Chapter 15 #2
“Good morning, good morning, I am your girl DJ Beauty here with the one you love to hate Dayton is Law and we are Beauty and the Beats. Today we have some special guests in-house and I have a feeling all of you out there are going to be just as geeked as I am. Let me get right to it, we have a superstar in the house. Let’s give it up for the legendary Samari Janaé. ”
“What’s up y’all?” Samari said casually.
“Now if you know me, you know I don’t play when it comes to representing our own. If you’re Crescent Falls, you’re in rotation. But when it comes to this lady right here, sis, I’m a fan, fan.”
Samari smiled, not really expecting the love she received from Beauty. “Thank you, I appreciate that.”
“Aww shit. She’s being modest. You don’t know how deep it goes,” Dayton said through a smile that exposed his deep dimples.
Dayton was fuck boy handsome and put a smile on Samari’s face.
Craters in both cheeks were on display even when he wasn’t smiling, with waves so defined that made folks heads swim from the motion, long lashes, thick brows, and a goatee that highlighted sexy lips.
His chocolate skin was beautiful and his hooded eyes had a way of making anyone under their gaze feel special.
“I would say he’s right but his ego is already too damn big. So I will say I’ve been trying to get you on my show for years. So what I need to know is why we’re beefing, sis?”
Because Beauty had a smile in place, Samari returned one. “We’re not beefing. It’s all love.”
“Nah, it’s not though. When your album dropped, I was blowing your team up trying to get you in here and they shut me down. I was like, damn, why she got me blocked? I fucks with her heavy.”
“Mari is cool. Charge that shit to her label because we already know what it is with them.” Niles spoke up, and when Samari turned toward him, he winked before Dayton brought her attention to him.
“You were with Cobra, right?”
“Yes,” Samari stated cautiously.
“Okay, okay, I can let that slide because we already know what it is with them. But your new family is representing for you. Shout out to Track Killaz, even though our boy won’t show his face. We love you A’so, but damn, can we get some airtime?” Beauty said into the mic.
“That’s where we are? I don’t get any airtime and I’m sitting right here in your face,” Niles said with a smirk which had Beauty laughing.
“I mean, you know I’m always gonna show love but I need your boy in here too.”
“How you showing love when you didn’t even give me a shoutout?” Niles joked and Dayton chuckled.
“Shout out to Niles.”
“You not gonna tell the people who he is?” Dayton instigated then smiled arrogantly at Beauty who rolled her eyes.
“Everybody knows who he is. The man behind the man. A’so’s management team and he’s also the man in front of the man, meaning nobody gets to A’so without going through him. He’s also the reason y’all haven’t been blessed with A’so on my show.”
Niles laughed. “You ain’t shit but you got that.”
Beauty blew him a kiss. “But we’ll get into that later. Right now I want to get into all things Samari Janaé. Okay, so first off, congratulations on signing with Track Killaz. We’re going to play your first single with the label, and y’all when I say it’s everything, hear me when I say everything.”
“She got that shit this morning and already knows it word for word,” Dayton said.
“As I should and I’m nosy so let’s get right to it. That song is sexy, girl. Is there a muse?”
Samari shifted before she gave her answer. “Yes, but not in the way you’re asking.”
“Girl, those lyrics tell a story.” She shifted toward the audience. “The title says it all. ‘Let Me’, but the lyrics. There was a lot of letting in them lyrics, y’all.”
Samari laughed. “But you have to look at things from more than just a sexual nature. It can literally be anything.”
“I would agree but ‘waves crashing and bodies smashing, ocean and depths as deep as the sea’. You want me to believe that’s not sexual?” Beauty smiled smugly.
“You can go to the beach without having an orgasm,” Dayton chimed in.
“You absolutely can but we’re not talking 'bout going to the beach, we’re talking about letting somebody be your ecstasy. Am I right?”
Samari nodded. “You are but maybe I’m my own ecstasy.”
“So you’re trying to say you’re the inspiration?” Dayton asked and Samari shrugged.
“Are we having grown conversations?” she asked, searching Beauty and Dayton’s faces.
She knew the answer, because when Samari said everyone listened to Beauty and the Beats, she’d meant everyone, herself included.
They were known for their conversations and risqué topics, doing deep dives with artists to get the stories most media outlets couldn’t obtain.
A lot of the topics were grounded in talk about lyrics, which often were inspired by things most would frown upon.
“Oh we’re grown, grown, baby. Say whatever is on your mind,” Beauty delivered with an animated motion of her hands.
“The majority of my orgasms have been delivered by me.” Samari wiggled her fingers and Dayton balled a fist, bringing it to his mouth.
“Well damn. That’s some sad shit. I need you to run down a list of flaws because you’re too pretty to be self-servicing, so that means something’s wrong with you.”
Beauty rolled her eyes. “Just like a man. You’re assuming she doesn’t have muthafuckers lined up, ready and willing. We handle our business because y’all are selfish and or not capable.”
Niles decided to join in. “Shit, speak for yourself. I’m a giver. I don’t get mine until you get yours.”
“You feel me?!” Dayton said, extending a closed fist toward Niles.
Samari grinned. “I’m not going to speak on that, but the point is, I know what I like. I can definitely be my own muse.”
“Alright, alright. Now let’s talk about the music festival. You’re headlining with A’so which is a big deal.”
Samari’s eyes went wide and she cut a glance at Niles who didn’t look her way but had a smug grin curling his lips. The news that she was headlining was unexpected and she needed time to process the revelation.
“It’s been what, two years since your debut album?”
“Yes, almost three.”
“And now you’re headlining with A’so. New label, new music. How does that feel?”
Samrai smiled. “Amazing, actually. I’ve learned so much about myself.
I’m owning that woman, flaws and all. I’m ready to share my experiences with people.
Life isn’t always pretty, but if you don’t live, you don’t grow.
You have to push through the ugliness sometimes, and in those moments, you know if you have it, you learn who you truly are, and if you’re blessed enough to survive that and come out the other side, you know you were built for it.
I didn’t think I was but I’m learning that I am.
I can’t wait to give them a piece of me and woman I’m embracing.
The music I make now will be about owning who I’ve become. ”
“Damn, girl. You’re deep. That’s some beautiful shit,” Dayton said, nodding.
“I’m speaking my truth, and if that’s beautiful or deep, that’s what it is.”
“You used the word ownership twice and you’re also speaking about the evolution of yourself.
Can we take that to mean this time around it’s important for you to own the woman you are which I assume will translate in the music?
Because let’s be real. We know a little bit about Cobra and I don’t have to say how fucked up he is to his people.
I’m assuming you’ve experienced that, so is that the drive behind this new awakening in Samari Jené? ”
“It is, but also more about doing this from my desire to be in a creative space and not need. When I first signed, I wanted this so badly that I accepted less than I deserve. I let them tell me who I was, and although my music was my own, there was also a layer of who the label wanted me to be. I won’t do that again. I can’t.”
“Okay Niles, you hear my girl loud and clear. Y’all are gonna have to let her do her thing; so not too much on my girl.”
He nodded with a smile. “She’s got that.”
“You see that. If they try to box you in, you hit me up and I’ll handle that for you. I don’t play about my girl.”
Samari laughed. “I’ll keep that in mind. But I’m excited about you guys hearing this project.”
“Do you have a name for it?”
Samari shook her head. “Not yet, but the deeper I get into this new space, I’m sure it will come to me.”
“Then let me just slide you my number because I’m trying to get all the exclusives and I’m good with stuff like that. So if you need to talk it through…”
“Don’t let her hustle you. She’ll be sending you a bill in the mail with a demand for royalties,” Dayton said, pointing at Beauty. They all laughed before she rolled her eyes.
“Girl, ignore him. We’re cool. I finally got you on my show and I’m trying to get you back when the album drops.”
“If you want me here, I’m here.”
“Okay, okay. I’m still going to slide you my number. But since we’re talking about the new you. How about we let the people get a taste of what they can expect? I want to play your new single. You cool with that?”
“Yeah, I am.”
“Aight, here we go. I’m telling y’all, this shit is fire. While it’s playing, you know the deal, go straight to my page and drop your thoughts.”
By the time they left the station, Samari was on a high. Beauty wasn’t joking when she said she would be sliding Samari her number. They exchanged digits with the promise to do other appearances.
Before they could even make it back to Niles’s car, Samari’s notifications were blowing up with comments and tags on Beauty’s page about “Let Me”. There were already thousands of likes and hundreds of comments, which had Samari cheesing.
“The fuck you smiling for?”