Back then, Asao had been in Cap’s makeshift booths dropping classics. Now that his name was on the lease to the building, he planned on offering the same opportunity Cap had over the years with a few upgrades.
“Shit is sweet, right?” Dom said, slamming a fist into his palm. They’d dropped fifty grand on equipment he needed and another twenty to build out two recording booths and have then soundproofed. Everything else could be handled over time, but for now, they were ready to open the door. Track Killaz was official. The name was a combination of their past and future, from the streets to the studio.
“Yeah, it’s tight. We’re gonna do some shit.”
“Yes the fuck we are. Big egos, big shit.” Dom turned in the rolling chair when Asao sat on the arm of the leather sofa that had been delivered that morning along with the two extra-long twin beds that were set up in what would be the bedroom for overnight production. Niles chilled in the studio but left the overnight sessions for Dom and Asao. They all had their roles. While Dom and Asao handled the music and production, Niles was in charge of distribution.
“We good to record?” Asao motioned to the soundboard and booth behind Dom.
“Yeah, we’re good. You ’bout to get in here?”
Asao nodded. “I have some shit on deck. We’re in this now. Might as well christen this bitch.”
He smiled arrogantly. Initially, Asao hadn’t been feeling the idea of opening a studio or starting a label, but in the past couple weeks, watching it all come together while kicking it with the artists they had on deck, he was down to walk into the next chapter of his career.
The goal was to keep things small so he and Dom could be hands on with the talent. They both understood their pockets would take a hit because success wasn’t guaranteed, regardless of their skills or the fact that Asao’s brand would be stamped on the roster of hopefuls. The hustle and grind mindset was ingrained in their being. The commitment and time invested would get them where they needed to be. Killing the game while making sure Asao wasn’t the only name making waves while repping their city. Asao wasn’t selfish and didn’t mind sharing the spotlight.
“Aight, I’m down. What time you want to work? I have a session set up, but if you need me to move some stuff around…”
“Nah, do your thing. We’re probably gonna fall through later tonight.”
“We?” Dom said with amusement laced in his expression. Over the past couple weeks, his boy had been preoccupied with the songbird who had his head in the clouds. Dom and Niles were cool with Samari because she seemed solid, and for now she was keeping Asao level. The fear was his past would get the best of him if shit went left and neither of them wanted to see a repeat of the past. They liked Samari but that like would never compete with the loyalty they had for Asao.
“Yeah, we.”
“You need me?”
“Nah, I’m good. She wrote some shit to the tracks you sent. I’m going to let her run them in the booth so you can get them mixed.”
Dom nodded. “You on them?”
“I might drop a line or two but she’s holding it down on her own.”
“She is,” Dom admitted with a nod.
“I’m out though. Hit my line when you’re done here.”
“Aight, bet. You about to hit that meeting with Niles?”
“Yeah, about to see how this plays out.”
“Do you even care what that muthafucker has to say?”
Asao’s arrogance was exposed through the cocky grin he delivered as a response which had Dom nodding as he shared a similar one.
“That’s what the fuck I though.”
After the paperwork was finalized for the purchase of Track Killaz, Niles hired a marketing team to push word about the music festival. Without listing anyone but Asao as the headliner and the promise of more artists to come, the VIP tickets sold out in less than an hour.
Asao was their hometown favorite and the city always showed love. Word spread fast and sponsorships rolled in. Sound Beatz signed on as one of their top sponsors, and as soon as their name was attached, multiple other offers landed in their email.
Cobra wasted no time tracking Asao down with a request for a meeting. Niles put Cobra on ice and took his time working him into Asao’s schedule, just to make Cobra sweat. Talk about the festival pushing through the city guaranteed Cobra would be more than willing to hand over whatever they asked for. Now that the meeting was set, it was time to put their shiesties on because they planned on robbing him for everything he held of value and at the top of that list was Asao’s new motivation.
Samari…
“You gonna beable to keep your head level in there?” Niles asked his boy as they followed the thick frame on display in anavy dress that exposed the nice round ass and widespread hips of Cobra’s assistant, Kolby. She escorted them down a hall at Cobra Records. The men could have easily set a neutral location for the meeting but elected to meet where Cobra likely felt he had the most power, which would make breaking him down that much more rewarding.
“I’m straight.” Asao kept his eyes on the message he’d received from Samari and smirked as he read between the lines.
