Devil’s Music - Chapter 115: Drop The Beat!

The next day at 11 a.m.

Noticing the immediate response on the digital single album that had not undergone pre-marketing, Geon Kim confirmed its success on the Billboard charts. He celebrated by having lunch with Ice Cube. While idling in his studio until 1 p.m., Geon received a call. Retrieving his vibrating phone from the couch, he answered it after sitting upright.

“Oh, Snoop? It’s K.”

“Yeah. What are you up to now?”

“Huh? Just hanging out in the studio.”

“Got nothing to do? I sent a car, come over to my place for a while.”

“Now? When is the car coming?”

“It should be there by now, go check.”

“Alright. But what’s going on?”

“I’ll tell you when you get here.”

Ending the call, Geon gathered Haku and went outside. A white Rolls-Royce Phantom awaited in front of the store. Following the instructions of the black chauffeur, Geon got in the car, and soon they arrived at Snoop Dogg’s grand mansion. Controlling the door as they reached the main entrance, Geon, after expressing gratitude to the driver, opened the massive door. Contrary to the medieval European-style exterior, the interior was futuristic and neatly decorated.

“Wow, incredible. Is this the life of those music tycoons we only hear about?”

Standing in front of the house, admiring its exterior, Geon was led inside by the chauffeur. The interior was lavishly adorned, and Geon, accompanied by Haku, ascended to the third floor. Pointing to the massive door, the driver spoke.

“You’ll have to go in alone from here. This area is not permitted for me.”

Nodding in appreciation, Geon thanked the driver and opened the huge door. Surprisingly, it smoothly swung open, revealing a room larger than an average house. There was a long table that could easily seat 50 people, scattered with comfortable-looking chairs. As Geon glanced down the length of the table, he spotted Snoop sitting at the innermost end. On either side, various rappers, including Eminem, were seated.

“Hey, you made it. Come over here.”

Snoop greeted Geon, raising his hand. Most of the rappers at the table nodded while exchanging fist bumps. As Geon approached somewhat awkwardly, Snoop gestured to the empty seat next to him.

“To greet everyone here would take all night, we’ll do that later. Let’s get straight to business.”

As Geon sat on the couch with a puzzled look, Snoop began to speak.

“Why are these rappers gathered here? All of them owe favors to Dr. Dre. Some are here out of respect for him.”

Snoop tapped the table with his fingers.

“I heard from Ice. You want to bring Dre back, right?”

Surprised, Geon looked around at the rappers before answering Snoop.

“Well… Actually, I wanted to help him overcome the sadness that’s holding him back, rather than bringing him back.”

Applauding, Snoop said, “That’s the point. We want to heal Dre, who’s not making good music since he started the business, and get him back into making music. So, we’re here to discuss how to bring Dre back into the hip-hop scene.”

Geon looked around at the rappers, still amazed to be in the same space as these iconic figures. The discussion heated up, voices rising. When someone raised concerns about potential backlash due to flaws or intense content in Dre’s story, the debate intensified.

Eventually, as the lengthy meeting wore everyone out, Snoop suggested a 30-minute break.

“Take a break and gather your thoughts,” he said to Geon, as the rappers got up to smoke outside.

“You can share your opinion too. That’s why I called you. I’ll have a smoke and be back. Think about it.”

Geon nodded and waited for the rappers to leave before dialing a number.

“Oh, Director Sonlin? It’s K. How have you been? I’m calling because…”

…

Approximately 40 minutes later, the rappers returned one by one to the meeting room. As the last one, Snoop took his seat and immediately addressed Geon.

“Now, K, you haven’t said a word. Let’s hear your opinion.”

Geon took a moment to collect himself before standing up.

“Firstly, I want to clarify that this is not my personal opinion. I’ll be sharing insights obtained through a conversation with Sonlin, the director at Fantagio, who directed the Pantera concert.”

As the rappers were not particularly interested in rock music, they seemed unfamiliar with Lin. Geon gestured for them to speak up and share their thoughts. Geon continued, “In the United States, there was an incident called ‘Control Dispute,’ which gained significant attention. Unlike the traditional diss tracks, multiple rappers created their own raps using the same beat.”

Master P, looking puzzled, inquired, “One beat? You mean one song? Wouldn’t there be copyright issues?”

Geon nodded and explained, “The idea is to release one song as a free track. Rappers can freely download it and create their own raps, making it their music. The copyright is then transferred to the rapper since the track is free.”

Eminem chuckled, “Oh, that sounds interesting. Did something like that happen in Korea?”

Geon nodded again, “Yes, it did. While it started with a rapper named Swings, he used the beat from Big Sean’s ‘Control,’ initiated by Kendrick Lamar, Ice’s friend.”

Ice Cube, recalling the event, added, “I know. Kendrick just threw a challenge like ‘You guys rap well, but I rap better.’ But it escalated more than expected, spreading like wildfire. But if they used Big Sean’s beat, what about copyright in Korea? Did they not care, just like in China, and made money from it?”

Geon clarified, “No, not at all. Everything was released as free music. We release the music for free, and by doing that, we encourage more rappers to participate by using the same method. I’ll be creating the track.”

Snoop raised an eyebrow, “You? Well, maybe it’s possible. But what if the rappers don’t move as we intend?”

Geon nodded wisely, “That’s why we need all of you. As soon as the free track is registered, each of you should contribute by creating and releasing a rap. It must contain stories related to Curtis, the dead son, or Dre. In turn, other rappers who listen to it will likely create similar music and join the hype.”

Eminem nodded in agreement, “Like a ripple effect? Not just manipulating public opinion but steering the rappers in our direction? It sounds amusing.”

Master P, 50 Cent, and Ice Cube also nodded, showing their approval. Snoop concluded, “Alright. Creating the track fits K perfectly. We’ll receive the track in advance, right? We need some working time, after all. But make sure it’s given to everyone at the same time. It’s a kind of competition among us too.”

Geon chuckled and nodded, “Yes, of course. I’ll be working on it.”

Snoop grinned, “Good. The track is yours, K. Now, you go ahead. Create the music quickly and send it over.”

Geon agreed, declining Snoop’s offer to drive him to the hotel. Instead, he immediately headed to Dre’s studio. In the now-empty studio, Geon launched the Cubase program on the PC, his eyes gleaming.

“I will definitely clear the obstacles blocking Dre.”

>

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