章節 57: Rap God and The Next Big Thing

The conference room buzzed with an undercurrent of energy as everyone took their seats. On one side sat Ethan, flanked by his team—Jessica, Bill, and Rebecca. Across from them, Eminem commanded the room with his presence, accompanied by a man in a sharp suit and two others in streetwear whose intimidating aura was hard to miss. Ethan barely noticed the tension in the air or even the jetlag gnawing at him. His idol was sitting right there, and nothing else mattered.

Eminem leaned forward, his voice steady but filled with intent. "As I was saying, I've had this track in my head for a while. I need a powerful vocalist to bring it to life. When I heard my daughter playing your song, I knew it had to be you. So, what do you say?"

Ethan didn't hesitate for a second. "Yes! Yes, let's do it!" he blurted out, his excitement spilling over. The room erupted in laughter, the tension momentarily diffused.

Rebecca, ever the professional, interjected with a reminder. "Ethan, you've got interviews and other commitments lined up for the week. We also need to finalize preparations for the tour."

Ethan waved her off, still riding the high of the moment. "I've done enough interviews. Cancel the rest. This is way more important."

Jessica chimed in, steering the conversation back to the matter at hand. "Well, Ethan's clearly onboard for the collaboration. Should we move to the business side of things?"

The man in the suit cleared his throat and produced a document. Jessica took it, scanning the contents with practiced precision. Her brow furrowed. "You're offering $200,000 for the feature?" she asked, her tone sharp.

The suited man shrugged. "Yes. We believe that's a fair amount for someone as new as Ethan."

Bill leaned forward; his voice laced with quiet defiance. "That 'newbie,' as you put it, currently holds the top three spots on the Billboard 100 for four weeks straight. His debut album is nearing one billion streams across all platforms—on track to be the second-fastest in history to hit that milestone, after BTS. He's far from just a newbie."

The atmosphere grew tense. Sensing the growing conflict, Ethan raised a hand. "Guys, it's fine. Working alongside Eminem—one of my idols—is priceless. Let's just accept the deal and get started." His words carried a finality that stopped his team's protests in their tracks.

Eminem, however, wasn't satisfied. "Paul," he said, turning to the man in the suit, "I told you that wasn't going to fly. Give him the other contract."

Paul hesitated, his lips tightening into a thin line. "Em, he's just starting out. If this were Justin or Bruno Mars, then sure, the higher contract would make sense."

Eminem's gaze hardened. "This kid has the voice I want. And after hearing those numbers, you can't say he doesn't deserve it, can you?"

Reluctantly, Paul pulled out another document and handed it to Jessica and Bill. They reviewed it carefully, their expressions softening as they reached the final terms. "This is much better," Jessica said, nodding approvingly.

Ethan glanced at the figure—1.5 million dollars. His eyes widened slightly, but he stayed composed. Though the amount was staggering, he'd already decided not to let money distract him. All his earnings went into a yearly fund he wouldn't access until December. For now, his focus remained on the music.

After the papers were signed, the group returned to the studio. Eminem handed Ethan a sheet of paper titled "River." Ethan scanned the lyrics, his breath hitching as he absorbed the raw emotion in the words. The song detailed the struggles of a failing relationship and the heartache of an abortion—a story steeped in pain and regret.

"This is beautiful," Ethan murmured.

Eminem nodded; his expression serious. "Yeah. And I need your voice to bring out its full beauty."

Ethan grinned. "Bet."

The two artists entered the booth. One of Eminem's team members queued up the beat. The room fell silent as the first notes filled the air. Ethan's voice broke through, clear and haunting.

"I've been a liar, been a thief…"

Eminem's face lit up with a rare smile. "Yeah," he said to no one in particular. "This is what I wanted. This is the voice."

As they worked, Rebecca snapped a picture of the two artists in the booth. She hesitated for a moment, then logged into Ethan's Instagram. Despite her repeated warnings, he had refused to change his password, leaving her with access as his publicist. She rarely touched his social media, but this moment was too good to pass up. She posted the picture with a simple caption: "Rap God."

Unbeknownst to her, the post was about to ignite a storm online.

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