Chapter 44: Diddy's Daddy

[Chapter 44: Diddy's Daddy]

"Kid, if it weren't for Ryan, you'd still be in Nashville. This time, be smart. Don't let me see you touch the microphone, or you're out of here immediately. Got it?"

At Orlando International Airport, Marvin rushed up to warn Joel as soon as he and Ryan arrived, scaring Joel into nodding repeatedly.

This time, Deadmau5 wasn't part of the performance team. Marvin had contacted Ryan directly, and the travel arrangements were handled by Marvin himself.

In the MVP, Joel, still a bit shaken, finally gathered his thoughts. He looked at Ryan, wanting to express his gratitude, but Ryan stopped him.

"Remember, don't touch the mic."

"You know, I was just too nervous back then," Joel said with an awkward smile, eventually nodding to Ryan.

...

"Remember, finish the rehearsal quickly later. Don't look around too much. You can chat with others, but don't initiate conversations. It's for your own good."

Marvin, sitting across from them in the car, reminded them.

"Why? I heard there are a lot of big names coming. Why can't we get to know them?" Joel asked, confused.

Marvin ignored him and turned to Ryan, who was looking out the window. The car was passing by a bay, and in the distance, rows of houses stretched out like a herd of dormant beasts.

"This is why I didn't want you to bring this idiot along," Marvin shook his head.

"Fine, let me explain it to you two muggles. How much do you know about the current music industry in the U.S.?" Marvin asked.

"Well... Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, Tim McGraw," Joel listed some country music stars, true to his Nashville roots.

"Even my dad doesn't listen to that old-fashioned country music anymore. Do you know what's mainstream now? It's R&B, hip-hop, black music. Of course, that's just the former mainstream. The latest trend in hip-hop is becoming more 'danceable.' I'm not joking."

"The music industry is now highly concentrated in five cities..." Marvin began to explain.

Namely, New York in the East, Los Angeles in the West, Atlanta in the South, Chicago in the North, and Nashville in the middle. Other cities, like Miami and Memphis, also have music industries, but they're a tier below these five.

"Now I get it. Like Jay-Z in New York, Dr. Dre in L.A., and Puff Daddy in Atlanta," Joel nodded.

"What does this have to do with the performance?" Ryan finally turned his head around.

"Of course it does. How much do you know about Puff Daddy?" Marvin countered.

"♫Every step I take Every move I make Every single day, every time I pray, I'll be missing you...♫" Joel started singing in the car.

This was the song that marked the beginning of Puff Daddy's career, topping the Hot 100 for 11 weeks. Some might call it a "blood-stained success." This was back in 1997.

"The East Coast-West Coast beef... okay, don't look at me with those clueless eyes," Marvin sighed.

"Simply put, over a decade ago, Puff Daddy had 2Pac killed, and Suge Knight had Biggie killed. I'm not joking. This was serious, understand?"

Ryan thought of the three black college students involved in crime on the beach and frowned.

"Suge Knight ended up in prison, but Puff Daddy is still out there. Want to know why? Many say he's the FBI's black glove," Marvin explained.

"So, this nightclub is Puff Daddy's turf?" Ryan frowned even more.

"Do you think Puff Daddy would invite an electronic music DJ to perform? Actually, one of the nightclub's backers is Puff Daddy's daddy, the daddy of daddies."

"Who?" Ryan and Joel asked in unison.

"Antonio 'L.A.' Reid. Harvard graduate, went from being a drummer to a top executive in the music industry, the most powerful black man in Atlanta's music scene. Fifteen years ago, when Sean Combs was just a nobody intern, it was L.A. Reid who helped him establish Bad Boy Records. Over the years, he's been protecting Sean in the music industry. As for what deal they made back then? Well, that depends on what Sean had to offer at the time," Marvin grinned.

"L.A. is known in the industry for being... let's just say, not picky about gender," he added.

"Who's performing this time?" Ryan asked.

"Mostly DJs, and a few artists from Def Jam and Bad Boy. But they're all small fish. The biggest name is DJ Khaled, who's close with Diddy. You might see him later. He's Middle Eastern, you'll recognize him immediately. He's been a radio DJ for years, has a big following in the South, and has produced tracks for many at Bad Boy. Besides him, there's supposedly a mystery guest, so mysterious even I don't know who it is."

"Could it be Diddy?" Ryan asked, concerned.

"Unlikely. Diddy's busy preparing for a reality show on VH1 called I Want to Work for Diddy," Marvin shook his head.

Tsk, listen to that name.

...

The nightclub was housed in a standalone building. Even though Ryan and the others arrived late at night, there were still plenty of staff coming and going, preparing for the next day's celebration.

Ryan noticed the luxurious decor inside. The building had been hollowed out into a three-story space, with private booths on either side. It was a grand setup, but the DJ booth was still relatively "humble," just like in every other nightclub in the U.S. This place didn't prioritize the DJ's performance either.

Besides Ryan, Marvin had invited several other DJs this time and was chatting with them.

While waiting, Ryan also spotted the Middle Eastern DJ Khaled that Marvin had mentioned. He was surrounded by a group of people, and one white man in the group noticed Ryan and gave him a slight nod in greeting.

Ryan turned his head away immediately. He didn't want to have anything to do with anyone directly or indirectly connected to Puff Daddy.

From a business perspective, the audiences for electronic music and hip-hop were different.

Plus, Ryan's previous encounters with black people hadn't left a good impression, so he instinctively wanted to avoid any association.

...

When Ryan and Joel finished their rehearsal, Ryan noticed that the man who had nodded at him earlier hadn't left with DJ Khaled's group. Instead, he stood there, seemingly waiting for Ryan.

As Ryan passed by, the man stepped forward and introduced himself.

"Scott Braun," he extended his hand.

Both Taylor's father and the head of Big Machine were named Scott. Now here was another "Scott"? 

"You can also call me Scooter," he added.

"Scooter?" Ryan raised an eyebrow.

"That's right," he nodded. "I'm the one who contacted you online, the one with the scooter avatar."

Ryan didn't shake his hand and walked away without a word.

*****

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