In the hip-hop circle, only two things have real hype value: sex scandals and street beefs.
The heat of the former pales in comparison to the latter.
Cardi B had already elevated the provocativeness of sex scandals to a whole new level.
Compared to her, the dramatic love triangles or even orgies of past hip-hop artists seemed dull.
Cardi B would show off various high-difficulty positions with her boyfriend at celebrity parties, fearless of the camera's gaze.
She treated the flashing lights as compliments.
She would regularly pick lucky fans to give away her used underwear.
Her social media updates were basically all risqué selfies.
If you took away the rapper label, you could totally treat her as a senior female artist from Brazzers.
Although T-ray's status wasn't big, barely counting as half an entertainment industry figure...
He became the accelerant that heated up this beef.
As the situation developed, how this beef would end became confusing.
Media outlets that got the news first had already started overwhelming hype to catch the first wave of traffic.
"An hour ago, T-ray, the star DJ of Chester Bad Boy Radio and famous rap producer, was shot by an unidentified person. The mysterious gunman fired four shots in a row and fled the scene."
"Famous singer 'Street Jesus' Leon Smith comes from Brownsville. Rumor has it he is the boss of T-ray and local gang leader George."
"This shooting is speculated to be revenge for Leon and 50 Cent releasing Billy."
Looking at various speculations on social media, Leon didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
When George was hustling on the streets, Leon wasn't even born yet; how did he become the other party's boss?
In the hour following the incident, the heat grew exponentially.
Without thinking too much, Leon quickly called T-ray.
"Hey..." T-ray had long forgotten the backstabbing grudge from Brownsville.
But his tone was extremely cold, without a hint of the diligence due to a boss.
He knew very well in his heart that now was his moment to flex.
Even if Leon had become a red-hot superstar, he had to bow his head before him.
After all, the merit of "taking a bullet for the gang" was worth writing into lyrics and making a big deal of in movies.
"Are you okay, man?" Leon pretended to be concerned, his tone sincere.
"Hmph." T-ray snorted coldly. "Just took four bullets. This is nothing for a tough guy like me..."
Leon held back his laughter. At the shooting scene, T-ray wasn't this tough.
According to witnesses, T-ray gave up resistance after taking the first shot, squatting on the ground holding his head and calling God's name repeatedly.
His huge body looked like a clumsy ostrich.
"Man, I have to say you really have Iron Balls." Leon said, "Listen, for the next two days, you are not allowed to accept interviews from anyone, nor talk about this with anyone..."
T-ray listened with a blank face.
The blankness soon turned into anger.
"Fxxk! Because of you bastard, I took four shots for no reason! Why should I listen to you!" T-ray roared, "You ungrateful white trash really think you're some big shot?"
Leon quickly soothed the other party's emotions.
He knew better than anyone what T-ray wanted.
Money might not be the first priority; compared to cash, this ngga enjoyed the feeling of being surrounded and respected by everyone more.
"Listen man, I will leave a large column for you in Vibe magazine; you will be worshiped like a hero."
"I will also give you a large sum of money! Let you create the most outstanding hip-hop podcast program!"
"You don't need to do anything right now... just lie in the hospital with peace of mind, use your creative talent, and post a few tweets dissing Diddy on social media..."
Leon's series of combo punches left T-ray dizzy.
Both money and fame were promised, but he still felt something was missing.
"I took four bullets just for this?" T-ray questioned, "I need someone to help me get out of bed now; I can't even twist my hips..."
Leon understood almost instantly; even at this time, this ngga hadn't forgotten about things involving his lower body.
"Call up the girls you like, turn the hospital into a damn midnight club..."
"You just lie obediently on the bed, those bxxches will finish everything themselves..."
"Even if you want to be as debauched as Caligula, it's fine; I'll pay for everything."
On the other end of the phone, T-ray finally got a satisfactory answer.
He didn't wait a moment longer, quickly asking his bodyguard Big Martin to contact girls.
Making it clear they couldn't be cheap goods from Manhattan Beach; they had to be high-end bxxches from Manhattan.
"Bro, I deserve this." T-ray said, "Remember what you promised me. I've already seen your despicable and shameless face."
"I swear to God." Leon answered solemnly.
Hearing "God" from the other party's mouth, T-ray laughed in anger. "Go fxxk yourself."
After hanging up, Leon immediately asked Sean to fly back to New York first.
To complete the compilation of T-ray's column.
The content had to be tough, crude, and explosive...
In short, throw all the dirty water on Diddy.
If the previous DISS war could only be counted as a verbal war and sarcasm between the two sides...
Once this issue of the magazine was released, it would be equivalent to formally issuing a letter of challenge.
"What do you plan to do next?" Phil asked, "I mean after blowing things up, how do you want to end it?"
"Simple, reciprocal countermeasures." Leon said nonchalantly.
The implication was very clear: Diddy went after my little bro, so I'll go after his little bro.
"Fxxk, haven't you guy ever thought that one day a bullet might hit you?" Phil mocked.
"Relax, Diddy won't do that." Leon patted Phil's shoulder. "If Diddy were as stupid as you, he couldn't have become a billionaire."
"You..." Phil had a constipated expression, holding back words on the tip of his tongue.
It took Leon three hours to give instructions on the editing work.
James Wan asked, "If nothing unexpected happens, all post-production work, including editing and audio synchronization, can be completed within two weeks."
"Great, the sooner the better." Leon nodded.
"Do you have a plan for the release schedule? The summer slot would be a good choice." James Wan suggested.
The start time and length of summer vacation vary across US states.
But the vast majority start from May.
The summer slot, Thanksgiving slot, and Christmas/New Year slot are golden periods for movie releases.
Big-budget productions every year basically choose to release during these three slots.
"The summer slot is meaningless for us." Leon shook his head. "We are an R-rated movie, but damn Pirates of the Caribbean 4 and X-Men will occupy a lot of our screen schedule."
Straight Outta Compton being classified as R-rated was expected by everyone.
The film was filled with violence, nudity, drug scenes, and a lot of sexual innuendo and profane language.
This meant people under 17 must be accompanied by parents or guardians to watch.
Although there was an NC-17 rating above it, movies reaching that level were usually cult films.
R-rated movies were tacitly accepted by the public as the most explicit movies in cinemas.
"That's true..." James Wan didn't completely agree with Leon's view. "Otherwise, we push it to a June release?"
"What blockbusters will be in June?"
"Mainly teenager-oriented movies." James Wan said, "Cars 2, Harry Potter finale, Transformers 3..."
Hearing this, Leon looked worried.
Being arranged together with so many monsters, it would be better to release in May.
"Hearing you say that, I think it's the same whenever we release."
"The summer slot is like this, big studios piling up to release big works." James Wan spread his hands. "But there are still some differences."
"What differences?" Leon asked.
"Movies released in June won't crowd us out." James Wan said, "The audience age for our movie should be between 20 and 40."
Leon thought about it carefully and it made sense.
Whether it was Harry Potter or Transformers, they were more about nostalgia for young people.
The main box office force was still families with children and couples in love.
"You are the professional, let's do as you say." Leon said.
"So, the premiere ceremony is set for June 1st?"
"No problem."
After the editing work was completed, Leon took the business van and habitually asked the driver to drive to Beverly Hills.
Thinking about going to Robbie's house to release a wave of "positive energy," he realized something was wrong and quickly corrected the location to the driver.
For the first time, he felt a trace of blankness, wandering aimlessly in huge Los Angeles in the business van.
Relationships in the entertainment industry were like a revolving lantern.
Changed meant changed, broken meant broken.
It was even more so for Leon; he didn't feel a ripple about breaking up.
But habit was indeed a terrible thing.
Always pulling people back to past habitual fragments at some inadvertent moment in life.
Ring, ring—
The phone ringtone pulled his thoughts back to reality.
The caller wasn't Robbie, it was Taylor Swift.
"Hi~ Long time no see, little beauty."
"Didn't we just meet in New York?"
"It's like this..." Leon said, "As long as I don't see you for a day, it feels like I haven't seen you for a long time."
"..." Taylor was speechless for a moment. "Did you trick Robbie into circling around you with these sweet words?"
"I never tell lies." Leon's tone was serious. "Everyone's evaluation of your singing skills is different, but your beauty is recognized by everyone."
"You guy..." Taylor on the other end actually blushed. "Heard you haven't even decided on the MV director yet?"
After confirming David Fincher as the first choice, Leon immediately had Old Mike contact him.
Unknown what magic Old Mike used, or if there was some unspeakable bromance between the two...
The eccentric David agreed very readily, immediately stating he was willing to lower his fee by 200,000 dollars.
This was extremely rare for him.
Many times, even if investors held a lot of cash, as long as David didn't like the script, he would refuse directly.
Regarding the fee, his word was also law.
The problem now was, although the price had dropped, Leon still felt it was too expensive.
Compared to Old Mike's fee of less than 100,000 dollars, it was more than ten times more expensive.
"Give me some more time..." Leon explained, "I will invite a big director worthy of our cast lineup."
"Alright, you have to hurry up." Taylor sighed. "Scott doesn't like you; hope this collaboration can end quickly."
"Doesn't like me?" Leon looked surprised.
Currently in the whole music industry, besides Diddy's gang not liking him, there was actually someone else who could dislike him?
Carrying huge traffic, he was a Venus pursued by thousands no matter where he went.
"Isn't it because you guy cause too much trouble?" Taylor said. "Today's trending searches are all you again... why can't you get away from topics like shooting and streets?"
"You know, I've always been passive." Leon smiled bitterly.
"Heard you are in Los Angeles?"
"Correct."
"I'm also in Los Angeles. Are you free to meet and chat?"
"Anytime."
After hanging up, Leon immediately asked the driver to change the destination to Beverly Hills.
Although this mansion was located on the edge of Beverly Hills, it won in land area, exceeding 30,000 square feet.
Equipped with a swimming pool, private garden, and tennis court.
The security personnel outside the door obviously got notified in advance; Leon entered without any obstruction.
"I've arrived, Miss Taylor." Leon took out his phone and called Taylor.
"Faster than I thought." Taylor said, "I'm on the lawn behind the house."
Leon looked at the vast green lawn in front of him and fell into deep thought.
For someone who hadn't lived in a mansion, this was like a huge green maze.
Before he could say another word, the phone hung up.
"Rude woman."
He walked around the huge mansion for a full half circle, finally seeing a tall figure on an open lawn.
Pink sleeveless tight T-shirt plus tight yoga pants, outlining perfect body curves.
Leon watched somewhat absent-mindedly, muttering, "She definitely lied about her weight to the media."
Celebrity weight is in a quantum superposition state; there is no standard answer.
Especially female celebrities' weight.
Taylor's publicly announced weight was 60KG; with her height of 1.8 meters, that was considered quite slender.
But based on Leon's observation, it definitely wasn't so.
His eyes were rulers; just judging by those powerful thighs, it was definitely more than 60KG.
Taylor seemed completely unaware that Leon was behind her.
Constantly bending her body, adjusting her posture, doing high-difficulty yoga training on the grass.
Leon shook his head. Just as he wanted to step forward to say hello, he stopped.
Taylor lay on the ground, in a kneeling posture.
Bending her waist to stretch her body curve to an exaggerated amplitude.
Downward Dog.
Leon was all too familiar with this move.
In the Henry Street apartment, Bonnie repeated this move almost every night.
And when she did this move, she was actually releasing a message—
Give it to me!
Compared to Bonnie, Taylor's physical conditions were obviously much superior.
Such physical talent would be top-notch even in the modeling circle.
Due to the scorching sun and exercise, beads of sweat had clearly seeped out on Taylor's body.
Under the soaking of sweat, the already thin yoga pants appeared even thinner.
Indescribably wonderful.
Leon almost forgot what he came for, quickly shaking his head. "This move should be stretched more forcefully."
"Raise your neck, let your body be taut like a full bow."
Taylor was startled, quickly stopping all movements and standing up.
Dripping with fragrant sweat, cheeks flushed.
The surrounding air floated a little water vapor due to the rise in skin temperature.
"Why are you like a ghost, making no sound at all!" Taylor tucked her hair behind her ear, adjusting her breathing.
Trying to lower her heart rate which rose due to exercise.
"Clearly you were too engrossed yourself." Leon spread his hands. "But this state is correct; the best state during yoga training should be wholehearted devotion."
"You know yoga too?" Taylor was a bit surprised.
"Of course, if you want to know, I can give you a good lecture on how Indians created yoga..."
"Nobody knows yoga better than me."