America's Top Player

Chapter 107: Al Capone in the Entertainment Industry
Just cuz I'm from the CPT, punk police are afraid of me
Because I'm from Compton, stupid Popos are scared as hell
A young nigga on a warpath
Black people marching in the footsteps of war

And when I'm finished, it's gonna be a bloodbath
When the work is done, there will be a river of blood.

Of cops, dyin in LA
The police in LA will not have a good death
Kendrick sang NWA's famous banned song "Fuck tha Police" in front of the camera while dancing the Crips' exclusive C-walk dance.

Curly hair, sunglasses, baseball cap, short stature, oversized jersey.
Under the stylist's packaging, Kendrick's Big E seemed to come alive.

Li Ang excitedly nudged James Wan next to him with his arm, "Look at this guy, he's like he's possessed by the soul of Big E!"

James Wan was too busy to pay attention to Leon. He was directing the camera through various gestures and shouting.

When it comes to making a movie, the director is the brain and the leader, and the photographer is his sword-bearer.

Although the script provided by Li Ang was accurate to every scene, every expression, and even the dialogue of every passerby character.

But the director can still play a decisive role in the final effect of the film.

The director's camera language and personal style are different. Even if the plot and dialogue are exactly the same, different people will have different effects when shooting it.

The first shot ends with a long shot of the five NWA members walking on the streets of Compton. James Wan was obviously very satisfied with it and did not make a single NG from beginning to end.

"How was it, Bro? Wasn't my performance great?" Kendrick, who was filming a movie for the first time, was very excited and danced like a monkey.

"Very good, maybe you have a better future as an actor than as a singer, and you will leave behind Denzel Washington, Morgan Freeman and other old guys." Li Ang said with a smile, curling his lips.

"Fuck bro, I think you're making fun of me." Kendrick rolled his eyes at Leon. "I'd like to ask you what exactly happened on Broadway the other day?"

"Your legend is everywhere in the streets and alleys."

"You know what those young rappers call you?"

"They say you're the Al Capone of entertainment, which is so cool!"

The Al Capone of music?

Hearing this nickname, Li Ang couldn't help but grin and laugh out loud.

As expected, Nico is more imaginative when it comes to giving nicknames, as can be seen from Robinson's string of nicknames that are comparable to the titles of the Queen of England.

Kendrick then said, "Maybe you can give me some help in finding the feeling of a real gangster."

"That's not necessary. You're playing Big E. A gangsta rapper doesn't necessarily mean he's a real gangster." Leon paused for two seconds before continuing, "If you really need this, you can ask your boss, Robinson. Isn't he a ready-made gangster tough guy?"

Although NWA is known as the originator of gangsta rap, Big E also had experience as a drug dealer in his early years.

However, this model of spending money to support dreams while selling drugs and making albums is not uncommon in the rap circle.

Both Dre and Big E attended high school, which was considered highly educated in Compton in that era.

The two chatted about everything from movies to the Grammy Awards, and Kendrick will also appear at the awards ceremony two days later.

"Fxxk, if Boss Dre hadn't asked me to attend, I wouldn't want to attend this dirty awards ceremony at all. It's full of shameless behind-the-scenes manipulation!" Kendrick rubbed his gang gestures and kept spewing.

The only reason he was so angry was that he was not nominated for any award, while his arch-rival Drake was nominated for Best Rap Album of the Year.

The two had similar starting points and ages, but Derek was now clearly half a length ahead.

"What do those old guys on the judging panel know about rap music? R&B and rap combined into melodic rap is the stupidest music!"

"Can you believe this? Quincy Jones, a jazz musician his entire life, actually participated in drafting this year's rap music nominations?"

"This is just so stupid!"

When Li Ang heard this name, he was immediately shocked.

He had previously inquired through various channels about ways to approach Quincy Jones, but to no avail.

His physical condition deteriorated, he spent most of his time in a wheelchair, and his cognitive abilities declined.

Apart from attending silver parties in a wheelchair and giving pretentious speeches at various African-themed charity dinners, he seemed to have disappeared from the entertainment industry, with no news of him.

"You mean, Jones will also participate in this year's Grammy Awards?" Leon asked tentatively.

"Of course, this old bastard has been craving the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award for so many years but has never received it. This time he is included in the jury list. He will definitely attend and leave a good impression on the officials."

"very good."

According to Leon's idea, as long as he could get in touch with Jones, the process of acquiring Vibe magazine should not be too complicated.

The magazine was offered $90 million by Time Warner in the 3000s, but the greedy Jones did not let it go.

Against the backdrop of the decline of the magazine industry, no one was interested even after the company was offered a price of $1000 million for acquisition.

The only obstacle to acquiring Vibe magazine now is the price. Jones won't let go of even a dying company easily.

He is a vampire who can strip clothes from the dead. When MJ was alive, he made a fortune by selling MJ's privacy.

After MJ's death, he was still able to reap huge profits from MJ's annual album sales and synchronization royalties.

Two days later, at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Li Ang and the female dancers from Apocalypse Music rode in a stretched Lincoln and slowly moved towards the red carpet surrounded by cameras.

"This year is a small year for the Grammy Awards. We didn't see the dominance of superstars like Beyoncé did last year." Phil said, staring at the message on his phone.

"That's because Ms. Adele's album release date doesn't coincide with the Grammy Awards," Ariana reminded.

Adele's masterpiece album "21" was officially released in January, which just happened to miss the application period for this year's Grammy Awards.

If it weren't for this, Adele sweeping the Grammys would basically be a consensus in the entertainment industry.

The extended Lincoln stopped in front of the red carpet, and standing in front of the Apocalypse Music crowd was Rihanna, with almost half of the cameras in the audience focused on this queen.

The appearance of Li Ang at least diverted half of the attention of the entertainment reporters. The recent events at the Broadway Magee Theatre were too heated.

Whenever a highly-publicized controversial event occurs, he always immediately starts a new job, as if there is no window of opportunity.

"Mr. Leon! Can you tell me about the Mager Theater incident? What do you think of the online accusations of violence against you?"

"Why didn't you wear a trench coat today?"

"The three ladies behind you are absolutely perfect. Who do you think is the most beautiful among them tonight?"

The questions raised by the reporter were more difficult than the last, but Li Ang remained silent and responded with a smile.

"Get away from me! You're about to step on my skirt!" Rihanna turned around with a frown and a look of disgust on her face.

"What? Are you kidding?" Li Ang looked puzzled.

Although the black girl wore a huge floor-length skirt to attract attention, Li Ang was still half a meter away from her.

Are you sure this isn't picking on someone?
Li Ang understood in his heart that this was probably because he was unhappy about having his camera shot taken away from the reporter.

"As expected, you are just as rude and disrespectful as the media reported." Rihanna cursed softly, then walked straight into the venue with a sour face.

Although Phil had begged Leon countless times in the car not to conflict with anyone on the highly anticipated Grammy night.

But why is this woman so mean to herself?

Li Ang thought about it for a while and then he understood.

He chased after her and whispered something to Rihanna, and the little queen's defense was instantly broken and her face suddenly changed.

Looking at Leon's smug smile, Robbie couldn't help but ask, "What did you say to Rihanna?"

"Nothing, I just told her I really like her work." Leon spread his hands and continued, "Chris spanking her with a belt is unforgivable, and I taught that scumbag a lesson for him."

"Chris was crawling at my feet begging for mercy like a scared bitch."

Robbie shook his head helplessly, "No wonder Rihanna hates you so much"

There have been rumors circulating in the industry lately that Rihanna and Chris are back together. This is the nth time they've gotten back together. As Phil always says, it's impossible to completely break up a bitch and a scumbag!
After the award ceremony officially began, Leon was absent-minded, searching the entire venue for Quincy Jones like he was searching for prey.

Although Jones was not even seen, Beyoncé was spotted.

She sat in the most prominent seat in the first row near the main stage.

When their eyes met, Beyoncé suddenly threw a wink.

Blonde hair, red lips, and seductive black stockings.

Li Ang was horrified to see him doing such a frivolous act in front of so many people, with Beyoncé and her husband JAY-Z standing right next to him.

At this year's Grammy Awards, JAY-Z, who had been silent for a long time, finally broke out.

He was nominated for two rap awards for his song "Empire State Of Mind."

The influence of this song even goes beyond the scope of the Grammy Awards. The melody of "Empire State Of Mind" can be heard in every corner of New York.

It has become the de facto New York City anthem.

After the opening performance, the Best Newcomer Award ceremony soon began.

"Here it comes. Cheer up and get ready for your glorious moment!" Phil stared at the stage intently.

"Honey, this honor must belong to you!" Robbie held Leon's arm tightly, with light in his eyes.

All members of Apocalypse Music held their breath, waiting for the moment when the answer would be revealed.

The host quickly read out the shortlist.

Exciting times are coming.

The winner of the Best Newcomer Award is

"Esperanza Spalding!"

A Latina woman with an Afro stood up and waved to the audience.

Huge boos echoed throughout the Staples Center.

"WTF? Who is this Caribbean bitch?"

"What works has she written? Why haven't I heard of them?"

"Which old fellow on the jury is she the pet of?"

For a moment, there were doubts everywhere, and the reporter deliberately cut the camera to Li Ang.

Surrounded by a group of beauties, he shook his head helplessly.

"Those bastards on the judging panel are getting more and more crazy. They would rather give the award to a jazz musician who can't even sell a few records than to you."

The more Phil thought about it, the angrier he got.

The extremely glorious jazz music of the last century has become an absolute marginal track in today's record market.

In a highly capitalized market, sales speak for themselves, and Spalding's album last year sold barely 10,000 copies, less than a fraction of Leon's.

It is called "limited edition".

Having lost the highly anticipated award, Li Ang leaned back in his chair, looking hopeless.

But when the award presenter came on stage, his eyes instantly lit up.

The old man who came on stage in a wheelchair to present the award was Quincy Jones, a legend in jazz history.

The audience erupted in boos again, and anyone with a discerning eye knew what was going on.

Jones, a member of this year's Grammy jury and also the soul of jazz, gave this useless award to Spalding, also a jazz musician, through various behind-the-scenes operations.

In order to win this award, Spalding privately contracted countless hardware and software projects on old Jones's wheelchair.

"It's my turn next." Robbie clasped his hands together and waited for the guest to announce the results with great excitement.

"The winner of Dance Song of the Year is Margot Robbie's 'Faded'!"

The drum beats of "Faded" sounded in the background, and Robbie jumped up excitedly.

The whole audience stood up and cheered for her. She deserved the award.

It took only a few months for this Australian actress-turned-singer to release a global hit.

After Robbie hugged her mother, the first person she thought of was Leon, but she was dumbfounded when she looked at the empty seats.

"Honey!"

"Leon!"

"Asshole! Where the hell have you been?!"

Robbie didn't have time to think about it, because the award presenter was still waiting for her on the stage with the trophy.

She waved to the crowd in her long skirt, took the trophy and gave her acceptance speech.

"I want to thank my mom, my manager Maggie, and everyone at Apocalypse Music."

"And of course the most important thing..."

At this point Robbie was suddenly stuck. Standing on the main stage, he had a good view and spotted Leon's whereabouts at a glance.

In a corner of the venue, a man and a woman were sneaking around each other, their hands making small movements from time to time.

"This outfit suits you very well today. You are the focus of the whole audience." Leaning against the wall, Lean flattered Beyoncé.

"Really? I thought my outfit was too conservative and not eye-catching enough." Beyoncé smiled, "But I'm not the star of the Grammys this year."

Of course, Robbie, who was far away on the stage, could not hear the conversation between the two. She could only see that their behavior was ambiguous and intimate.

Robbie's emotions were out of control and his throat was dry.

A surge of anger rose up my trachea.

She yelled into the microphone at the top of her lungs: "Leon!!!"

All the guests were stunned by the unexpected high note, including Li Ang.

In his usual vocal training, Robbie had never produced such a high note in the C5 range.

The award presenter stood there in a daze, not knowing what to do, while the guests stretched their necks, eager to know what would happen next.

Thinking of what might happen next, Li Ang panicked instantly.

He was winking and gesturing wildly at Robbie from a distance.

Although he longed for traffic, he never thought of it in this way.

Never before has a couple engaged in a heated argument during a live Grammy Awards ceremony.

After Leon kept mouthing "calm down" and anxiously making the gesture of stillness, Robbie swallowed the "F-word" that was about to come out.

The audience held their breath, wanting to see what farce would happen next.

Robbie took a deep breath and held it for half a minute, letting out all his pent-up resentment.

She took the microphone and yelled something that everyone in the audience didn't expect -

"I love you asshole!"

(End of this chapter)