Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

Link called Anna to inquire about "Transformers 2" and the single.

Anna told him that "Transformers 2" had a box office of 82.95 million US Dollars on the first day of release, and after five days, in North America alone, it had taken in 210 million and 1.2 million US Dollars, becoming the second-highest in the "five-day box office record" in history, and in the overseas box office market, it also had 162 million US Dollars.

Because the movie was recently a big hit, the theme song "Give Me Reason" matched the movie plot very well, and was jokingly referred to by the audience as the MV for the song, leading to many people going online to download the song or visiting physical stores to buy the record after watching the movie.

In just five days, the total sales volume of this single, online and offline, reached 627,000 copies, 5,000 more than "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" in its second week of release.

By a slim margin, it reached number one on the Billboard singles chart, becoming Link's second number one single.

"So that's how it is!"

Initially, when he and Graham discussed releasing the single just before the movie premiere, their intention was to use the movie's popularity for promotion. He had also anticipated that the song would sell a few thousand more copies after the release of "Transformers 2," but selling 627,000 copies in a week and topping the singles chart was completely beyond his expectations.

Anna told him that after the movie's release, many mainstream media were actively promoting this single, believing the song's lyrics to be positive and uplifting, deserving of extensive promotion as an anti-war and anti-discrimination anthem.

The video he released on YouTube in March had also surpassed 20 million views, with many fans leaving messages of support, urging him not to muddle through the rap scene and to continue with pop and rock music.

In one of the trailers released by the "Transformers 2" distributor, this song was used as a backdrop, and that particular trailer had over 5 million views on YouTube.

Moreover, this song was of high quality and Link performed it very well.

It was a combination of several advantages that led to "Give Me Reason" topping the singles chart.

The fact that this song surpassed "D.O.A. (Death of Auto-Tune)" to top the Billboard singles chart also stunned countless people in the industry.

Two weeks prior, Link had been at odds with an East Coast rap collective on the rap charts and had his top spot taken away by Jay-Z's single.

Facing numerous attacks from haters, Link's team was forced to compromise, announcing the postponement of the release of a new single by half a month.

But in the blink of an eye, he quietly regained lost ground on the singles chart with a rock song, once again defeating Jay-Z.

The result was completely unexpected.

Many strategists, seeing this news, unanimously regarded it as Link's ploy, claiming that Link had used many clever tactics in this battle, including misdirection, strategic retreat, feigned defeat, the Trojan horse, and the return-charge among dozens of strategies.

These strategists called him a master of boxing tactics who had defeated strong opponents several times using clever ring strategies.

Now he had applied these tactics to the music industry, defeating the rap scene's top dog, New York's rap king Jay-Z, giving the East Coast rap collectives a resounding slap in the face, which was incredibly impressive.

Meanwhile, Jay-Z, Kanye, Lil Wayne, and their fans were all caught off guard by this sudden chart-topping single.

Previously, upon hearing that Link's music was delaying song releases, they privately mocked Link as a wimp for thinking he could take on the East Coast rap collective alone.

But in just one week, the situation on Billboard changed dramatically, with Link using a pop-rock single to forcefully claim the top spot on Billboard.

"This must be Link's conspiracy. He first pretended to be weak, making us let our guard down, then he delivered Sneak Punch and blindsided us, truly a despicable fellow," Lil Wayne said angrily.

Jay-Z didn't speak, just frowned and silently smoked his cigar.

Rihanna glanced at Jay-Z; she signed with Jay-Z's Def Jam Recordings in 2005, becoming one of Jay-Z's artists.

Her current three albums were also created in collaboration with Jay-Z, Kanye, and others, helping her establish herself in the North American music scene, which also kept her in a very close relationship with the East Coast rap teams.

However, frequently hearing Katy Perry mention Link had given her a favorable impression of him.

Rihanna thought for a moment and said, "I think it's a coincidence. 'Give Me Reason' sold so many copies in its fifth week of release, and Link's music side probably didn't expect it either."

"Rihanna, you're underestimating Link," Lil Wayne shook his head and said, "Link's music initially stated they wouldn't compete with us for the charts, but after the release of 'Transformers 2,' they immediately stepped up the promotion of the song, got the media to hype it up. Isn't that competing with us for the charts?

Moreover, the sales of the song were just enough to beat 'D.O.A.' by 5,000 copies. That's clearly a slap in our face. I suspect they did it on purpose. They might be hiring people to boost sales."

The practice of boosting sales isn't new in the music scene. There are companies engaged in such services everywhere, but it's costly, and if exposed, it can impact the artist's reputation. Hence, indie label artists rarely engage in this.

Only major record companies would resort to such unconventional methods to package their artists and give them the halo of bestsellers.

Having listened to a few of Link's songs, Rihanna felt that from the lyrics and composition to the singing, everything was very good. He was a talented newcomer. With his many accolades and good image, it didn't seem problematic for his album to sell that many copies.

"Rihanna, Lil is right. Link is no good guy."

Her ex-boyfriend Chris Brown said.

Rihanna gave him a glance, huffed, turned her head away, and folded her arms, no longer speaking.

"What do we do now? Continue fighting for the charts?" 50 Cent asked.

"How to fight? It's the Billboard Hot 100 chart number one, not a genre-specific chart champion. It's too hard to clinch the top spot," Kanye said with a straight face.

There are many musicians in the United States, with new works released every month. Songs that make it onto the Billboard Hot 100 have exceptional quality. The difficulty of getting on the chart is immense, let alone clinching the number one on the singles chart.

Even a megastar like MJ had only 14 number one singles, while The Beatles, the legendary rock band, only had 20 number one singles, ranking first.

The last time Kanye's 'Monster' sold 610,000 copies in its first week, it could have claimed the first spot on the singles chart, but unluckily it coincided with the Black Eyed Peas' hit 'Boom Boom Pow,' which reigned at number one for twelve consecutive weeks, making it impossible for other songs to rise to the top.

It wasn't until Jay-Z released a single and everyone supported it together that they managed to snatch the champion spot from the Black Eyed Peas, but before they could settle in, they were pulled down by Link.

Thinking of this, Kanye suddenly widened his eyes, his face showing a look of disbelief.

Link had only been in the industry for half a year and already had two number one singles, while he, after five years, only had four. At this rate, it wouldn't take two years for Link to catch up with him.

"Bastard! I won't let you succeed," Kanye roared abruptly, kicking over the coffee table in the middle, then put on his hat and sunglasses, and without a word, stormed off angrily.

Those around watched in astonishment, but considering Kanye's bipolar disorder, they didn't make too much of it.

"Jay-Z, the track 'Forever' that I worked on with Kanye, Eminem, and Drake is finished recording and the quality is very good. Should we release it early to compete on the charts?" Lil Wayne suggested.

Jay-Z, puffing on a cigar, thought for a moment and said, "Let's put a hold on the chart battle for now. We'll talk after the MJ concert is over."

Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and the others nodded and didn't argue further. Discover stories with My Virtual Library Empire