My absurd experiences in North America over the years

Kanye did not answer immediately.

He lowered his head, his fingers tracing the rim of his wine glass back and forth. The sound of his thumb scraping across the glass was very soft, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet private room.

He didn't speak for several seconds.

"Do you think I'm desperate right now, so I'll take any bait you throw at me?"

"I don't think so," Li Fu leaned back on the sofa. "I just think that since you're not afraid of losing anything, there's nothing to hesitate about."

Kanye raised his head, his gaze lingering on Li Fu's face for a moment, as if judging something, and then he suddenly laughed, a laugh devoid of warmth, even tinged with sadness.

"Aren't you afraid I'll turn around and tell others what you just said?"

"Why should I be afraid? Do you think others will believe you or me?" Li Fu said casually. "You couldn't possibly do that anyway."

The contrast between a disgraced celebrity who has lost all credibility and a rising young star who still wields considerable media influence is truly stark.

"Why are you so sure? I don't care whether others believe me or not, as long as I can drag you down with me," Kanye said, feigning ferocity.

"I think you should have realized by now that you have no one to rely on in this circle," Li Fu picked up his wine glass, took a sip, and chuckled. "Being my enemy will do you no good, and besides, which of the things I just said could you say openly?"

Kanye fell silent, staring at the glass of wine on the table, the amber liquid reflecting a small halo under the light.

He did hate Li Fu, hated him with a vengeance, but this hatred wasn't emotional; it stemmed from the fact that Li Fu had pushed him too far.

When there is no conflict in this regard, the hatred is not so intense.

Logically, he hates Beyoncé and her husband even more, because they not only abandoned him, but also cut ties with him at lightning speed and kicked him when he was down.

Li Fu did not urge him, and waited calmly.

The private room remained quiet for over a minute, with only the muffled bass vibrations of the rock music coming from outside through the walls.

"What do you want?" Kanye finally asked.

"I don't want anything, I just feel that some people are unworthy of their positions and need new cultural icons to replace them," Li Fu said, looking at Kanye with a slightly provocative tone. "You don't think you're as good as Jay-Z, do you?"

To be honest, his provocation was pretty mediocre, because Jay-Z is really good at rap; Kanye West once thought he was the greatest rapper.

The mainstream community also considers him to be the true king of hip-hop, and he even had lunch with Warren Buffett not long ago.

Its mainstream influence is already the peak of hip-hop artists.

However, true geniuses may appreciate each other, but they would never think that they are inferior to each other. While acknowledging Jay-Z's strength, Kanye also believed that his works seriously lacked artistry and were nothing more than a pile of musical symbols and rap skills.

"Jay-Z is a great rapper, but I am the one who can break the boundaries of hip-hop," Kanye immediately stated, expressing his full confidence in his talent.

This self-confidence bordered on madness, which was the main reason he became increasingly erratic later on.

There's a sense that I am the whole world.

Li Fu clapped his hands lightly, applauding Kanye. This was the kind of confidence he wanted, and he also knew that Kanye was capable, capable of rivaling Jay-Z.

Although he didn't listen to hip-hop music in his past life, he still had a relatively deep impression of it. After Kanye stood up for Beyoncé at the 2009 MTV Awards, his relationship with Jay-Z and his wife quickly entered a "honeymoon period".

His album My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, released at the end of 2010, is widely regarded as the pinnacle of his career. It debuted at number one on Billboard and received a perfect score from Rolling Stone.

He then collaborated with Jay-Z on the platinum album Watch the Throne in 2011, and embarked on a massive tour between 2010 and 2011, achieving unprecedented success.

Later, Kanye used his cultural influence to build the Yeezy empire. His collaboration with Nike on the Air Yeezy series and later with Adidas made Yeezy one of the most popular sneaker brands in the world.

Ultimately, he successfully transformed into a cultural icon spanning music, commerce, and trends, with his fame even reaching the East, which is extremely rare in the hip-hop scene.

If it weren't for his anti-Semitic remarks, perhaps he wouldn't have fallen from his peak.

Li Fu believes that providing Kanye with resources will definitely allow him to make a comeback and become a formidable rival to Beyoncé and her husband in the music industry.

Its anti-Semitic nature will still be useful in the future.

"I can provide you with a way to bypass their system and do what you want without worrying about being ripped off, suppressed, or inexplicably kicked out one day. Show me what you're capable of."

Li Fu offered extremely tempting terms.

"You make it sound so easy. That circle isn't one you can just walk into. They have deep roots, and you're just an outsider..." Kanye had his doubts, but he stopped halfway through his sentence.

Because Li Fu can't be considered an outsider; he's a major shareholder of Time Warner, the controller of Tribune Media, the owner of Big Machine Records, and the operator of Forrest Capital...

He knew this person's capabilities all too well.

This is a true investor in the entertainment industry, with political backing to rely on, and there's nothing they can't accomplish.

“I know you have plenty of money and connections,” Kanye’s voice became somewhat muffled, “but some things can’t be solved with money. They have their own people throughout the entire chain, from radio stations to award ceremonies to tour organizers… If you want to bypass them, it’s like you have to rebuild the entire network.”

"It doesn't matter. We'll just rebuild the network," Li Fu shrugged indifferently. "You're familiar with this circle. You know who you can cooperate with and who they're suppressing. I'll be your backer and your financial backer."

He still has nearly a billion dollars lying in his account, unsure of what he's doing with it; Forrest Capital has about the same amount.

With Big Machine Records, New York real estate projects, and dividends from Time Warner, he has enough capital to do whatever he wants.

Besides, it wouldn't cost that much money at all.

Kanye remained silent for a long time. This was an extremely rare opportunity for him, but it also meant declaring war on entertainment dominance. He wasn't mentally prepared. "I need to think about it some more..."

"What are you afraid of?" Li Fu frowned slightly, trying to provoke Kanye. "You're already a discarded pawn they've thrown into the dust. Can you get any worse off?"