America's Top Player

Chapter 130 I Gave You a Chance
After hanging up the phone, Li Ang lay on the bed, muttering, "This woman is really hard to deal with. If nothing works, I'll just let Xiao A take over."

When he first heard "Bang Bang" in the inspiration brush, he found that the female voice in it was very familiar.

Sweet and mellow.

That was Ariana's voice.

Later, the scene of Xiao A dancing passionately in the MV also proved this point.

She was one of the original singers of this song. Although it is impossible for her to become as popular as Taylor, giving her this song will not make her as popular as Taylor.

But nothing will go wrong.

This also indirectly reveals Ariana's future.

Even without Li Ang's help, she would become famous sooner or later with her own abilities.

Three days later, in the recording studio.

Max Martin is discussing the arrangement with Leon.

"These drum beats you designed remind me of 80s disco. Have you heard of "Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go"? " Max asked while fiddling with various instruments in front of him.

"No." Li Ang shook his head.

"The lyrics and the performance are a bit like Pink's 'Lady Marmalade' with Aguilera and Lil' Kim," Max joked. "From what I understand, it's the story of a group of streetwalkers."

"Fuck, you're over-interpreting this." Li Ang spat.

If someone else said this, he wouldn't care at all, but this is Max Martin.

In the refreshed screen of the MV, Max's name appears at the top of the list of songwriters.

He is the original author of this song.

The lyrics of "Bang Bang" are indeed full of sexual innuendos. Perhaps Max really got the inspiration from streetwalkers.

"Do you really have to work with Taylor?" Max asked.

"Of course, considering her voice, singing skills, and popularity, is there anyone more suitable than her?" Li Ang paused and then said, "Oh, and her figure, too."

Taylor has a height of over 1.8 meters and long legs comparable to those of a Victoria's Secret supermodel.

The legs are long and fleshy, which gives them great visual impact and power.

The image of dancing to the drum beats with the accompaniment of the music is intoxicating just by thinking about it.

Beyoncé is also a tall lady with long and plump legs.

Two divas, one black and one white, twist their bodies simultaneously in the MV.
Li Ang felt that if he could accomplish this, it would be a dream come true for music fans all over the world.

"Are these lyrics too explicit for her?" Max asked.

Li Ang has considered this issue.

Taylor's lyrics and music style are the epitome of freshness in today's increasingly heavy music scene.

Under the impact of more and more adult elements, even singers like Avril Lavigne and Britney Spears, who became famous for their girl-next-door image, have to transform.

The former turned to the Gothic style and used exaggerated smoky makeup to highlight her rebellious image.

The latter completely changed from a sweet girl to a street style, leaning towards a sexy style with big blonde waves.

However, Taylor's musical style, which swings between pop, rock and country music, still dominates the entire market.

The lyrics are full of student-like jokes and banter like elementary school students, and usually do not contain any explicit content.

When elementary school students listen to this, they don’t have to worry about being beaten by their mother’s love.

"It's just a song. Lyrics of this nature are nothing in today's market," Li Ang quipped. "What do you take that woman for? Do you think she wouldn't sleep with any of her boyfriends?"

Max laughed and shook his head, "Man, I'm just worried that her management team will disagree, especially her boss Scott."

"This guy treats Taylor like a money-printing machine and won't allow anything to happen that affects record sales."

Snapped--

Li Ang snapped his fingers. "That makes it easier, doesn't it? Scott is a greedy bastard. This song is a collaboration with Beyoncé, it's definitely going to be a hit."

"That guy won't refuse!"

Max thought it made sense and stopped talking.

He continued to concentrate on fiddling with the instruments that would be used in the arrangement.

Drop drop-

Li Ang's phone rang.

When he saw the caller's name, the corners of his mouth curled up into a treacherous smile of success.

Quincy Jones.

It seems that he must have received that special gift, and the country's inefficient postal system has become efficient for once.

"Hello, Mr. Jones." Leon pretended nothing happened and greeted him warmly.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

"Mr. Jones?"

"Why do not you speak?"

"Is the signal not very good?"

After nearly thirty seconds of silence, Jones finally spoke: "Young man, what did you do to me?"

"What? I don't understand what you mean."

"Don't play dumb. I know this is all your conspiracy."

"What are you talking about?"

Jones was silent for more than ten seconds before continuing, "Do you know what you're doing, young man? If you want to get Vibe this way, I must remind you that this is a crime!"

Faced with Jones's strong pressure, Li Ang remained silent.

The other party was probably recording the conversation, so he wouldn't make such a low-level mistake.

He hurried back to the office and called Bonnie to get out the recording equipment.

"I don't understand what you mean. I have been quoting according to normal business procedures. How can it be a crime?" Li Ang said with a smile.

"That's enough! Stop pretending!" Old Jones lost control of his emotions. "Your dirty tricks have crossed the line! I've been working in this industry for half a century. Even those despicable Italians and dirty Irish bastards wouldn't do such a thing!"

Do you think you can say that others are despicable?
Li Ang snorted coldly.

After Michael Jackson's sex scandal broke out in 2003, Jones, who always regarded himself as his mentor, was the first to come forward and distance himself from the scandal.

While making money from the royalties of MJ's works, he kept exposing MJ's negative information in the media.

He probably never thought that one day he would fall into the trap of a "sex scandal".

"Fuck, I don't have the heart to play these games with you anymore." Old Jones tried to calm himself down. "Delete those damn videos, and I'll give you everything you want!"

"Are you in New York now? I think we should meet in person to talk." The other party had already revealed his cards, but Li Ang still did not intend to reveal anything on the phone.

"I'll have Jidada buy the next flight right now!"

There was a strange "click" sound from the other end of the phone, and the call ended abruptly.

It was obvious that old Jones was so angry that he threw his phone.

Eight hours later, at eight o'clock that evening.

Two black business cars were parked downstairs of Apocalypse Music.

A large group of black men in suits and ties got out of the car. I don't know if they were gunmen or bodyguards hired by old Jones.

One of the black men pushed old Jones's wheelchair with a serious expression.

Leon had already made preparations and had Jorge and his gang guard the entrance of the company with guns.

"My boss said that no one except Mr. Jones and his nanny can go in." Jorge tilted his head, revealing two shiny Glocks on his waist.

"Fuck you, your boss is a complete scumbag!" Old Jones rocked his wheelchair. "There's nothing he can't do! I might die in there without someone by my side!"

"Calm down and stay calm." Jorge said with a smile: "Except for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, no one here can take your life." "Fxxk" old Jones has no regard for his decency today and has been blurting out the "F-word" continuously.

Because he was anxious to see Li Ang, he had no choice but to compromise.

He could only be accompanied by a black bodyguard pushing his wheelchair.

Jorge frisked them again before entering the apocalypse music.

"Is this necessary?" Old Jones snorted coldly.

"My boss is a meticulous person. He told me not to miss any details~"

Jorge has dealt with drugs a lot during his long street career.

Body searches are a basic procedure in drug transactions.

Having been engaged in work similar to that of a "scavenger" for many years, he is already familiar with these jobs.

Soon he discovered something unusual in an imperceptible detail - a wheelchair.

Noticing Jorge's gaze, Old Jones became visibly nervous.

Jorge removed the screw cap on the armrest of his wheelchair and found a voice recorder inside the stainless steel tube.

"Is this a gift for us, Mr. Jones?" Jorge asked with a smile.

"Hmm, can we go in now?"

“Maybe we need to wait a little longer.”

Soon, more recording devices were discovered, including four voice recorders.

Old Jones was completely dumbfounded. He didn't expect Leon's security team to be so professional.

He once suspected that these people were specially trained retired CIA agents.

"Okay, you can go in."

The body search alone took half an hour, and old Jones was already extremely anxious.

Accompanied by Jorge, we came to an office at the innermost part.

Li Ang was sitting with his feet up, enjoying his coffee.

Aisha, who worked overtime almost every day due to the complicated accounts, stood beside him.

The mysterious Mariana Trench is bottomless and covered with colorful tattoos.

"Look who's here! Mr. Jones, the greatest artist in jazz history and a living fossil in the music world!" Leon said with a smile, "Elsa, go get Mr. Jones a cup of coffee."

"Stop it, bastard! I'm tired of your disguise!" Old Jones said in a deep voice, "Let's get this damn thing over with right now!"

After so many rounds of fighting with this old guy, he finally no longer had to go around in circles, which made Li Ang feel particularly happy.

He spread his hands and said, "Give me what I want, and you will get what you want."

Old Jones didn't say a word and signaled the bodyguard with his eyes.

Seeing the black bodyguard reaching his hand into his clothes, Aisha instinctively became alert and took two steps back.

"Don't be nervous, they've been through a thorough body search," said Jorge.

The bodyguard took out a manila folder and handed it over, which contained a draft contract.

"Hurry up and see if this contract suits your needs. Let's get this resolved as quickly as possible!" Jones' voice rose three degrees. "I don't want to see you, a disgusting devil, for even a second longer!"

Li Ang almost couldn't hold back when he saw the amount of 650 million US dollars in the draft contract.

At this time, the other party was still dreaming.

“I’m not too happy with the amount.”

"This is the bid you promised, and Time Warner also agreed to this price." Jones snorted coldly.

"That was in the past. I've reassessed the value of Vibe. It's simply not worth that much money." Leon knocked on the table. "I gave you a chance."

Jones gritted his teeth anxiously, veins surfacing on his charcoal-black face.

He now even wanted to eat Li Ang alive.

Although he has been greedy all his life, it seems that he has no choice now.

Rather than money, he was more afraid of the infamy he would face after the video was exposed.

"So how much are you willing to pay now?" Jones asked.

"250 million dollars." Li Ang said with a smile.

"WTF you bastard are you crazy."

Even though it has declined, "Vibe" was once the undisputed number one player in the hip-hop magazine market.

The name alone is worth more than $250 million.

In fact, Li Ang had already made up his mind about Jones. Even if he didn't pay a cent, the other party would hand over the magazine obediently.

The problem is that abnormal acquisition prices will alert the Small Business Administration (SBA), the American Newspaper Association (ANA), and the Departments of Commerce and Taxation.

In order to avoid unnecessary trouble, he locked the final investment amount at 250 million dollars at Aisha's suggestion.

Li Ang lit a cigarette and said with a smile, "If you agree to this offer, we can draft a preliminary acquisition agreement."

"Ms. Aisha will communicate with your people, and we will complete all the acquisition procedures within a week."

Old Jones was silent for two full minutes. He stared at Li Ang with cloudy eyes and said, "I curse you, bastard. Even in hell, even Satan will spit in your face if he sees you, and your grave will be spitted on."

Li Ang kept smiling and did not respond.

Judging from the current situation, Jones would definitely be the first to die if he was not shot by someone.

"I need a guarantee that after you get Vibe, those damn videos will be gone from this world forever!" Jones said.

"Of course, I swear to God."

"That's absurd, coming from you, the word God," Jones said. "How am I supposed to believe you?"

"Obviously, if I get what I want, those videos are useless to me," Li Ang said.

"I never do meaningless things, you should know that."

"Of course, you can only choose to believe me now, right?"

Old Jones looked extremely miserable, and he almost went to see God early because he couldn't catch his breath.

In the end, he agreed to the offer.

Elsa drafted a new acquisition contract on the spot.

This is just a draft contract, and the formal acquisition will be completed within a week after approval.

After sending Jones away, Li Ang lay on the swivel chair, put his hands behind his head, and the corners of his mouth were harder to suppress than AK.

"I've never understood why you're so interested in a magazine that no one reads." Jorge curled his lips. "You've put a lot of effort into it. I'd say that except for those magazines with big-breasted women on the cover, no one reads this stuff anymore."

"You don't understand at all," Li Ang said with a smile. "This is the company's first step into the media industry."

Although the magazine industry is no longer prosperous, the Vibe brand still has a strong influence in the hip-hop community.

As soon as the acquisition is completed, the first thing he will do is lay off employees;

Reduce the circulation of physical publications and develop online magazines.

Next, the radio business and Vibe magazine were merged to become a media group focused on rap music.

Li Ang casually slid the middle axis of his mouse and noticed the overwhelming hype about "American Idol Season 10" on the Internet.

This most influential talent show in the United States will be aired in a month.

Thinking of the "Vibe" magazine that he was about to get, Li Ang stared at the screen and fell into deep thought.

"Why isn't anyone doing rap talent shows?"

The outline of a rap talent show gradually became clear in his mind.

(End of this chapter)