Hand to Glock
He in the club
Crowd showin’ love
No matter the scene
He shines like a king
’Cause the city know his name
Knows his style
Knows his fame
“I swear that shit hits every time,” Ju’rae said, hype as hell as the three of them climbed the stairs and made it side stage. They could see Asao at the edge of the stage— hand in the air, mic cuffed close to his mouth while he delivered the lines. She smiled big as hell when she realized he was dressed in all black, similar to what she was in. Black jeans and a black basketball jersey with The Manor Ain’t Teach Me No Manners on the front and One of One on the back.
“Aww, y’all are cute, twinning and shit.” Sheree leaned into her girl and spoke close to her ear to make sure Samari heard her. The bass from the song was heavy and the crowd was going wild, screaming and rapping along to his song.
“Did you do that?” Samari turned her head to Ju’rae and pointed at Asao who shifted his stance so his legs were shoulder width apart. He held the mic toward the crowd and dropped his head forward between his shoulders, letting them rap the chorus.
“Nope, I only styled you and didn’t tell him what you were wearing. That’s your man matching your fly.”
They all turned to the stage when the track ended and Asao began addressing the amped up crowd.
“Y’all are fucking with that one heavy. I didn’t know y’all was on my underground shit like that.” From where they were standing, Samari had access to his profile and saw the cocky smirk displayed on his face. “That’s why I love my city…”
“We love you too, A’so,” several people in the crowd yelled, almost in sync.
“No matter what city I touch down in, the love is never as big as when I’m at home. I will forever remember how you gave me your support and love.”
Women shouted their adoration for the man on stage and men delivered their words of respect for his talent and hustle.
“What I want to know is if y’all are ready to share that love? I have something big I’m ready to share with you.”
They screamed their approval which brought another smile to Asao’s face. This time it was more humble instead of arrogant.
“Y’all see that?” He turned and pointed over his shoulder to the Track Killaz logo illuminated behind him on the massive screen before he gave his attention back to the crowd. For the briefest moment, his eyes met Samari’s and his entire fucking energy changed. Performing was a rush, like chasing a high that had never been matched until now. She was the addiction he had been chasing. He winked and resumed addressing the crowd.
“My label is homegrown. The artists we plan on bringing will be homegrown. We have talented ass people in our city. Y’allgonna share the love with them? Me, Dom, and Niles are about to do big things and we need the city behind us. Can you give us that?”
“Hell yeah…”, “We got you…”, “You touch it, we’ll support it…”came from the crowd, pulling another cocky smile to Asao’s handsome face.
“Aight then, let’s keep this shit going. I’m headlining because this is my shit…” He paused, lowered both arms, and gripped his right wrist with his left. The kingly manner in which he posed had the crowd showing more love, making Samari grin.
Arrogant ass.
“And I don’t do things like everybody else. The king sets the pace, which is why I’m up first, but trust and believe, the ones who got next know how to claim the stage. So let’s kick that shit off with what’s next.”
His attention moved to side stage and Sheree leaned into Samari’s side. “You better kill that shit, Mari.”
“You think she won’t?” Ju’rae said, doing one last fit check, tugging the neck of Samari’s shirt so it dropped deeper off her shoulder.
“A king isn’t running shit unless he has the knowledge and support of a woman who holds him down. I think I have that. It’s time for me to bring out your next headliner ’cause y’all know I’m sharing that title with the one and only Samari Janaé. Y’all ready to see what she’s bringing?”
Samari’s heart dropped until she heard the crowd screaming their approval and chanting her name. When the track for “Fuck Love, Get Money” started playing, a smile spread across her face.
This was the first song they’d recorded together the night he’d invited her to his apartment. The night he’d promised her he would get her career back. The significance made her chest tight. Today was the beginning of her re-introduction to the world. This would be her first time performing as an artist onTrack Killaz. She wondered if he’d thought about all of those things or if this was simply the track he’d selected with no intention.
