Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

When he stepped out of the Staples Center, the artificial rain had ended, and the crowd who came to pay tribute had put down their umbrellas, revealing faces filled with sorrow.
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Link looked at the never-ending stream of people in front of the venue and felt some admiration for MJ. A black singer had become a world-class idol through music, captivating hundreds of millions of people around the globe and causing them to mourn his death—a feat many heavyweight politicians could not achieve.

Around the streets of the Staples Center, there were hundreds of police cars, and thousands of police officers maintaining order at every traffic juncture, with four helicopters patrolling back and forth in the sky. Besides them, numerous media reporters and paparazzi crowded the sidewalks.

While MJ was alive, they were like wolves eyeing their prey, often prowling around him, making a living and even amassing wealth through the news they dug up from him. Now that MJ was gone, today's memorial might be their last chance to cover him.

"Mr. Link Baker, may we interview you?"

"Mr. Baker, could you share your thoughts on MJ?"

"Mr. Baker, will you continue to compete with Jay-Z and Kanye for the rap charts?"

A large group of reporters and paparazzi, holding cameras and microphones, shouted as they spotted him.

Link waved his hand, indicating that it was not convenient to accept an interview. This was a memorial service, and accepting interviews here might seem like he was capitalizing on the situation, something he didn't lack.

Once inside the car and with the air conditioning blowing, he felt much more comfortable.

Mandy handed him a bottle of water and said, "Link, Jay-Z and his group are very strong in the music industry and have a huge influence. Our Link Music only has a few people. Shouldn't we avoid competing with them? Wait until they're older to deal with them. You're only 21 now; there's plenty of time, so there's no need to rush."

Link smiled lightly at her suggestion, "That's a bit difficult. Except for Jay-Z, who is over forty, the rest are all in their twenties. By the time they get old, I'll probably be ready to retire, so if I want to beat them, it's better to do it while they are still powerful; the rewards will be much greater.

Besides, it's not that I want to compete with them; they're too petty and don't want to see me succeeding in rap, nor do they allow anyone from Link Music to get ahead. I am only reluctantly engaging in battle."

"But they've been in the business longer than you, and there are so many of them."

Mandy said with concern.

"It's okay, I have confidence."

Link said, clenching his fist and smiling.

During this time, many media outlets reported on the chart battles between Link Music and the East Coast rap groups.

However, compared to the Grammy conflict in March, the media now reported with much restraint.

They discussed only the competition in the music industry, conflicts in the rap world, and the competition between Link Music and record companies like Epic Records and Def Jam, tightly focusing the topic solely within the music circle and absolutely avoiding any issues of racial discrimination.

It was precisely for this reason that Link dared to keep competing with Kanye and others. If the media had suggested that Link Music's chart battle with East Coast rap was racial discrimination, he would have definitely steered clear of them.

In addition, as media reported on the conflict between both parties, Link Music quickly established a reputation in the industry, becoming one of the most prominent new labels of the year, and a banner that attracted many musicians' attention and recruitment.

The up-and-coming singers under the label of Link Music would also receive extra media attention.

With this attention, when Lana, Mars, and Wiz released their records, a significant amount of promotional expenses could be saved.

This was one of the benefits of continuing to compete with Kanye and others on the charts.

Furthermore, in the current music scene, rock music was gradually declining, and pop, country, and hip-hop/rap were poised to become the mainstream, as well as the most profitable genres.

The pop music field was overcrowded with competition, including major record companies like Universal, Sony, and Warner, who focused on this area. With limited funds, Link Music alone couldn't easily make money in this segment.

Country music had a unique style and presented high barriers to entry. Besides, Taylor was his girlfriend; no competition was needed there.

That left rap music as a necessary domain for him to break into, and to make money in rap, he could only have two kinds of relationships with the likes of Kanye: competition or cooperation.

Due to the exclusivity of the East Coast rap gangs, it was difficult for outsiders to integrate.

If he had been black, cooperating with Kanye and others wouldn't have been a problem, but he wasn't. Moreover, due to the boxing controversy at the beginning of his career, he had drawn the enmity of Kanye, Lil Wayne, 50 Cent, and others.

Therefore, he could only have a competitive relationship with the East Coast rap groups.

Competing with the East Coast also meant receiving support and help from the West Coast rap scene, which was quite beneficial.

Considering all these reasons, he was in no rush to seek reconciliation.

"How is the album release coming along?"

"It's going smoothly. The first batch of 20,000 vinyl records, 50,000 deluxe editions, and 500,000 standard records has been delivered to distributors across the country, just waiting for the official release on shelves next Monday. Overseas, Universal Records and Atlantic Records are also ready to release on the same day."

Mandy reported.

Link nodded. By July, the second album "Keep On Movin'" release work was also scheduled. Thanks to the excellent sales performance of the first album "the fighter,"

As of now, the album had sold 5.27 million copies worldwide, a five-times platinum result that made the publishers and distributors very optimistic about his second album.

After representatives of several companies had listened to songs from the album, their confidence in it had only increased.