"You just finished your tour. Sold out all over I'm told. How much money you make though?"
In his peripheral, Asao noticed Dom's jaw tense. Asao’s eyes flashed through a moment of amusement and Cobra offered a smug, cocky smile.
"You really here asking about my pockets? You must be desperate for attention. The wrong kinda attention," Asao said arrogantly.
Cobra laughed lightly. He wanted the men to believe he was unaffected. When he shifted his weight, Asao's eyes followed swiftly, which brought to light that he needed to move with caution. Cobra did and Asao was amused.Scaryass.
"I'm important and paid. I'm never lacking attention. I'm here on business. I noticed your boy and decided to see if you guys had gotten over your egos enough to get some real money. Not that nickel and dime paper you've been chasing."
There was the smug ass smile again. This time it held a little more confidence. Cobra had the ability to bring in money that had never been in question. The issue was how he did it. Cobra's label had a reputation for screwing over their artists. Three-sixty deals were his specialty.
Big advances that were just early payouts for sales the artist would never see which meant debt. More importantly, debt Cobra held the note on. He and his team were slick talkers with plenty of money to throw around. That allowed him to sign some of the biggest names out there, make a few million off them, then move on to the next talented individual who wanted a quick rise and notoriety.
They’d considered Cobra’s label when Asao first got serious about leaving the streets and doing this music thing full-time. One meeting was all it took to change their minds. Niles might not have known a damn thing about contracts or how the industry worked but he didn't get a good feeling about the deal. They left with an unsigned contract in hand and were given forty-eight hours to return it or the deal was off the table. That was on a Friday evening, which wasn't a coincidence. Cobra and his team were slick. Years of manipulation had taught him well but years of hustling had done the same for them.
Needless to say, they didn't sign. For the next year, Asao, Dom, and Niles put in work—show after show, late night in studios paying DJs to be heard at clubs—and created a little buzz.
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'thave 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 evenknow 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…himfor 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."
