actually...

This looks like a scheme orchestrated by everyone to raise prices!
However, whether Sony manipulated the market, or whether everyone conspired to create a scheme, isn't the main point Nathan Bailey wants to make! What he really wants to say is that once the idea of ​​"the wool coming from the sheep's back" emerges...

The fans have really been driven crazy by capital!

A record company only incurs an extra 800 million in costs, yet it rakes in 2 million to make up for it?
Currently in the North American music scene, insulting the Big Five is the most politically correct thing to do!
That being the case...

Who would dare touch the topic of making money if they have the capital to make music?
They're not Xibei!
Acting like a prostitute while pretending to be virtuous!

Right?

"So, when Eisner used the money-making tactic to attack you, it became a difficult situation to respond to."

"If we say there's no circle, then... we're insulting the intelligence of the North American public..."

"Anyone who listens to music knows that the five major music groups are in the industry."

"If they admit to being in the circle, then... it'll explode..."

"This is something that can't be done."

"Therefore, Mr. Meyer needs some time; he needs to think things over carefully with Mr. Egger..."

"Of course, Isa, you don't need to be in too much of a hurry."

"Please trust us, we will definitely handle this matter properly."

(End of this chapter)