Chapter 11
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Pleasantries and head nods were exchanged between Onyx, Kas, and random workers of WCMG as the pair made their way throughout the headquarters.
Looking around, Kas couldn’t stop the feeling of pride spreading throughout his body.
His brother had gone from being raised in the slums to being a multi-platinum singer.
He’d built WCMG from the ground up, and Kas couldn’t wait to see the heights his brother would take the company to.
The brothers stepped onto the elevator, and Kas pressed the button to take them to the fifth floor.
He released a deep preparatory breath, shaking his head in the process.
“Hell wrong with you?” Onyx inquired.
“How long you plan on feeling this Zahra chick out?”
“I mean, I want to give her a fair chance.”
“How fair is too fair though, Nyx? I understand she’s marketable and all that, but that bitch don’t have even a little bit of talent.”
“She was one of the first people to reach out to the label. Plus, she’s from VA, close to the tri-cities so I want to make sure we really try to develop her before deciding she’s not gone work.”
“Ain’t that much developing in the world. She can’t sing for shit, and it seems like the more I try to coach her, the worse she gets.”
“That’s ‘cause her ass be too busy smiling in yo face. Don’t think I missed that shit.”
“Shit, it wasn’t nothing for me to hide. I don’t be smiling back.”
“You may not have been smiling, but I’ve caught you checking her out. I know you. It’s only a matter of time.”
“Damn, you don’t have no faith in yo baby brother?”
“As far as females are concerned… hell nah,” Onyx replied as they stepped from the elevator. They ventured the length of the hall and turned the corner to find Zahra already standing outside the door of the studio suite.
Her bright smile widened, and big brown eyes seemed to shine when she laid eyes on Kas.
The lust in her eyes couldn’t be hidden as she took in his Palm Angels tee, coordinating jeans and Retro Jordan 11s.
The seat of her panties moistened as Kas ruffled his curls and smiled at something his brother said.
It was like he didn’t know how intoxicating he was, but it was hard for Zahra to ignore.
She’d been pining for Kas long before she even met him, and she’d already decided that day would be the day she subtly made her move.
She never dropped her smile, showing 32 teeth as Kas and Onyx approached her.
“Good morning, Mr. Zaman.”
“Morning Zahra, and you can just call me Onyx.”
“Noted.” Zahra offered Onyx a head nod then turned her sights on Kas. She became excited watching Kas’ eyes roam her slowly. To her, it symbolized his interest in her. “Kas, good morning. How are you today?”
“What’s up, you ready to sing?”
“I am.”
“Good… I hope you been practicing.”
“I have.” Zahra answered gleefully, nodding her head up and down.
Onyx tried to contain his laughter because he knew Kas was being an ass.
“Ight, let’s get in here and see how that expensive ass vocal training is paying off.”
“Okay, you’re going to be so impressed, Mr. Zaman… I mean, Onyx.”
Once Zahra walked off, Kas formed his fingers in the shape of a gun and put them to his head.
Onyx couldn’t do anything but laugh at his brother.
As soon as they entered the studio suite, they got right down to business, sending Zahra into the booth.
Kas cued up the track and gave her instructions to start from the top.
As soon as she started singing, Onyx’s eyebrows shot up, and Kas’ head fell back in exhaustion.
They didn’t know how it was possible, but after working with the voice coach, she seemed to sound worse.
“You see what the fuck I mean?”
“Bruh, ain’t no way she sound this bad. We should’ve just let Baby do this shit.”
“I told her the same thing last time we were in here. Like, I don’t know what the fuck else to do. That vocal coach must need some coaching because he done made the bitch sound worse.”
“She is terrible.” Onyx admitted, pressing the speaker button so Zahra could hear him. “Ayo, Zahra.”
“Yes, Onyx?”
“We um, something ain’t working. Do you feel comfortable with how high the melody is?”
“Yes, it’s perfect. Your wife did an amazing job with the reference. It works well because I think she and I sound the same.”
“Fuck nah… I mean, um, it’s possible, but we need to work on a few things. I’mma try to help you out a little. You cool with that?”
“Learning from one of the best male singers since Wanya Morris? Of course, I’m cool with that.”
“Appreciate that. Ight, go ahead and step out the booth so I can give you a few pointers.”
For the next three hours, Onyx tried his best to improve Zahra’s singing by at least 50% but his efforts proved futile.
He hated to accept that the girl was a lost cause, so he made up his mind to bring in an additional coach.
Zahra had a marketable look and a personality that would fare well with fans.
He’d give her development its due diligence and would wait until they’d exhausted all resources before deeming her a flop.
Having had enough of her ghastly singing for one day, Onyx decided it was time to call it a night.
“So, I have another vocal coach with different methods than the one you’re currently working with. I'm going to have her contact you to set up a schedule. Hopefully, she can target and fix some of your problem areas. I’ll check in in a few days to see what kind of progress you’re making.”
“Okay. Thank you, Onyx, I really do appreciate all you’re doing for me.”
“No, thanks needed. It’s my job.”
“Got it. Oh, um, Kas, I think it would be a good idea if you put your number in my phone too.”
“What you need my number for?”
“You know, in case I have some sort of breakthrough with the vocal coach and need to come in to record. I don’t want to bother Onyx if it’ll just be you and me in the studio.”
She had a point. Since Kas was the producer, he was the person Zahra would work with the most, so having his contact information was vital. Pulling his phone from his pocket, he unlocked it and handed it to Zahra to program her number.
“So, um, that one girl that was here the last time… Yanna, I think her name was. Is she your girlfriend?”
“You can say that.”
“Oh, it’s weird because I saw someone on IG asking if you were her man, and she said no.”
“You follow her on IG?”
“No, this was actually under a photo Munroe posted. I do follow her,” Zahra told a half-truth. She didn’t follow Yanna on IG, but she’d stalked her page religiously ever since that first day at WCMG.
“Oh, ight, but yea, she tends to tell people that… not wanting to put a label on it or whatever. She is mine, though, period.”
“She’s crazy. If you were my man, I’d be making sure everyone knew it.”
“Yea?” Kas questioned, wondering what that would be like. He’d never had a real relationship before Yanna. He was always trying so hard to attain it, he never really took a moment to think about what he was missing out on.
“Yea. You’re both talented and fine as hell.
Sorry if that’s inappropriate.” Zahra knew exactly what she was doing.
Swelling Kas’ head in hopes she’d appeal to a part of him that Yanna wasn’t fulfilling.
A small smirk crept onto her face because from the still in Kas’ movements, she could tell it was working.
“Nah, you good. I appreciate you saying that.”
“Well, I meant it. Anyway, I put my number in your phone and called myself, so I’ll have yours. If you need me for anything just call me up. I’m only about 30 minutes away from the studio.”
“Bet,” Kas responded simply.
“Okay, so I’ll talk to you later.”
“Yup,” Kas replied, giving Zahra a lasting glance as she left the studio.
When she left the room, Onyx pulled a pre-rolled blunt from his pocket and lit it. Leaning back in his chair, he studied his brother for a beat before speaking.
“Kas.”
“Huh?”
“When I brought you on to be the label’s producer, I ran down the rules to you. What was rule number one?”
“I won’t listening when you was saying that shit.”
“Kas, don’t make me fuck you up. What was rule number one?”
“Fuck is you, Uncle Clifford? Nigga this ain’t The Pank,” Kas joked, and Onyx tucked his blunt in his mouth, stood and approached him. “Ight, Nyx, chill out, damn. Rule number one was to not fuck the artists.”
“So why am I getting this feeling about you and my artist?”
“Technically, she’s not yo artist yet. And the rule ain’t say shit about yo feelings. I didn’t break yo lil’ rule because I ain’t fucking her, am I?”
“I ain’t never been stupid, boy, you ain’t fucking her yet.”
“You been stupid a lot, what you mean?”
“You want yo ass beat so bad, I swear.”
“For real, I ain’t even did shit. She cute as shit though, and you the one that sent her in the studio to record off my reference.”
“And? That’s yo fucking job. Act like you got some kind of willpower.”
“When have you ever known me to have willpower?”
“Nigga, find some. You ain’t about to be making shit messy at my label because you fucking all the female artists.”
“Wait, you gone sign her for real? You have heard her sing, right?”
Onyx couldn’t help but laugh at that. “My voice won’t perfect when I started, voice lessons perfected my shit. She got an alright instrument though.”
“I got an instrument for her thick ass,” Kas joked. Zahra was indeed cute and had a nice body, but Kas was only interested in making things work with Yanna. Still, he couldn’t stop the fleeting what if at the thought of having a woman who was actually open to being loved.
“I’mma end up with high blood pressure fucking with you. I tell you what though, you fuck her, and you cost her a deal because I had enough drama in my career. I don’t need scandal on my label because you a hoe.”
“How you gone put that girl career in my hands?”
“Like I just did.”