Chapter Two
Channing Watson
Isat with my eyes closed, bobbing my head to the beat and lyrics as I
played it back. Stella Solar was absolutely going to be the next big thing
to hit the R&B scene. She had it all—the voice, the talent, the looks, the stage presence… all of it. I discovered her one night when I went to this open mic.
Every now and then, I liked to scout for new and undiscovered talents. I wasn’t talking about people who made YouTube videos or posted themselves singing on social media. I was looking for the raw underground shit. Those were the types of people who one would never guess possessed the talent they did. They came to open mics or performed at little hole-in- the-wall spots just because they loved the vibe.
That was Stella Solar. The twenty-three-year-old waitress with vocals that sounded like a mixture of Jennifer Hudson and Fantasia had no idea she possessed a life-changing talent. Baby had lungs for days. She could silence the crowd with her vocals. The first time I heard her sing, there was dead silence when she finished.
It took a moment for people to digest what they heard, but after that, she got a standing ovation that was well deserved. From that point, she gave me goosebumps every time I heard her blow.
As the track came to an end, I opened my eyes. Stella was looking at me with hopeful eyes.
“What do you think?” she asked in a small voice.
Her speaking tone was so meek that one wouldn’t think she could sing the way she did.
“You did an amazing job, Stella. I really like how smooth your vocals sounded on the last take, but let’s see if we can add a bit more grit and passion this time.”
“I’ll channel some extra emotion into it this time.”
“That would be great. Make it sound like you’re really feeling the lyrics. And maybe we could slow down the phrasing a bit too… let it breathe in places.”
“Okay, I got it.”
She blew a breath and shook her hands like she was shaking away the nervousness. She really had nothing to worry about. She took direction extremely well, unlike some artists I worked with.
“Run that back,” I told my assistant, Marco.
He ran the track back while Stella waited for her cue. When the beat dropped, she did exactly what I told her. A smile spread across my face. Subtle changes could strengthen the impact. I had to preach to my artists all the time. Erykah Badu already let us know. They were artists, and they had to be sensitive about their shit. For me, that meant taking criticism as love.
It wasn’t just their names on a record or an album. My name was on that shit too, and I took great pride in what I did. I didn’t care if the artist was the talent. What I wouldn’t tolerate was my name being on some bullshit.
Stella finished up and looked at me for confirmation. I gave her a thumbs up.
“Love it. You gave the intensity while keeping control. I think we’ve got the lead vocal track. Let’s layer up some harmonies in the next section. That should open up the chorus.”
She smiled. “I’m ready when you are. I can’t wait to hear how these layering tracks fill out the song.”
“You the shit, Stella, baby. This is coming together nicely. Just a few more takes, and I think we’ll have the vocals done for this single. By the end of the session, we’ll be taking a shot to celebrate your first completed single.”
She was all smiles as she put her headphones back on. I could tell she was going to be one of my favorite artists to work with. Her mother sat beside me, beaming with pride.
“I can’t believe this is happening,” she said, placing her hand over her heart. “My baby is going to be a star.”
I smiled. “She really is. You should be proud.”
“I’m very proud. I just wish her father was here to see it. She used to love singing with him. After he passed away when she was fifteen, she barely wanted to hum a tune, let alone sing a song. She’s living his dream for her right now. Thank you for taking a chance on her, Mr. Watson.”
“Call me Channing. And it’s I that should be thanking her. You don’t find raw, unfiltered talent like hers every day. She’s got something special, and the world needs to hear it. That’s what I’m here for.”
She smiled and grabbed my hand as she turned her attention back to Stella in the booth. I tuned back in myself. After another hour in the studio and some fine tuning, the track was perfect. Stella and her mother both cried during the full playback. I smiled because I knew I’d done my job. This single alone was about to change their lives.
After saying goodbye to Stella and her mom, I killed time, waiting for my next artist to get to the studio. I wasn’t sure how I felt about this one. He brought me in halfway through the process after firing his previous team.
Word on the street was he’d become a little difficult to work with lately. My sources said it was nothing more than an inflated ego. That wasn’t uncommon. Many artists came into the industry humble and grew to be entitled. They wanted what they wanted, how they wanted it, and when they wanted it. I’d seen it time and time again. Artists sometimes got too big and forgot where they came from.
Fortunately for them, I could humble a muthafucka real quick.
Around two, the door opened, and Prince Cole walked in along with Lady Lingo at his side. I’d worked on her last album, so we were familiar with each other. She was the one who recommended me to him in the first place.
“Good evening,” I said, standing to greet them.
Lady Lingo immediately came to me for a hug.
“Channing! It’s good to see you again!”
“Likewise, baby.”
“Channing, this is Raheem. Raheem, this is the infamous Channing Watson, producer extraordinaire. When I say you’re going to love him, you’re going to love him!”
I stuck out my hand. “Nice to meet you, man.”
He dapped me up. “Nice to meet you. Imani has sung your praises.”
I noticed he called her by her government name and wondered if there was something more between them than being on the same label. Everybody either called her Lady or Lady Lingo. That wasn’t my business, though.
“All good things, I hope,” I responded.
“You’d think she was obsessed.”
She playfully slapped his chest. “Don’t put me on blast like that! Channing, I was simply honest. You were amazing on my last album. I just want him to experience some of your magic.”
I chuckled. “I appreciate it. Why don’t y’all have a seat and we can get started. Prince, you can tell me about your vision for this album.”
“Fa’sho.”
They both took a seat, and he took off the backpack he was wearing. After digging through it, he pulled out a weathered notebook I assumed housed his lyrics. At least that was a good sign. He came prepared. My optimism was shifted when his phone chimed. He pulled it out, and a frown appeared on his face.
“Aye, excuse me a second. I need to make a phone call.”
Lady Lingo gave a nervous smile. “Can it wait?” she asked through gritted teeth.
Something told me that whatever the problem was, it wasn’t new.
“Nah, it can’t,” he answered, standing.
“Raheem, Channing is a busy man. He doesn’t have time to waste.”
Raheem looked between the two of us. “My apologies, man. I really need to handle this right quick. I can pay you for any extra time we take.”
Since I didn’t have another meeting after this, I decided to oblige him.
“Go on.”
“Thanks, man.”
He quickly left the room, leaving the two of us alone. Lady Lingo rolled her eyes as she sat back and crossed her legs.
“I’m sure it’s his little girlfriend. Some people have no respect for your craft.”
“Hmm,” was all I gave her.
I didn’t care what he had going on outside of this studio. When he came in, he needed to leave that extra shit behind. In here, we were on my time, and my time was nothing to be played with. Several hours later, I was climbing into my Range Rover to head home for the night. My session with Prince Cole was interesting. For him to have a reputation for killing shit in the studio, he seemed awfully distracted. He left the room three additional times to take a phone call. Not only that, but he was also constantly texting, and his demeanor had completely changed.
Lady Lingo was visibly annoyed with him. I left the room once to use the bathroom, and when I came back, I could see them in the booth arguing. I wasn’t sure what that was about, but once I entered the room, she left the booth and came to join me. I made it a point to shoot an email to his management to speak with him about his professionalism. What I wouldn’t do was make this shit a habit. Once you let a muthafucka slide with disrespecting your time, they started ice skating.
After stopping to get food, I made my way to my house. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted by my two-year-old Rottie, Koda.
“Hey, pretty girl,” I said, stooping down and scratching behind her ears. “Did you miss daddy?”
She whined as she rested her head on my shoulder. Koda was my big baby. It didn’t help that she loved to be carried around like a toddler. She was always so content in my arms. If I ever got married or had a child of my own, I wasn’t sure how she was going to react.
“Let’s feed you, baby girl. Daddy is hungry too.”
Standing to my feet, I walked into the kitchen. After washing my hands, I went to the mini fridge that housed food just for Koda. I fed her a diet of meat and vegetables. Tonight, I prepared a steak, seasoned with a beef flavored dog food topper, sweet potatoes, and a fried egg. I added a few supplements for joint, bone, and skin care that were essential for dogs.
Most people that knew me said I did too much for her, but Koda was my baby. If I ate good, why couldn’t she? Nobody else had to foot the bill for her food consumption, so I really didn’t give a fuck what they had to say. I placed the bowl on her mat then filled her bowl with water and two ice cubes.
Once I was done, I washed my hands and grabbed last night’s leftover plate of chicken and rice. Tossing it in the microwave, I went to grab myself a cold beer. Once the timer dinged, I headed back into the living room and sat on my couch. After turning on the TV movie, I dug into my plate.
Maybe ten minutes later, my phone started ringing. Plucking it from my pocket, I saw it was Shavonn, the woman I dealt with from time to time. Smirking, I answered the phone.
“Hello?”
“Hey, handsome. Are you busy?”
“Nah. I just got home. Me and Koda are eating dinner. What’s up?”
“Nothing much. Laying here all by my lonesome, wondering how I’m gonna entertain myself. Then I thought about you and realized I’ve been cumming by myself for two whole weeks.”
I chuckled. “Now, ain’t that a shame?”
“Isn’t it? Imagine all of this good pussy juice going to waste.”
I licked my lips. Shavonn definitely had some good ass pussy. My dick got hard just thinking about that tight, wet, fat muthafucka.
“What do you want me to do about that?” I asked, slouching in my seat.
“Invite me over, and you can do whatever you want.”
“Is that right?”
“Mmm hmm…”
She started moaning in my ear, then I heard the sound of her vibrator buzzing.
“Oooo… I’m already so wet for you, Channing… shit!”
“Well, bring your ass on over here.”
“Okay, daddy… mmm… We’ll see you soon, baby.”
“Bet. I’m gonna go hop in the shower, but I’ma leave the door unlocked for you.”
“I’ll be waiting for you.”
We disconnected the call, and I finished eating. When I was done, I put the dishes in the dishwasher and let Koda out to use the bathroom. After she handled her business, I unlocked my door and headed upstairs to shower. I lived in a safe neighborhood, so I didn’t worry about anybody coming in my shit.
I needed the stress reliever Shavonn was sure to provide me. As a single man of now four years, shit got a lil lonely every now and then. I wasn’t opposed to a relationship. I didn’t have an ex that did me dirty. I wasn’t on some he-man woman hater’s club type of shit.
I was simply cool with chilling by myself until my rib showed herself in my life. The next woman I entertained romantically had to be my wife. She needed to possess all the qualities I looked for in that special lady. I needed a woman that was independent, because fucking with me was a bonus and not a come up.
I needed a woman that was family oriented because I wanted children. She needed to be financially responsible. I couldn’t have no female running through my hard-earned money as soon as I got it. Help me invest. Look for ways to multiply our income. Be fucking frugal at times. I made good money producing, but I lived a modest lifestyle for the most part.
My wife needed to be beautiful, inside and out. I didn’t give a fuck if she was beautiful to anybody else. She could be a five to the world and a ten to me. As long as I was attracted to her mind, body, and soul, that was all that mattered. I wanted her to be kind-hearted, loving, respectful, and loyal. And she had to love Koda because my baby wasn’t going anywhere.
I didn’t think I was asking for much, but I hadn’t run into a woman like that yet. Now, was I fucking and getting my dick sucked? Absolutely. A nigga had needs, and I was attractive. Women like Shavonn served their purpose. She knew what it was and what it wasn’t. That was what I loved about her.
She didn’t require commitment, and she didn’t want it. I dicked her down, took her to a few industry parties, and broke her off a lil something when I felt like it. She understood that she wasn’t my gir1, and I wasn’t her man. That was the way it’d always been.
Thirty minutes later, I shut off the shower and stepped out. Grabbing my towel, I dried myself off and brushed my teeth. As I reached for the knob on the bathroom door, Shavonn’s signature scent drifted through the air, infiltrating my nostrils. She was here. I knew when I opened this door, she was going to be on the other side, assuming the muthafucking position.
I smirked as I twisted the handle and pulled it open. Sure enough, the five-foot-five, caramel complexion, thick ass beauty was on my bed, face down, ass up.
“Hey, daddy,” she purred, making her ass jiggle. “We’ve been waiting on you two.”
Crooking her finger, she motioned me to her. Slowly, I strolled across the room to where she was and smacked her ass. She moaned softly as she reached out to grab my dick.
“You missed me, baby?” she asked, stroking it.
I leaned over and grabbed a condom from my dresser. “Yeah… I missed you.”
“How bad?”
“Open that pretty ass mouth and find out.”
She smirked as she rolled over onto her back and hung her head off the bed. Opening her mouth, she stuck her tongue out and guided my dick down her throat.
If anything would relax and put me straight to sleep, it would be Shavonn’s nasty ass. I’d say this was a perfect ending to a long ass day.