America: Child stars start with The Shining

As soon as the Christmas holidays ended, Charles returned to the school he hadn't been to in a long time.

In America, there's no such thing as adjusting work hours; if a holiday falls on a weekend, you can have several days off in a row.

Tupac was still immersed in the excitement of being chosen to star in "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial". He was so excited that he sat in his seat, holding a script he had somehow gotten his hands on, and was practicing desperately.

Charles was all too familiar with this feeling; in his previous life, when he got his first role, he felt exactly the same way as Tupac in front of him.

It wasn't until he actually joined the film crew that he realized he didn't have a single line.

Poor Tupac, he still doesn't know that he might only appear in one or two scenes in the movie.

As for lines? Don't even think about it.

In this era, mainstream commercial blockbusters almost never involve Black themes. Hollywood is still a white-dominated world, with the main cast usually centered around white actors, and Black actors often only playing a few supporting roles.

However, there have been quite a few films of this type in the field of exploitation films. For example, the 1971 film "Sweetback's Song" achieved great commercial success and broke the long-standing stereotype to some extent.

However, at the same time, these kinds of films have also been criticized by many equality organizations.

They believe that this kind of subject matter would corrupt young Black Americans and should absolutely not appear in movie theaters!

For this reason, several Hollywood film companies have recently become noticeably more cautious about this subject matter, and are less willing to easily touch upon similar themes. They are unwilling to do something that is difficult and unrewarding.

Therefore, even though there are still Black actors in the film, most of them are marginalized figures.

However, Charles came to see Tupaik not to retaliate, but to discuss something more important with him.

He took the videotape out of his bag and said:

"Tupac, do you know anyone in the gang?"

"Hey, bro, you've come to the right person! You know Hollywood Boulevard nearby? It's full of gangsters!"

Charles paused for a moment, then continued to ask:

"Wait a minute, isn't that place near our school?"

"Hmm, yeah, you know, this place has a lot of celebrities, it's close to Hollywood, and those guys love to hire gangsters to do shady things."

After school, Charles followed Tupac into an alley.

Although this place is called "Hollywood Boulevard," it's not actually on the main street, but rather in a hidden alleyway. Its address is in a poor neighborhood of Los Angeles, and it also has another name:

"Injector Alley".

Charles even saw a guy with his coat open, revealing a dense array of syringes hanging inside, a sight that sent chills down one's spine. Similar situations were commonplace in this kind of place.

As Tupac walked, he bumped fists with the guys and greeted them, but they all looked at Sharl with obvious wariness.

After all, it's not common to see a white child in a place like this.

Hollywood celebrities would not come here in person; they would usually send their agents to negotiate.

"Hey Timothy, long time no see. When did you get out of prison?"

A thin Black man, hunched over against the wall, his expression somewhat unfocused, looked at Tupac and said:

"Uh, let me think... never mind, fuck, those cops just love to pin all sorts of charges on me!"

Tupac whispered a few words in Charles's ear. The guy in front of him, Timothy, was facing a 95-year prison sentence for a series of crimes and had just been released on bail from prison recently.

For various reasons, Timothy is considered a veteran on Hollywood Boulevard, and many things fall under his jurisdiction.

Upon hearing this, Charles took a few steps back, trying to get away from this dangerous individual.

"Hey, Tupac, how could you bring a white kid here?"

Tupac shielded Charles behind him:

"What's wrong? Never mind that. I need to ask you, where is Calvin? I need to talk to him."

Timothy pointed in a direction, then took something out of his pocket and went off to work in a corner.

Tupac led Shire deeper into the alley, where they saw a black child squatting on the ground with a head of bright, dirty braids.

He saw Tupac approaching and made a gang sign, but when he saw Charles, he suddenly shouted:

"WTF!? Tupac, are you fucking insane? Why are you hanging out with white guys? You're a traitor!"

"Hey bro, calm down, he's not a bad guy..."

Tupac leaned closer to the other person, and the two spoke in hushed tones, while Charles stood to the side, somewhat speechless.

How did he become a bad person?

You two look much more dangerous!

The black boy's expression shifted several times. Finally, Tupac patted him on the shoulder before reluctantly walking up to Charles, shaking his hand, and saying:

"Hey, white kid, my name is Calvin, you can also call me Snoop Dogg, or to be more blunt, just call me Dog Lord."

Snoop dog... Isn't that the very famous Snoopy dog?

Wait a minute, Dog Lord?

Charles looked up and carefully examined the other person's appearance, then glanced at the distinctive dreadlocks, and then noticed the large, gleaming gold chain around the other person's neck.

【Name: Dreadlocks Boy's Big Gold Chain (Rare)】

[Original owner: Snoop Dogg]

[Attributes: Trust +30%, Charm +20%]

[Entry: Street Certification (Passive)]

[Effect Description: Significantly increases basic trust levels when dealing with gang members, underground organizations, or street communities, and improves first impressions during initial meetings.]

If Charles wasn't mistaken, the black kid in front of him should be the same guy who brought Tupac into the rap scene.

His debut album, "DoggyStyle," went platinum and made him the first rapper to reach number one on the Billboard charts, making him an instant sensation and a legend in Black rap.

In the future, he will join the legendary Death Row label with Tupac, becoming a phenomenal figure leading West Coast rap.

I never expected that the two of them would have gotten together so early.

Charles introduced himself and then tried to imitate the way Tupac had greeted the other person, and the two hugged each other.

During this process, he secretly touched the large gold chain with his hand.

[Acquired Equipment: Dreadlocks' Big Gold Chain (Rare)]

[Unlocked Set Collaboration Effect: West Coast Rap (2/4), activated by equipping both pieces.]

【Set: West Coast Rap (Passive)】

[Effect Description: Slightly increases your presence and recognizability within hip-hop culture, underground music scenes, and neighborhood social environments; when entering these spaces, slightly increases others' attention and default favorability towards you.]

Charles paused for a moment, then remembered the new piece of equipment he had obtained from Tupac.

Unexpectedly, these two pieces of equipment have a synergy, which makes his next steps much easier.

[Equipped: Rap Kid's Poetry Collection (Rare)]

[Equipped: Dreadlocks' Big Gold Chain (Rare)]

[Set effect triggered: West Coast Rap (Passive)]

Charles took out the videotape and cash, handed them to Dog, and said:

"I need your partners' help with a business deal..."

"Don't worry, this job is safe, and the pay is negotiable."

With the added benefit of the equipment, Xia Er could clearly sense that the other party had lowered their guard and become more friendly in their words.

After listening to what Charles had told him, Dog nodded, patted his chest, and pointed to Tupaik beside him, saying:

"No problem. Since you're Tupac's good buddy, you're my friend too. Leave this to us."

"It's a pleasure working with you!"

Then, the three of them huddled together, and Charles told them all the details before they felt reassured and left with Tupaik.

The videotape project officially commenced.