Chapter 3 #3
Three years later, that little buzz had earned them seven figures multiple times.
They had to split it three ways but it was still a huge accomplishment.
The money wasn't much in comparison to what others were bringing in, but it was theirs, and not a damn soul could place claim to one dollar they’d earned.
Asao now had ten years in the game and seven figures came easily.
"Nickel and dime?" Asao laughed arrogantly, taking a step closer to Cobra.
He caught the exact moment where Cobra had to anchor his scary ass so he didn't embarrass himself by stepping back.
"Those nickels and dimes add up when you don't have muthafuckers like you with their hands in your pockets, raping your talent and stacking their bank accounts. "
Asao’s eyes stayed on Cobra's, which flashed with anger. He’d wanted Asao on his label more than a junkie wanted their next hit.
Asao saw the muscles around Cobra’s eyes tense from the anxiousness that danced in his tainted spirit.
He was positive the possibility of Asao being on his roster made Cobra’s dick rise.
Cobra was the first to retreat. He laughed lightly, trying to hide the hunger and disappointment he felt behind knowing it would never happen. "You know I own this city, don't you?"
One brow hiked quickly and Asao felt Dom move into his personal space. He didn't have to see Dom to know where his hand was, so Asao held one up to halt his movements.
"That sounds dangerously close to a threat. My first love is still in me.” The streets. “It would be smart of you to consider that."
There it was again. That split second where Cobra remembered who they were. A smug smile opened onto his face before he spoke again. "I'm offering you money. Why would I threaten you?"
"Ol’ mark ass muthafucker," Dom grunted from beside Asao. "Get the fuck outta here."
Dom turned on his heels and Asao heard a door open behind him. Cobra's eyes left him and moved over his shoulder before his attention made it Asao’s way again.
"Always good to see you, youngin'. My door is always open."
He watched as Cobra turned his back and left down the hall.
His stride was hurried but dismissive, even as he squared his shoulders, faking confidence.
Rule of the streets: never turn your back on an enemy.
Asao was his enemy and not one he would risk losing anything over. At least not here, like this.
"I want to cap that simp ass muthafucker so bad.
I swear I feel my finger twitch every time he's around and I don't even know shit about him.
I just feel how grimy he is." Dom's voice boomed Asao’s way as soon as he entered the room.
He sat at the control board, eyes narrowed, damn near shut from how angry he was.
Asao's mood was already fucked up and he didn't want to make it worse by confirming Dom’s sentiment so he moved on.
"Check this out though." With his phone in hand, he pulled up the tracks from last night and tossed it over to Dom. Seconds later his voice filled the room and their heads simultaneously bounced in rhythm with the beat.
"What do you think about the thing with Cap?" Asao asked while the track played.
Dom gave it a minute before he actually offered his full attention. That told Asao a lot.
"It would be a good look to actually have our own spot and not have to pay for shit like this.
I could set it up the way I want. That's a lot of money though.
We have it, so we could do it, but it's a lot with no guarantee of a return. I’ll bet on you every muthafucking time, but someone else, that shit is a gamble. "
With a nod, Asao lifted a hand and smoothed his waves.
"He didn't run the numbers yet. We can figure out the money but time…
" he paused, considering it. "…that's more what I'm concerned with.
It isn't in me to mess up somebody else's chance to make it.
That's a lot of commitment. We barely figured it out on our own.
" They met somewhere in the middle of the same thought for a moment of reflection.
He saw Dom's mind working like his, running through the chances they’d taken, not knowing if it would pay off.
There had been no method or blueprint for how they’d ended up here.
They just did it—hard work, grinding, long hours.
It all worked out one way or another because failure wasn't an option. But if it were about other people and they were looking to them…him for guidance? Shit, he wasn’t sure he would have the answers. That was a huge weight to carry.
If Asao made the wrong move with someone else's future, it would be on his heart, heavy. He knew how badly he wanted it after he made the decision to accept the creative pull that the universe had on him. He would never want to fuck that up for anyone. Ever!
"You don't mess shit up, Sao. That's not in your nature. That’s why you move like you move.
Your mind is always ten steps ahead, considering not just yourself but everyone connected to you.
You're the reason we're out here getting money.
Niles is hustling for us. I'm not discounting his grind.
He's making connections but that's only because you put us on.
Don't think we don't acknowledge and respect that.
If it wasn't for you, we'd still be getting money, just the wrong ways. Our body count would be higher, and shit, we might not even be here to tell our story…”
Dom paused with understanding that he didn't need to elaborate on. Death or prison. "If you put your name on it, shit is gonna be straight."
"I'll hit Niles up to run the numbers. We'll see what Cap's talking ’bout then decide. Until then… I want to record these."
Dom grunted through his frustration. He wanted Asao to take a stance on the deal with Cap, but knew he wouldn't.
"Them shits are dope, right? I knew you were gonna set it off proper.
" That statement had Asao laughing under his breath.
Dom was stroking both of their egos at the same time.
His beats and Asao's lyrics on top of them was pure genius, a talent that couldn't be touched even by so-called legends. "How do you want to do it?"
Dom handed Asao’s phone back before he began flipping switches on the control board. Asao was sure he had the tracks stored and was ready to go.
"Let me run through it then you can do your thing."
"Aight, bet. We're clubbing tonight, right?" Dom returned.
His cheek hiked at the same time his brows lifted. "Didn't you have enough of that last night?"
"Hell nah. When have you ever known me to pass up a chance to do it big?"
Translation, get drunk and get laid.
"Let's get this done so I can head home for a minute.
You know I'm old as shit." Dom laughed hard.
Asao could tell it came from understanding of how his boy got down.
He was old as shit. Not by way of years but his days of being in the middle of things had ended as soon as this music thing took off.
It consumed every bit of energy he owned but he damn sure wasn't complaining. His fist met with Dom's before he headed to the booth. A switch flipped because just that fast he was focused. He would run through all three tracks, likely in one run because the words were committed to memory.
It was how he processed. Once he was done, he would leave Dom to do his thing.
The tracks were always temporary, a starting point to get his words flowing.
By the time Dom was done, they would have some fire shit that would blaze like everything else they put out in the world.
For them, this was second nature, closely compared to the beat of a heart or taking a breath.