Devil’s Music - Chapter 122: Break the Wall

In the serene living room of Quiet Snoop’s mansion, Snoop and Eminem sat on the sofa, their attention fixed on the TV. Behind the sofa stood numerous people, mostly Snoop’s staff, unable to contain their curiosity as they gathered around the TV. Yet, they maintained a silence so profound that even the sound of a pin dropping could have echoed loudly. As the anticipated moment of midnight approached with just about ten seconds remaining, the sound of someone swallowing audibly startled a few, causing them to turn around.

Then, as the time arrived, Snoop nodded to the staff member responsible for PC connection. When the staff member pressed the play button on the laptop, after a moment of loading, the screen began to play.

The screen depicted scenes starting from an emergency ambulance rushing to a second-floor house in the dead of night, carrying someone’s body. Seeing the white blanket covering the person being carried by the ambulance made it seem as if they were carrying a deceased individual. Amidst the silent crowd of onlookers, the paramedics hurriedly moved through, their actions devoid of sound. Observing this, Eminem spoke softly.

“Curtis?”

Snoop, stroking his chin, responded, “Seems like it.”

The footage then shifted to the dusk-lit scenery of Lincoln Memorial Park, with a white Bentley GT approaching from afar, captured by a lens with a shifting focus. As the car approached, the camera’s focus gradually adjusted. With the opening of the car door, music began to play.

Snoop set down his beer on the table and straightened up.

“Daddy Was A Doctor?”

Indeed, as the music flowed along with the sight of the person stepping out of the car, it was the intro to “Daddy Was A Doctor,” a track previously released by Curtis Young under the moniker ‘Hood Surgeon.’ As the beats from the electronic keyboard grooved along, a slow-motion video revealed Dr. Dre, wearing sunglasses, stepping out of the car. The camera captured Dre from every angle as he leisurely walked towards the path among the graves in the cemetery.

Soon, the music transitioned to Curtis Young’s rap part, and as Dre halted in front of a tombstone, the music ceased, leaving silence. Staring down at the tombstone, Dre removed his sunglasses, revealing his face. He knelt beside the tombstone, and as the camera zoomed in, his hand reached out, revealing the engraved name on the tombstone.

‘Curtis Young 1981.12.15 ~ 2008.08.10’

With a delicate touch, Dre traced Curtis’s name on the tombstone before lifting up the sleeve of his white long-sleeved shirt. Once again donning his sunglasses, Dre stood up, clasping his elbows and extending them forward. As the camera zoomed in on his arms, a tattoo became visible.

‘My Son Curtis’

As Dre lowered his arms, flames erupted between them, and the scene shifted. Now, Dre, adorned with a massive gold necklace and wearing a Newera cap straight, strode forward, his sunglasses covering half his face as he grimaced. Simultaneously, the sound from the TV exploded as if it were about to burst, not with the beats of hip-hop, but rather with a sound closer to rock music, akin to the explosiveness of ‘Limp Bizkit.’

As the music burst forth, Eminem, who had been watching the TV in a relaxed posture, suddenly sat up, his eyes widening.

“What the hell!”

Snoop, lifting himself from the sofa and leaning forward, removed his sunglasses. On the screen, Dre, with a deeply furrowed brow, pointed at the screen, shouting,

“I aim to be a father, you gotta ask somebody”

Following Dr. Dre’s statement, the rock music that seemed to tear through the sound abruptly stopped. In the silence, the screen transitioned, once again showing Curtis Young’s tombstone in Lincoln Memorial Park, with a black grand piano standing alone on the grass, illuminated by the setting sun, next to a beautifully white guitar.

The camera, circling overhead as if captured by a drone, focused on a man with black hair, dressed in a white shirt and black pants, sitting beside a grand piano and a white guitar placed nearby. Slowly, he approached the grand piano, gently caressing its surface before taking a seat.

Gradually, the camera closed in on the man from above, revealing his face, prompting Snoop to remove his sunglasses in astonishment.

“Kay? Is that Kay?”

On the screen, Kay, with closed eyes, lifted his head towards the sky. The beautiful profile of the man blended with the picturesque scenery of Lincoln Memorial Park. A gentle breeze ruffled Kay’s hair, prompting him to lower his head and use his entire body to play the grand piano. The intro of ‘Daddy Was A Doctor’ played again, and soon, the scene shifted to a lone female violinist on an orchestral stage, harmonizing with Kay’s piano.

Beside the dynamically playing female violinist, a black cellist joined, and as the camera shifted to the opposite side, it revealed an orchestra of over fifty members performing ‘Daddy Was A Doctor’ together, guided by the conductor’s dynamic gestures. Curtis’s music, played collectively by the orchestra, resonated through the TV speakers.

Above the orchestra’s music, the beat of electronic drums rose, and Dr. Dre’s figure appeared again, rapping in what seemed like an underground parking space.

“Back on the mic, rolling deep with Kay”

“Leaving minds in a haze, messed up”

“So chillax, newbies get a smack”

“it’s me, ya see, D.R.D.R.E! Dr.Dre!”

As Dre energetically spat out his verses, Snoop chuckled, watching his performance with a bemused expression.

“This, this is gonna get hella noisy, ain’t it?”

Eminem, also wearing a dazed expression, nodded silently, his gaze fixed on the screen. As Dre pointed in a direction atop the bonnet of an Audi R8 parked in the underground garage, the resounding sound of the orchestra suddenly ceased.

A pair of feet emerged, clad in Adidas Superstar slip-ons, and as the person moved, the camera panned upwards, revealing the body from the feet to the legs, torso, and side profile of the face. Looking at Dre in the parking garage, Kay’s adjacent profile appeared somewhat melancholic. With both hands raised, Kay gazed at the sky and began to speak.

“In the black of night, a bird sings”

“I’m learning to read the depth in two eyes”

“Been waiting for this moment to set you free”

“Black birds glide, black birds fly”

“Swooping into the dark night’s light”

Kay’s vocals erupted in a bold tone, akin to the gravelly voice of an aged father calling out to his deceased son, echoing throughout the parking garage.

The scene shifted again to Dre, rapping while seated in the R8.

Certainly, here are the revised lyrics with a better rhythm:

“Where the Sons ride, slide, you know heaven’s stride”

“Folks like me, here to show where it be”

“Screw that dude’s chick, Curtis Young’s the name, quick, recognize the clique”

“His tunes, so fly, you’ll reach for the sky”

“Now, I’m the one in this game, playing with deadly aim”

(Hello, I’m the translator. I’ve reworked the lyrics above. I don’t think the original author knows English well.)

The screen illuminated with the explosive rendition of ‘Daddy Was A Doctor’ by the orchestra. What set it apart was Hakoo, standing amidst the orchestra, playing the guitar. Geon added lightning-fast riffs atop the performance of ‘Daddy Was A Doctor.’ The improvisation seemed to seamlessly intertwine with Curtis’s rap section of the song.

Dre leaped into the Audi and sat in the driver’s seat, putting on a pair of headphones. Emblazoned on the ear cups was the stylish label ‘Hood Surgeon,’ with the overall color of the headphones in sleek black. Dre, adorned with headphones featuring green accents, tapped them lightly, showcasing the side profile to the camera.

The camera zoomed in on Dre tapping the headphones with his hand before the screen faded to black. However, the orchestra, Geon’s guitar, and the floating hip-hop beats continued to echo. Then, white text appeared on the black screen.

‘Beats By Dr. Dre Hood Surgeon Limited Edition’

As the text dispersed and faded, a full-screen image of Curtis Young appeared, smiling brightly while looking to the side. The camera, after briefly focusing on Curtis’s face, shifted to where Dre was smiling at his son while seemingly washing a car.

As their images receded, white text appeared.

‘I hope this music can be heard in my son’s ear in heaven’

Once again, the images and text disappeared, replaced by rotating ‘Hood Surgeon’ headphones, showcasing their design. After a few spins, the headphones halted, and white text emerged on the screen.

‘From orchestra to hip-hop and rock music. A revolution in the headphone world: Hood Surgeon Limited Edition’

With the text displayed, the video ended. Snoop, who had been watching the screen intently, let out a sigh.

“Well, we’ve caught both rabbits.”

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