Chương 198: ### Chapter 196: Secret Deal
"Damn, how did this song become so popular?"
At Roc Records, Lil Wayne stared at the magazine data in disbelief.
*See You Again* sold 5.45 million copies online in its first week, shattering the previous first-week sales record of 1.82 million set by *D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)* by more than three times.
It was outrageous.
Even a big player wouldn't dare to fabricate such data.
But Link had done it.
"This bastard is riding on MJ's coattails. Without MJ, this song would never be this hot."
Lil Wayne was furious.
The thought that Link would use MJ's death to his advantage was infuriating. What was even worse was that MJ's fans and the public weren't blaming Link for exploiting MJ's fame; instead, they were supporting him and praising him as MJ's best and most sincere friend.
Otherwise, why would so many people attend MJ's memorial service and why would only Link be able to write such a touching song?
It showed that his feelings for MJ were genuine and sincere, surpassing those of anyone else.
So many MJ fans, regardless of Link's music quality, supported him without reason, transferring their love and longing for MJ to Link.
When Lil Wayne saw these news reports, he was nearly beside himself with rage.
Among those fans were a large number of Black fans who, after hearing *See You Again*, had drastically changed their perception of Link. Many had switched from being critics to loyal supporters.
The thought that his own people and fans were supporting his enemy made Lil Wayne grit his teeth and kick over a chair in fury.
Heh~
Beyoncé saw his contorted face and couldn't help but want to laugh. But given the shared animosity, she stifled her laughter, covering her mouth with her hand as her chest trembled beneath her tight wrap.
"Alright, stop losing your temper. It won't help at this point. We need to think of a way to handle this situation," Jay-Z said, sitting behind his desk, using a cigar cutter to open a cigar, his eyes shifting to the others.
Kanye sat in silence with a sullen expression, as if suffering from a bout of depression.
50 Cent, T.I., and Drake were huddled on the sofa, looking distressed and uncertain about what to do.
Jay-Z looked towards Lil Wayne, who had many braids and a quick mind.
Lil Wayne shrugged and said helplessly, "*See You Again* isn't just high quality; it also benefits from MJ's popularity. Even if we come up with a comparable rap song now and invest millions in promotion, we can't compete."
Jay-Z frowned. *See You Again* had become a global phenomenon, a hit single that not only crushed all East Coast rappers in sales but also received a major turnaround in public opinion.
Many industry professionals began to accept Link as a formidable rapper.
Even if he wasn't the best rapper, they saw him as a talented rap music creator and considered him one of their own.
Rap fans also started to accept him, exploring his rap songs and even his pop and rock albums, including many Black fans.
In short, through *See You Again*, Link not only established himself in the rap industry but also broke through to pop and rock music, gaining fans from those genres.
This act of not only stealing their jobs but also taking their spotlight was infuriating.
Besides Link, newcomers like Wiz Khalifa, Lil Bobby, and Bruno Mars had also seen a significant rise in their reputation within the rap field.
On the latest Billboard Rap Artist Popularity Chart, Link was undoubtedly number one.
Wiz, the West Coast newcomer, had also climbed to second place in the rap rankings due to his impressive performance in *See You Again*.
Kanye was third, Eminem fifth, Lil Wayne sixth, with twelve East Coast rappers in the top twenty.
These twelve were being overshadowed by their two rivals and couldn't find a way to counter them.
Jay-Z was so furious he wanted to lash out, but seeing his wife Beyoncé still tapping her foot, playing with her nails, and humming Link's *See You Again*, he was further enraged.
He slammed his hand on the desk and said, "Stop, Beyoncé. Please don't sing that song in front of me."
Beyoncé shrugged and, looking at the others, said with a smile, "I have a good suggestion. Would you like to hear it?"
"Go ahead!" Jay-Z lit his cigar.
Kanye glared over, his face still dark.
Lil Wayne, Drake, and others were eyeing Beyoncé's exposed thighs and full backside, swallowing their saliva.
Beyoncé said with a grin, "I suggest we reconcile. At MJ's memorial service, Link said that as long as you publicly admit to being his fan and liking his songs, he would agree to reconcile.
You could contact a media outlet to publicly state that you like *See You Again*, acknowledging it as a song to mourn MJ. You can praise Link a little more, and I think he would see this as a gesture of reconciliation."
Jay-Z frowned and thought about it. "No, if we show reconciliation before *See You Again*, people would think we are magnanimous. Now, it might be seen as us being afraid of Link, and fans would think the same. The consequences of doing so would be very bad."
Kanye remained sullen, showing no reaction.
Lil Wayne and the others also felt that initiating reconciliation now would seem like surrender, which might upset their fans.
"Do as you please!"
Beyoncé shrugged, lifting her skirt, and left the office.
Jay-Z shook his head and called Kanye, Lil Wayne, and the others to come closer to discuss their next steps.
With *See You Again* being such a massive hit, anything they released would be overshadowed, so they decided to lay low for now, avoid publicly criticizing Link, and refrain from releasing new songs until the buzz around *See You Again* died down.
With their numbers, they could afford to lose this round. They were confident they would eventually win back their position.
Kanye nodded, his gloomy expression remaining, and left Roc Records.
"Mr. West!"
As he was about to get into his car in the parking lot, a man wearing a baseball cap approached with a black bag slung over his shoulder.
Kanye's heart skipped a beat. Was this an assassin sent by Link?
Why would he still want to go to such extremes after winning?
Just as Kanye was about to jump into his car and escape, the man called out, "Mr. West, I'm a journalist. I have something that can help you defeat Link, but it's quite expensive, requiring $200,000. Do you want to see it?"
Kanye paused, holding the car door, and looked back at the man, who removed his hat and spread his hands to show no ill intent.
"I have no grudge against Link. I don't need to defeat him."
"Alright, Mr. West. I apologize for the disturbance."
The man put his hat back on and turned to leave.
"Wait!"
Kanye stared at the man, frowning. "What is it? I need to see it first."
"Sure!"
The man opened his bag and took out a camera.
"This can help me defeat Link?"
Kanye asked skeptically.
"Definitely!"
The man confidently smiled, inserting a tape into the camera and inviting Kanye to watch.
After watching for a while, Kanye's gloomy expression gradually cleared, replaced by excitement.
"Mr. West, is it worth $200,000?"
The man asked.
"Okay, I'll take it!"
Kanye immediately pulled out his checkbook, paying $200,000 for the tape, confident it would help him turn the situation around and regain his lost reputation.
(End of this Chapter)
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