Rhythm and Ray: A DJ’s Journey

[Chapter 254: Dad]

"Is this really going to work?" Kesha looked at Ryan with skepticism after hearing his plan.

"That depends on how willing you are. The rest is up to you; you'll have to walk your own path," Ryan reminded her.

Kesha fell into a deep silence, thinking for a long time. Finally, she cleared her throat and slowly spoke, "Do you know why I changed the 'S' in my name to a dollar sign?"

"I'm all ears."

"Because from that day on, I secretly vowed to look at everything through the lens of money! I don't want to be a tool for others to profit from anymore; I want to live for myself." Kesha clenched her fists.

"That's great," Ryan nodded, pleased with Kesha's current mindset.

"Do you need me to..." Ryan glanced at the empty plates on the table.

"If possible, can I get another order?" Kesha said with a cautious smile.

Ryan turned around and snapped his fingers. "Let's get another of everything from earlier for this lady, and... let's settle the bill." He pulled out his credit card.

...

Ryan stepped outside the restaurant, putting on his cap and mask before heading straight to a five-star hotel in Miami. According to the schedule, a notable guest was on the way -- Eminem.

At the beginning of the new millennium, he had swept the Grammy Awards three years in a row for Best Rap Album. A white rapper, he was the most successful male artist of the 2010s, even earning a rap song an Oscar. He was a rebellious icon, or rather, a once-rebellious symbol.

"Hello," Ryan greeted eagerly.

Yet, the room was empty. He looked down and saw a little girl staring up at him.

"Ryan!" The little girl immediately wrapped her arms around Ryan's waist.

"Hailie, don't startle him," a man stepped out of another room, revealing himself to be Eminem.

Dressed in a black T-shirt and pants, with a metal chain around his neck and a fresh buzz cut, he looked handsome. Calling him the most handsome rapper wasn't an exaggeration, especially given his current look compared to his earlier bad-boy persona.

"My daughter's on summer break, and since the performance is in Florida, I thought I'd bring her along for a little vacation," he said with a warm smile that hinted at his shyness.

"Ryan! I really like you! All the girls in my class think you're awesome!" the girl, about twelve or thirteen, exclaimed, her excitement palpable. A sticker of Ryan was plastered on her hand.

It was Ryan's first encounter with such a young fan, and he gently patted her head as she hugged him tightly for a while before Eminem pulled her away.

In Ryan's memory, Eminem had once been that angry lyricist with bleached hair, a rebellious symbol. Now, seeing him hugging his daughter and smiling with a fatherly affection was something else.

"How do you find the place here? Don't hesitate to let me know if you need anything," Ryan extended his hospitality.

"Everything's great, except my daughter can be a handful," Eminem said, leading Ryan into the room whilst holding Hailie's hand.

"It's nice here," Eminem chuckled.

"Is your rehab going smoothly?" Ryan asked.

He referred specifically to Brighton Recovery Center, where Eminem was recovering from substance addiction. The year before, he had nearly lost his life to an overdose and had been fortunate to survive.

Unfortunately, Dre's son hadn't been so lucky and had passed away last year.

Eminem nodded. "I've kicked the habit. The doctors say I'm clear to get back to work, at least I won't forget that I'm about to hit the stage."

Previously, Eminem had candidly admitted in an interview that he had once forgotten recording a particular show, clearly affected by his substance use.

He glanced at his daughter playing nearby. "Honestly, I made the decision to enter rehab for her."

Despite being famous for his rebellious image with cynical street stories in his rap lyrics, Eminem was also known to be a devoted father, having previously written the heartfelt song Mockingbird for her.

"Have you decided on your performance setlist?" Ryan asked again.

Eminem nodded. "The lead single from my new album."

That was the reason he had agreed to perform at the carnival, with Jimmy's strong recommendation.

"Did you get in touch with Snoop?" Eminem inquired.

"He declined. He's upset with the strict policies at Bad Room and stated he won't perform at the carnival in his lifetime," Ryan replied with a rueful shake of his head.

"Haha, he probably doesn't want to make you look bad, so he decided not to show up," Eminem laughed heartily.

Snoop Dogg and Eminem had a brotherly connection. Dre, his mentor, produced all of Eminem's albums. It could be said that Eminem had helped Dre attain a portion of his West Coast kingpin status.

"How's Dre?" Ryan asked.

"Not doing too well. He still hasn't recovered from losing his son, and I've heard his relationship with Jimmy isn't great either. You had a hand in that," Eminem pointed at Ryan.

"Me?"

"Yep, your and your fiancee's headphones are selling like hotcakes, making Jimmy rely on Dre a lot less. He delayed the release plan for new designs."

"And what about you? You should have a share in the headphones, right?" Ryan prodded.

When Eminem was in rehab, he had become a public figure again. Given his fame and connection to Dre, he was likely to release his own line of headphones.

"I'm not interested in such money-making gimmicks," Eminem shook his head, saying it right in front of Ryan, slightly disrespectful.

"You've been tainted by too much of that money-driven mindset, Ryan. You should focus on the music," Eminem advised.

"You know well that sometimes, when struggling with creative blocks, the pressure can get overwhelming. That's my way of coping."

"Money can cloud your judgment; you will become a slave to it," Eminem shook his head, clearly holding a different viewpoint.

"In a way, we're all slaves, but what we can choose is to make money while changing the world. Electronic music is the sound of the next era."

"You're completely wrong; electronic music is undoubtedly a false form of expression. The sounds are no longer pure but modified by effects, creating a carefully constructed illusion -- lyrics lacking core meaning. They seem bold, but they're inherently weak," Eminem said, his tone rhythmic, almost as if he was rapping. It made his cynicism more understandable.

"Just surviving is tiring enough. Nowadays, people might not even want to think about core meaning; they just want to relax -- simple relaxation."

"I hope you're right," Eminem chuckled lightly.

Ryan went on to ask about his new songs. "In addition to last month's release of Relapse, there's another album coming early next year. I've piled up a lot of material during rehab for a powerful return, including some collaborations with top female artists. This idea came from Jimmy; he said it would help boost sales. Guess what else he told me?"

"To collaborate with Lady Gaga?"

"Yes, I shot that down immediately. That... thing, feels like an alien creature," Eminem scoffed.

Ryan couldn't understand Lady Gaga's increasingly bizarre style either.

"So who are you considering collaborating with?" Ryan pressed.

"You aren't thinking of suggesting that little girl, are you?" Eminem realized.

"She'd fit well for the chorus, just like with Stan," Ryan finally admitted.

Eminem rapping alongside Taylor's voice would surely set the music market ablaze and could deliver a mega hit. Even if it didn't blow up, at least it wouldn't be sung by Rihanna or Lady Gaga, which was good enough.

"We can negotiate the split; I can arrange better performance spots for you at the carnival and play your singles at the club," Ryan suggested with enthusiasm.

"Dad, are you going to collaborate with Ryan?" Hailie overheard and immediately came over.

Seeing Ryan's enthusiasm and Hailie approaching, Eminem scratched his head and felt a bit flustered, unsure how to decline. He eventually said, "Thanks, but I believe that song needs a more powerful voice; Taylor's vocals... don't pack enough punch, you know? I'm more inclined to work with a certain black female artist instead. Of course, that doesn't mean we can't collaborate in the future, but that's only if the song is suitable."

"As long as you need, just give me a call anytime."

"I promise," Eminem nodded.

As he was about to leave, Ryan waved goodbye to Eminem's daughter, who was cute with wide eyes like a little angel.

"Will I get to see you again?" Hailie asked, pouting as if about to cry.

"Of course, whenever you want to see me, you can," Ryan chuckled, thinking of pregnant Ivanka, instinctively.

...

After wrapping up the meeting with Eminem, Ryan happened to run into a black female singer in the hotel lobby.

With her distinctive features and frizzy hair, it was Leona Lewis, who had encountered obstacles from UMG during their previous collaboration.

Ryan had instructed Simon to reach out to Adele, only to find out Adele had flat-out rejected the offer. Simon then proposed a compromise: having Leona step in for her.

In the world of adult contemporary female singers, Ryan didn't have many alternatives and agreed since music festivals were just stages. Compared to direct collaborations, the limitations were fewer, allowing Leona to seamlessly arrive in Florida.

Upon seeing Ryan again, Leona didn't appear overly excited.

Ryan knew a bit about her situation; she had rapidly declined since 2009. Her songs, once top chart hits last year, had gone unheard this year, and she had to face the repercussions of her song choices.

Taylor was still dealing with pressure, and Ryan didn't have the bandwidth to help her. Besides, Leona was with Sony, making her not exactly his concern.

After a brief exchange, Ryan prepared to leave, but suddenly Leona said, "Ryan, can we talk? Do you have time right now?"

"About fifteen minutes," Ryan looked at his Patek Philippe watch worth over $100,000.

"That'll do; where should we talk?" Leona pointed to a semi-open cafe in the lobby.

...

Leona wasn't bringing up anything critically urgent; she simply hoped Ryan could share the stage with her during her performance of their previously collaborated song.

"I think that'd be even better, don't you?"

"I have no objections, but you know, UMG doesn't want me collaborating with Sony artists right now," Ryan used Universal Music Group as a shield.

Leona sighed, clearly a bit anxious.

"We can discuss it later," Ryan said a few comforting words and then left her standing alone.

...

"Guess who I just met? Eminem. I seem to be running into all these big stars lately," Ryan remarked as Taylor entered the office, shaking his head in disbelief. After all, welcoming a powerhouse like Eminem was always worth a personal touch.

The music carnival was about to start rehearsals, and Taylor had returned just in time.

"I happened to run into him at the airport earlier. There's a whole squad of paparazzi waiting outside," Taylor recounted, recalling the chaotic scene.

Florida's early summer was sparkling due to the Bad Room carnival; with stars in attendance, paparazzi were sure to follow.

"The car I was in took forever to head toward the club," Taylor chuckled.

Ryan nodded, then began discussing another topic, "I found the behind-the-scenes leak -- at least one of them."

A few days earlier, tabloids had fabricated a story about him and Taylor feuding, making it seem they had a significant argument over performance order, leading them to publicly display affection at the Teen Choice Awards.

"Who was it?" Taylor immediately inquired.

"Beyonce's manager. I mentioned your supposed argument with me just to negotiate, but he took it seriously," Ryan explained.

The gossip columns were simply rehashing what Ryan had told Beyonce's manager, who happened to be her father.

"You've already given her the closing slot, and I didn't even get that! But she actually repays you with this... How shameless of her!" Taylor frowned in frustration.

"So what do we do now? You agreed to her terms before; changing her position now might not go over well," Taylor analyzed.

"It might not have been directly her doing; it could've been her father being pushy. Regardless, this has crossed the line, so we need to show her some consequences!" Ryan's expression turned stern.

"While we can't change her performance time, we can adjust the lineup!" Ryan suddenly declared.

"I know what you're getting at," Taylor realized: "She'll be in for quite the surprise."

Taylor and Ryan continued their casual chat.

"I just met Eminem; I originally wanted you to collaborate with him, but the song wasn't right. I also met his daughter; she's adorable. Taylor, why don't we... have a baby?"

"Weren't you the one who didn't want kids? What's changed your mind?" Taylor teased, recalling a previous conversation.

"Yeah, I changed my mind," Ryan laughed.

"Let's wait until we're officially married to discuss kids," Taylor shook her head, this time the thought of children wasn't appealing. "As you said, we're both too busy right now."

*****

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