America: Child stars start with The Shining

Vieux Park, Los Angeles.

This is one of the wealthiest Black neighborhoods in the Los Angeles area, and some even privately refer to it as the Black Beverly Hills.

The main activity area of ​​the Crippled Gang is in the South Central District. These big shots want to live in a respectable manner, but they are unwilling to stray far from their sphere of influence. Therefore, this place is just right for these prominent figures.

Of course, another reason is that Beverly Hills is full of old white Hollywood money, and such a place would certainly not welcome a black man who made his fortune through gang connections.

Even if he has enough money in his pocket to knock on the door of some high-end real estate agents' offices, he may not actually be able to move in.

Charles sat in Andrei's car, looking out at the street through the window.

The car drove into the community along a gentle slope, quickly turned onto a quieter residential street, and finally stopped in front of a spacious detached house.

Most of these houses were built in the 1940s and 50s. They are quite old, and the walls and eaves look somewhat worn, but they are spacious and the lawns in front of the houses are neatly trimmed.

Given the prices of that era, you couldn't possibly buy a house like this in Vieux Park for less than two or three hundred thousand US dollars.

Converted to modern purchasing power, that's roughly a million dollars. As for Beverly Hills, the house price should be approaching three million dollars.

The little money Shire made during this period wouldn't even make a ripple if invested in real estate.

A brand-new Lincoln Continental Mark VI was parked at the entrance, its body gleaming with metallic luster. Several young men wearing blue headscarves stood by the gate, clearly the bodyguards of the place.

Charles suddenly realized that he also needed to contact the security company and ask Ovitz for advice later.

Andrei rolled down his window and greeted them with a gang hand gesture. The men then moved aside, drove in, and parked on the side of the road.

The two got out of the car together, and Charles quietly asked:

"What should I call that big shot later?"

Andrei thought for a moment and replied:

"Young people usually call him OG. He's a very easy-going guy who doesn't like to put on airs. You don't need to worry about that. Just answer whatever he asks."

Soon, Charles met the other person in the living room.

There was a complete set of expensive mahogany furniture, and against the wall stood a glass wine cabinet, neatly filled with whiskey, cognac, and several bottles of French wines he couldn't name.

The big shot sat in front, wearing a gold watch on his wrist and holding a lit cigar. He greeted Andrei and said:

"Hey, Dr. J, long time no see. What do you think of this set of furniture? I went through a lot of trouble to get it from the East."

After Andrei offered a few words of praise, Charles sat down somewhat awkwardly beside him.

Then, they immediately got to the point, and the big boss asked:

"Those Blood Gang guys, now they're not interested in the enhancement agent business anymore, but instead they're getting involved in Hollywood stuff, huh?"

He lit a cigar in the ashtray, then said:

"Dr. J, send some obedient lads to keep an eye on those shops."

He then gave some other instructions, presumably about how to retaliate against the Blood Gang's actions. Charles wisely lowered his head.

The big shot then asked:

"What's the name of this little guy you brought?"

Charles gave a brief self-introduction and then recounted some of his recent experiences, which Andrei had previously warned him about.

The bigwig pondered for a moment, then spoke:

"We can't get involved in Hollywood... those white guys are such swindlers, none of the movies they tricked me into investing in made any money."

Charles smirked. Of course, there are too many tricks to investing in movies. Even if you make money, you might not share it with outsiders like the big shots. You can easily fool them by making a little fake accounting.

What are your thoughts on the videotape business?

Andrei reported on the recent situation, and the boss nodded in satisfaction.

In reality, Charles was able to make money largely thanks to the shrewdness of the big shot in front of him. Otherwise, if the other party had resorted to dirty tricks, a white kid like him would never have been able to get so much of a cut.

Before he started the videotape project, he had consulted with Doge about this issue, and only after receiving assurances from Doge did he feel comfortable proceeding with it.

Otherwise, he wouldn't dare to dabble in this.

The big shot thought for a moment, then continued:

"Hmm... this way of making money is too inefficient. How about we just open a videotape store?"

Charles was startled and immediately joined forces with Andrei to dissuade the other party.

The main reason is that he is well aware that this is not the right time to do this kind of business on a large scale, as it would definitely result in losses.

Sony and JVC were still locked in a fierce battle, and it wasn't until after the Betamax incident in 1984 that the Supreme Court ruled that home video recorders were legal in the United States.

The videotape business will only experience explosive growth after this lawsuit ends, and entering the market now is unwise.

The big boss nodded helplessly:

"Ha, ha, fine, you guys know more about this business than I do, so forget it."

Suddenly, as if he had thought of something, he perked up and asked:

"How about starting a record label? Those guys on the East Coast are really into it lately, I heard it's because..."

Charles blinked; this idea coincided with his own. He had originally planned to make a quick buck through the videotape business and then immediately set up a record company.

Of course, this wasn't a large record company like those in later generations; it was more like setting up a label.

The cost is not high. For example, signing a singer and recording a single would cost around tens of thousands of dollars.

Of course, for a large company like Warner, the cost could be in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, with no upper limit.

However, the bulk of the expenses are not in advertising, but in promotion. But if the cripples get involved, a lot of money can be saved.

Moreover, Charles had originally planned to follow the path of the Crippled Gang, and with this backer, he dared to get involved in the black rap business.

The people he wanted to sign, such as Dr. Dre, Dogs, and Tupac, all had backgrounds in the Crippled Gang.

So, Charles went along with it and introduced Ovitz to the bigwig, asking him to discuss setting up a record company.

The big boss nodded:

"Andre, go find Eric. He should be in charge of the enhancer business at the branch in Kerry Park now. It seems he's even started a small brand. He has some experience in this area."

When Charles walked out the door, he still felt a little unreal.

Is that all?