Domination in America, Starting from being a Boxing Champion

While Link was popping the champagne in celebration, Roc Nation Records also held a cocktail party at the Hilton Hotel to celebrate "The Blueprint 3" topping the weekly album sales chart.

But at the party, Jay-Z wasn't happy.

Before the album's release, he had high hopes for it and, according to his and the company's projections, the first-week sales were supposed to be at least above 800,000 copies, with a great chance to break one million and set a new record in his career.

But it didn't, with first-week sales only at 458,000 copies.

For many first and second-tier singers, that number was something 'they wouldn't even dare to dream of.'

For him, a top figure in the music industry with the rank of a king, 458,000 copies seemed rather ordinary, even a failure.

The main reason for the failure was that Link's album had eaten into a portion of the market share. Without Link's album, "The Blueprint 3" had a great chance to sell over 600,000 copies in the United States.

Thinking of Link, that young man, Jay-Z frowned deeply, his plump black face tensed as he smoked a Cuban cigar, coldly watching the lively ball. Seeing his wife Beyonce dancing with Duck Drake, his face darkened even more.

"Jay-Z, what's wrong?"

Kanye approached with a glass of wine and asked.

"What do you think about the album's sales?"

"Sales champion, of course it's good,"

Kanye said.

Jay-Z shook his head. The rap music market had been doing well in recent years. Kanye's "Graduation" in '07, Lil Wayne's album "Tha Carter III" last year, both broke over 900,000 copies in their first week.

Eminem, T.I., Chris Brown's new albums also had first-week sales of over 600,000 copies.

Compared to these artists, he clearly felt a significant decline in his appeal and influence in the industry, which made him uncomfortable.

"I heard Link is going to Berlin next week to participate in the swimming championship. If he gets a few more gold medals, his album sales next week could very well surpass ours. Do you have any suggestions?"

Jay-Z asked.

Kanye was also one of the producers of "The Blueprint 3," responsible for the production and featuring on ten songs on the album. If the album sold well, Kanye would also get his share of the profits.

Kanye thought for a moment. Link was going to participate in the World Swimming Championships, competing against the top international swimmers. If he could defeat those competitors and win more gold medals, the media would heavily cover it, which was inevitable.

The increased media exposure for Link would also draw more attention to his new album, and sales would rise, which also seemed inevitable.

This week, "Keep On Movin'" was only over 30,000 copies behind "The Blueprint 3." Following this trend, the former was very likely to surpass the latter next week and climb to the top of the album sales chart.

Media were now keenly observing the sales battle between Link and Jay-Z's albums, and if Jay-Z were surpassed next week, it would be quite embarrassing for him.

However, after some thought, Kanye couldn't come up with an effective countermeasure.

"Should we also hold a few more autograph sessions, call some celebs to perform?"

Kanye suggested.

Jay-Z, holding his cigar, waved his finger, dismissing the suggestion. He was a rap mogul, worth seven to eight hundred million dollars. For him to sit in one spot all day, endlessly signing autographs for fans, was possible when he was younger, but not anymore.

He couldn't afford to lose face like that.

Jay-Z saw Lil Wayne, T.I., Chris Brown, and beckoned them over, recounted the situation, and asked if they had any ideas.

Lil Wayne, stroking his chin, thought for a moment and then chuckled, "It's simple. We keep hyping up Link's racial discrimination issue, making the fans attack him. His album definitely won't sell then."

"That's not going to work!"

Jay-Z shook his finger. Washington had already made it clear they could vie with Link on the charts and pressure him through industry competition, but they couldn't touch on racial discrimination issues again.

Link was an Olympic champion, a world boxing champion, a popular singer, a swimming star, a youth icon. He had a lot of fans and significant influence in the United States.

Accusing him of racial discrimination without solid evidence would be damaging; making a big fuss would be bad for everyone involved.

"How about we dig up some dirt? Link cares a lot about his reputation and public image, and that's also why those fans stand by him. If we just expose some dirt on him in the media, tarnish his reputation, then those young fans won't support him anymore."

T.I. proposed.

"That's a good idea."

Jay-Z's eyes lit up.

It had been analyzed by the media that Link had gained massive popularity in just over a year because he had an excellent public image.

He came from humble beginnings and made it to the top through his efforts, becoming a world boxing champion and a multimillionaire, the epitome of the American dream.

He was diligent and studious. Even after becoming a multimillionaire, he pursued further education and took the initiative to attend college, setting a good example for the youth.

He could sing and compose music, known as a pop music prodigy and a youth idol.

He also actively participated in sports competitions, winning honors for his country.

Aside from some issues before reaching adulthood, he was almost a perfect idol.

If they could use some scandal to ruin his good image, his fans would be disappointed, and his album sales would suffer.

"Scandal? What kind of scandal does Link have?"

Kanye asked.

Jay-Z looked at T.I., who had offered the suggestion.

T.I. paused for a moment, "I heard the guy is really strong in that department; his private life must be a mess, heh, maybe dozens of girls in one night."
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"Who told you that? Do you have any photos to show me?"

Kanye asked curiously.

"I'm guessing, I think he's that kind of person."

"We can't do anything without evidence, think of other scandals."

Jay-Z waved his hand, urging everyone to think of black material against Link.

After pondering for a while, Kanye and the others couldn't find any dirt on Link.

He didn't do drugs or alcohol, didn't participate in prostitution or gambling, nor did he abuse violence. Although he had a few scandalous girlfriends in the past two years, he never dated more than two at the same time.

Overall, in terms of private life, he didn't have much scandal.

"Impossible!"

Jay-Z didn't believe that there could be a perfect idol in the entertainment industry. He himself rose from the bottom and knew how hard it was to climb up, and he knew how many shiny public figures hid filth inside.

Link had to be the same.

Lil Wayne's eyes shifted, "Why not plant a pack of drugs in his car and then call the cops on him?"

Jay-Z thought about it, but it wouldn't work.

Link was a multimillionaire with many lawyers at his disposal. He had connections with the Duvall and Thomp families and was also a valued elite athlete by the sports commission. Thus, framing him would have no impact.

Seeing that everyone couldn't come up with any scandal on Link, Jay-Z, annoyed, threw down his cigar, stomped on it, and turned to the music manager, saying:

"Invest another 5 million in promotion, get in touch with more media outlets, I want to stay on top next week."

Thinking about it, the others agreed the method wasn't bad at all. With Jay-Z's vast fan base and the quality of his album, increasing promotional efforts could easily secure him the top spot on the album sales charts for another week.

As long as they could outdo Link for another week, with other artists releasing new albums in the following weeks, Link wouldn't stand a chance to reach the top of the album charts again.

If Link's album failed to reach the top, they would have won this battle of the charts.

In the second week after the release of Link's album "Keep On Movin'", Jay-Z's Roc Nation, together with Epic Records, Kanye's GOOD Music, and Lil Wayne's Young Money, invested millions of US dollars, promoting "The Blueprint 3" through various channels.

Under the auspices of the "Shawn Carter Foundation," Jay-Z hosted multiple charity concerts in New York, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and other cities to raise funds for out-of-school children from low-income black families and invited hundreds of singers, actors, and sports stars from the circle.

At the New York concert, Jay-Z donated half a million US dollars on the spot, which caused a sensation throughout the venue.

The concerts, broadcast live on MTV, reached a peak viewership of over 15 million.

Almost simultaneously, good news came from the World Swimming Championships in Berlin, Germany.

Sportsman Link Baker beat French swimmer Bernard and South Korean swimmer Park Tae-hwan in the 100-meter and 200-meter freestyle events, winning two gold medals.

When the news reached the United States, all major US media outlets reported on it. ESPN broadcasted the swimming championship live via satellite signal.

In the following days, "The Blueprint 3" distributors invested a substantial amount of money in promoting across the United States, aiming to give the album more exposure and ensure they retained the number one spot on the charts.

Link also fought valiantly at the Berlin Olympic Swimming Center, eventually winning seven gold medals, including the 100/200/400/1500-meter freestyle, 100-meter/200-meter breaststroke, and the 4x100-meter freestyle relay.

He broke two swimming world records and is currently the holder of four international swimming Federation records.

The only regret was that American swimming legend Phelps, before competing in the 100-meter breaststroke, accidentally slipped and injured his knee, forcing him to withdraw from the competition, so Link missed the chance to directly compete against him.

After the competition, Link and the US swimming team flew back to Los Angeles.