"This is the magic of plugging in." Leon wore headphones, completely immersed in Robbie's singing.
But obviously, Kendrick didn't think so. "Shxt... these electronic devices will eventually ruin music."
As an inheritor of orthodox gangsta rap, Kendrick viewed the "plug-in school" led by Kanye West as heresy.
Once anyone's voice is plugged in, with all kinds of synthesized audio mixed in, it's impossible to distinguish the human voice.
As long as there's enough electricity, MJ could gorgeously transform into Madonna.
Leon could only spread his hands at this, looking noncommittal.
For him, any music that could rake in money from the market was good music; otherwise, even reaching the master level of Beethoven or Mozart was trash.
This was the same logic as Hollywood movies.
The Oscar committee still favored literary films and serious narrative films, but the award-winning works in recent years showed a clear decline compared to the last century.
Film companies' requirements for literary films now were that they must win awards and not lose money. Dogs wouldn't even film movies that lost money.
Phil chimed in from the side, "Since Robbie has chosen to step into a strange field... you should try to create a persona suitable for her."
Leon nodded in agreement.
For a singer, the work is a selling point, and the persona is also a selling point.
Whether in Australia or Hollywood, Robbie mostly played the image of a "silly sweet girl."
Even her manager Maggie thought she had no acting skills and that her face was born to be eye candy.
Kendrick was immediately unhappy after hearing this: "What? You old white man don't understand Robbie at all... She's not as harmless as she looks on the outside."
Leon deeply agreed. Robbie had a cheerful and optimistic personality; in America, she would be a typical Southern girl.
Especially in bed, she was like a cowgirl born to love riding.
But to fit the characteristics of Faded, Leon decided to let Robbie walk the path of "Human Barbie" to the end.
Ethereal works paired with the image of a blonde sweet girl... such a combination might really kill in the market.
The recording went very smoothly. For electronic music, as long as the most difficult arrangement part was passed, everything else would follow naturally.
At this time, Leon received a call from Cardi B.
The media conference went very smoothly. A day later, Bonnie would officially launch the Evil Angel brand on Amazon's online channel.
Thinking three steps ahead, Leon had already started conceiving the idea of offline stores.
Although e-commerce is the fastest-expanding industry in the global market in recent years, the conservative American people have always favored offline shopping.
Originally, he planned to open an offline experience store in New York, spending big money to set up the store right next to a Victoria's Secret store to confront the opponent head-on.
But he quickly abandoned this childish idea.
For a nascent brand to confront an industry giant head-on relying on celebrity effect was suicide.
Victoria's Secret had long successfully broken out of the circle with its annual fashion show. Cardi B's little influence was nothing in front of hundreds of supermodels.
Whether in terms of body, looks, or fame, it was a one-sided crushing defeat.
In the end, he decided to take the sinking route, focusing on "surrounding the cities from the countryside."
Opening small and exquisite storefronts in gang dens in the Bronx;
And Black gathering points in Brooklyn and Queens...
Leon and Robbie walked out of the recording studio while chatting. A Black man walked towards them in the corridor.
Hat worn backward, face full of ferocity, muscles exploding all over his body...
Just looking at his appearance, he was a typical gang member.
"Hey! Compton kid! My bro!" The Black man rushed over with a bear hug, his solid chest almost sending Kendrick flying.
"50 Cent?!"
At first glance, Leon felt this guy looked familiar, but only now did he realize this was the gangsta rap big shot 50 Cent.
He subconsciously held Robbie's hand and moved half a step back.
"Gotta stay away from this damn ngga..."
50 Cent's street experiences were far more eye-catching than his achievements in the rap circle.
He was originally a proper East Coast singer, born in Queens.
But due to discord with P. Diddy and Jay-Z, he never made it big on the East Coast.
It wasn't until he left for the West Coast, met the white hip-hop king Eminem who was at the height of his power, and boarded Dr. Dre's big ship that his career truly took off.
In 2000, he was chased and shot at the door of his home in New York. The gunman fired 9 shots at him.
He was hit at close range in the arm, hip, legs, chest, and cheek, falling into a pool of blood.
The most ridiculous thing was that most of these bullets hit non-fatal areas.
The most serious bullet just knocked out a wisdom tooth and exited. Apart from leaving a scar, there were no other sequelae.
Although the gunman was arrested afterward and pleaded guilty to all charges...
Some media still believed that the masterminds behind the shooting of 50 Cent were the brothers Jay-Z and P. Diddy.
"You are..." 50 Cent released Kendrick and noticed Leon's group.
"Damn..."
Leon instantly felt a headache. If the other party knew he was a member of the Roc Nation Kingdom, nothing good would definitely happen.
Just as he was hesitating whether to talk to this guy, 50 Cent suddenly let out a strange cry: "Leon?! Street Jesus!"
Crap, this ngga knows me.
Just as Leon was thinking about countermeasures, 50 Cent suddenly put his arm around him, singing Sucker for Pain loudly: "I torture you~ Take my hand through the flames~"
"Hahaha, this is truly a masterpiece!"
"Your collaboration with the Compton kid was just awesome. Looking forward to when we can collaborate too~"
The friendliness shown by 50 Cent left Leon dumbfounded.
According to his assumption, he was white, and a member of Roc Nation...
It wouldn't be strange if a violent conflict really occurred, after all, this was Dr. Dre's turf.
"Thanks, bro... I also admire your work very much. We will definitely collaborate in the future." Leon struggled to break free from 50 Cent's thick arm.
"Chris Brown has been dissing you on the radio a lot lately... although I don't know what happened between you two."
"Your shout-out to that ngga on the Conan show was awesome. I heard he's furious and looking for you everywhere."
"But don't worry, bro. That damn ngga is totally a soft egg pretending to be tough!"
Only then did Leon fully understand why 50 Cent had an inexplicable fondness for him.
Both had some friction with Chris Brown. The enemy of an enemy is a friend.
"Chris heard the news that you came to Los Angeles and is indeed looking for you everywhere..." Saying this, Kendrick flashed a Crip hand sign. "Don't worry... no one dares to touch you in Los Angeles."
Kendrick and 50 Cent felt more and more fired up as they thought about it, rubbing their fists and palms, ready for a big fight.
But Leon couldn't muster any interest in these so-called gang conflicts.
Music is a business. If it's shouting and threatening to kill each other for hype, that's fine. But if it really gets to the point of using knives and guns, then there's something wrong with their heads.