Chapter Twenty-Three
“What up doe, Detroit,” Bree greeted the city. “Today we have a couple of special guests and baby, they came into the studio looking like the mob,” she joked. “All black everything, you hear me.”
Logic chuckled, but he could see where she was coming from. Rahlo and Czar sat beside him while Al, Duce, Alicia, and Joe lined the wall. Joe had his camera out, capturing content for Logic’s social media pages as Alicia tapped on her iPad, confirming studio times for the upcoming week.
“Man, we got muthafuckin’ Southwest Rah, Czar, and their prodigy, Logic, in the building.” DJ Rhythm excitedly clapped his hands together. “Shit, I don’t know where to start.”
“I do,” Bree took control. “First off, I’d like to say congratulations on starting your label,” she praised Rahlo and Czar.
“Thank you,” both men humbly replied.
“And you know what?” DJ Rhythm sat up. “It’s more than just starting a label. Yall scouting the city for undiscovered talent and working with a lot of unknown faces. What yall are doing could be considered a movement for the people…our people.”
“We’re always trying to put our people on because I know how hard it is to get your feet wet,” Rahlo agreed. “But we just don’t put anybody on. I need to see the work, you need to be dedicated to your future because I can’t care more than you.”
“Swear,” Czar agreed. “And we not saying you gotta have your shit together right out the gate, but if you’re trying to be a rapper, are you in the studio?
You wanna be the best, are you studying the best?
Are you putting in work to become who you want to be, or are you just talking shit, hoping someone gives you a chance? ”
“And that’s real shit,” Bree replied. “Is that how this happened?” She pointed at Logic. “I’ve heard his name before but not like I’m hearing it now.”
“His manager irritating as fuck,” Rahlo joked, nodding toward Al, who stood there like a proud father. “Nah, I’m fucking with him, but this man rides for Lo, and I mean that in more ways than one. He wasn’t letting up until he got him in the studio with us and the rest was magic.”
“Wow, that’s a good friend.” Bree nodded.
“This not just my friend,” Al spoke. “This my brother and if he’s the one with the talent, then guess what, we doing what we need to do in order for him to be seen.”
“Swear,” Czar said. “I only know a few rappers in the game who can control their voice like this man. Logic really don’t need features. He so fucking talented that you’ll think three people on the track and it’s just him.”
“Logic,” Bree turned to him, “Is that something you practiced?”
“Not intentionally,” he answered. “I used to read my sisters bedtime stories and they wanted everybody in the story to have a different voice. I tried it one day while I was rhyming and it became a thing.”
“Wow.” She smiled. “That’s dope.”
“Thank you, sweetheart.”
“How long have you been rapping?” DJ Rhythm asked.
“Since grade school.” Logic chuckled. “Me and this nigga Al used to have the lunchroom rocking. We met Duce,” he pointed behind him, “In ninth grade and found out he was good with beats. The rest was history.”
“Who are the other two people with you?”
“That’s my assistant, Alicia, and my content creator, Joe.”
“Ok, is this what a dream team looks like?”
“Something like that.”
“Before you were signed, did you drop music on your own?”
“Here and there, but nothing like that. I didn’t take it as serious as I should’ve.”
“What changed?”
“My appetite,” Logic replied. “I need more out of life, and I refuse to keep settling for scraps. No disrespect to people working 9 to 5s, but that shit not for me. I’ll never be ok with working for pennies and the government wanting to take half of nothing.”
“Real shit,” Czar agreed.
“Respect.” DJ Rhythm bobbed his head. “Aight look, I gotta ask, what’s your beef with Dex? I’ve heard rumors of yall going toe to toe, what’s that about?”
“Toe to toe?” Logic cockily chuckled. “That nigga not fucking with me on my worst day.”
“So, there’s beef?” Bree leaned forward.
“No. I simply don’t fuck with the nigga and that’s that.”
“Your freestyle Dexter the Heckler is going viral,” DJ Rhythm stated. “Now that was off the dome?”
“Yea. I was bullshitin'.” Logic chuckled in the mic. “That man is a bully and I just needed to let him know ain’t no lil dog shit this way.”
“Well, you’re a better rapper than him anyway, so I’m team you,” Bree flirted.
“Are you worried about retaliation?” DJ Rhythm asked. “I know you hurt that man's feelings and he isn’t going to just lay down and take it.
“Nah. I’m not worried about shit,” Logic answered, keeping the answer short and sweet. He wasn’t worried about Dexter or no other nigga for that matter. If and when Dexter was ready to get his lick back, Logic would be ready for him.
“I hear that.” Bree nodded. “We gone take a few calls before we play your new single, cool?”
“Cool.” Logic nodded, sitting back in his seat.
Alicia leaned forward and passed him a water bottle, which he accepted.
“Good looking.” He winked at her. Glancing over at Rahlo, Logic caught the look of approval.
His prodigy was turning out to be a good investment.
Rahlo appreciated that Logic didn’t do too much and he said just enough.
“What’s up caller?” Bree flipped the button on the switchboard. “You’re on the air.”
“Heyy, oh my god. Logic, you are so freaking fine. I mean like you got the whole rough look down pat and I love it.”
“Thank you, sweetheart,” Logic spoke into the mic.
“Are you in a relationship?”
“Yea,” he answered. “I have a girlfriend.”
“This nigga.” Al was tickled by the fact that Logic was claiming Tyler all on the radio without her permission.
“Do you want two?” the caller cooed. “We can be like Neyo. I wouldn’t mind sharing you.”
“Not at the moment, shorty.” Logic chuckled.
“Next caller.” Bree hung up on her.
“Are you in a relationship with Tyler?”
“No comment,” Logic replied, although he wanted to say yes. He wouldn’t put his big baby on blast just yet, but if she didn’t answer the phone for him within the next twenty-four hours, he was going to show her how deranged her mouth made him.
Bree took a few more calls before DJ Rhythm dropped a song from Logic’s album.
It didn’t take long before the whole room was vibing.
The caller board was lit up, and Al was bopping around the room rapping the lyrics as if he wrote them.
Joe made sure to record everything, and Rahlo went live on Instagram.
Logic nonchalantly sat back and enjoyed the moment.
This was a moment he wanted to live in forever and he thanked God for allowing him to experience it.
“Ok Logic, before you go, please tell us what we can expect with the upcoming album,” Bree probed, hoping to get a little insight.
“You can expect greatness,” Czar answered. “Pure fucking greatness.”
“And with that folks, we’re going to replay Logic’s new release…Logically Thinking.” DJ Rhythm queued the song and just like that the studio was vibing again.
???
Tyler sat in the passenger seat of Aria’s car smiling from ear to ear.
Although she was dodging him like hot grits, Tyler was proud of Logic.
She listened to the interview twice and wanted to die when he said he had a girlfriend, knowing he was talking about her.
Tyler was grateful he didn’t mention her name, knowing that it would’ve opened a can of worms she wasn’t ready for.
The pictures of them were still circling the internet, but with no new information, bloggers slowly let the story die.
“Aunt Ty,” Mya called out from the backseat.
“Yes?” Tyler answered, cutting the radio down.
“Since you not rich no more, do you want to work at our school?”
“Mya!” Aria scolded.
“Mommy, she has a nice voice, she needs a job, and our music teacher is annoying,” Maddie reasoned for her sister. “It’s a win-win.”
“And being in her class is an automatic A+,” Mya added. “She definitely gone look out for us.”
“Um, no, I’m ok.” Tyler shook her head.
“Then what are you going to do for money because my birthday coming up and you give the best gifts?” Maddie quizzed.
“Oh, so her gifts were better than mine?” Aria glanced at her through the rearview mirror.
“Basically,” Mya answered. “Your gifts are like a 6 outta 7. Aunt Ty gifts are a 10.”
“You hear me.” Maddie tapped her index finger and thumb together. “Mommy, you give us money and clothes. Aunt Ty gifts us experiences.”
“Well, she broke and the only trip she gifting yall is to Chucky Cheese,” Aria teased.
“Oh no!” Mya held her chest. “It’s worse than we thought,” she whispered to her sister. “I think we might need to start a GoFundMe in her honor.”
“Hey! No, if yall start another GoFundMe, I’m going to whoop yall ass,” Aria warned.
The last time her daughters said they were going to create a GoFundMe, they did and earned over $15,000 for a car they couldn’t drive.
Aria didn’t know why a bunch of dummies donated their hard-working money to a couple of twelve-year-olds, but they did.
Instead of letting them buy a car, Aria put the money in a savings account they couldn’t touch until they were eighteen.
“Are we dropping them off before or after dinner?” Tyler whispered.
“After,” Aria giggled. “I told Kevin I’d keep them for the day so he could work on his relationship.”
“Bitch, you tricked me.”
“How?”
“You said we were dropping them off.”
“We are,” Aria insisted, pulling into the parking lot of their favorite restaurant. “After dinner.”
“I’mma slap you,” Tyler threatened, gazing down at her vibrating phone. She sent the caller to voicemail and slid the phone in her purse. Removing her lip gloss, Tyler applied a couple of coats, ran her hand through her shoulder length curls, and glanced over at Aria, who was staring at her.
“What?” Tyler questioned.
“When that man catches you, he’s going to tear you a new asshole.”
“Good, maybe I’ll cum.”