In the new millennium, under the impact of music streaming services led by Spotify, the quality of music videos (MVs) had become a crucial factor in determining whether fans would shell out money to buy records.
And Lady Gaga, with her exaggerated styling and unabashed adult themes, made MVs on her albums shake the industry.
Thinking of this, Leon unconsciously cast his gaze not far away, at the woman wearing an ostentatious white wig and 7-inch heels.
It was this petite woman who, in the fiercely competitive music scene, had unleashed a dimension-shattering strike on everyone else and swept the world.
Seeing Leon staring at different women, Robbie couldn't help but pout. "Please watch your behavior. It's very impolite!"
Leon quickly snapped back to reality. He didn't have any special thoughts about Lady Gaga.
According to the woman's own revelations on podcasts, she was a sex addict and emotionally unstable.
"Here it comes, Eminem's performance is about to start!" Phil's eyes gleamed with fanaticism. "Let's wait and see..."
Just as the host's opening remarks concluded, with the entrance of the Rap God, Eminem, the MTV VMAs officially began!
Eminem first performed his chart-topping single Not Afraid, followed by Love the Way You Lie, a collaboration with Rihanna that was still dominating the Billboard charts.
Leon was no stranger to Eminem's singing. Even in the Black neighborhood of Brownsville, Eminem's works were played in every street and alley.
In the past, this would have been unimaginable in the Black-dominated hip-hop circle.
Robbie's body swayed incessantly with the melody. Every drumbeat from Eminem seemed to precisely hit her "headlights," causing ripples.
"Leon, looks like your girlfriend can hold her liquor," Beyoncé said, propping her chin on her hand and watching the two with interest.
Unexpectedly, Robbie was a little lush, and so was Beyoncé.
In the half-hour since the opening, Robbie had already downed two whiskeys, and Beyoncé wasn't far behind.
At the moment, both goddesses had rosy cheeks from being tipsy.
In the subsequent awards for "Best Pop Video," "Best Direction," and "Best Editing," Lady Gaga's works won without any suspense.
Unexpectedly, in the following performance, Taylor Swift sang a song from her new album, Innocent
From the song title to the lyrics, and the media hype before the ceremony...
It wasn't hard for anyone to see that the magnanimous Swift didn't hold a grudge against West but chose to forgive Kanye for hurting her a year ago on this public stage tonight.
Watching the long legs flying freely on stage, Leon couldn't help but complain to Phil beside him, "Fk, that nr tried to ruin Taylor's career. I don't understand why she's bowing her head first."
Phil hurriedly gave Leon a look. "Keep your voice down... Beyoncé is still sitting next to you... Kanye rolls with her husband Jay-Z!"
Even hearing this explanation, Leon still couldn't quite understand.
To survive in the entertainment industry, selfishness and a strong heart are essential virtues.
Betrayal, backstabbing, and even murder are common in this circle.
Fighting to the bitter end not only earns respect but also garners massive traffic, which isn't necessarily a bad thing.
That's why diss tracks fly everywhere in the hip-hop circle; no one refuses traffic just because they make another enemy.
Clearly, Taylor's heart wasn't strong enough yet.
Perhaps seeing through Leon's thoughts, Phil continued, "Don't underestimate your boss, Jay-Z... That guy didn't get where he is today without reason."
"Him not asking for any copyright of your works is practically saintly behavior in this circle... Do you know Atlantic Records?"
"To join those Warner-affiliated labels, you have to hand over at least half the copyright of your works."
"Jay-Z is a nr who rose from being a low-level drug dealer... Dealing with the devil comes with a price!"
Leon let Phil's warning go in one ear and out the other.
A price for dealing with the devil?
The "price" is just God's fraudulent rhetoric. Have no mercy or guilt.
Dying without dignity or rationality is the price of mediocrity.
The rest of the night had no highlights, just Lady Gaga constantly going up on stage, coming down with a trophy, and going up again.
Ultimately, she set a record with 13 nominations at this year's VMAs and took home eight major awards.
This impressive achievement tied A-ha's record from 1986, second only to Peter Gabriel's sweep of ten awards in 1987.
"Seems about time..."
Looking at the drunk Robbie, Leon wanted to leave early.
She had to return to New York tomorrow. Before that, he only had a few hours to "spar" with Robbie and see if they could unlock more mysterious positions.
Just as Leon was thinking this, Robbie took the initiative.
"Fk!"
He let out a startled cry and looked down. Robbie had already ducked her head under the table.
Robbie blinked her big eyes, put a finger to her lips, and smiled playfully. "Shh..."
This scene caught Leon off guard. Looking around, it seemed his current situation wasn't unique.
At the table next to him, rap mogul P. Diddy was groping socialite Kim Kardashian, his rough black hands mercilessly assaulting those millstone-sized "tail lights."
The whole venue was shrouded in a hazy drunkenness. The big shots started bragging about their achievements to the small fries and leaving hotel room numbers.
And the B-list artists were doing the same to the newcomers...
Besides them, record executives and investors were all busy looking for ways to put a perfect end to their night.
But even so, Leon stopped Robbie. After all, there were numerous media outlets present.
Characters like Diddy and Kardashian didn't care, of course; their personas were built on that.
But for Robbie, who had just stepped into Hollywood not long ago, being photographed by paparazzi engaging in lewd acts in public would be a fatal blow to her career.
In the end, Robbie could only look at Leon with resentment, her hand under the table remaining restless.
Suddenly, Leon felt another movement. It seemed Robbie wasn't the only one attacking him under the table.
He looked down and saw a scene he couldn't believe.
Sister-in-law Beyoncé's toned legs in black stockings were unintentionally teasing him under the table.
At this point, Beyoncé was wasted, her eyes squinting as if she were about to fall asleep at any moment.
Clearly, the diva didn't mean it; she just drank too much.
On the ride back to the hotel, Robbie had already passed out like a little drunk cat.
Britney Spears' sweet masterpiece ...Baby One More Time was playing on the radio, and Robbie hummed along unconsciously.
Oh baby, baby~
The result was surprisingly pleasant. Leon originally thought Robbie's vocal conditions were average, typical of a tone-deaf blonde bimbo.
But the singing voice at this moment was unexpectedly gentle and delicate.
An idea struck Leon. Since the song Faded was destined to be performed by someone else, why couldn't it be his girlfriend?
Of course, the premise was that she had to become a member of the Apocalypse Label.