She Used to Be the Sweetest Girl(53)

Slipping his phone back in his pocket, Shemel brought his attention back to the CEO of Homage Entertainment. With Grammy award winning artists signed under their label, Shemel felt humbled to even be in the same room as him. The fact that he had reached out to his manager spoke volumes. It wasn’t every day someone from his hometown got flown out to sit and discuss deals with the big leagues. As soon as the ticket confirmation was emailed to him, Mel knew his life was about to change for the better.

There was only one issue stopping him… the streets. Even as he sat in this fancy ass board room, with rich white folks and their thousand dollars suits on, he was thinking of a way he could flip the money he had stashed in his safe before he left. Taking the deal would put him in the spotlight, and although that’s what he wanted for his rap career, the street life was calling his name. It wasn’t all he’d known his whole life, but it played a huge part in his income over the years. Stopping his flow of money so abruptly was not something he was looking forward to at all.

He craved the hustle and appreciated the late nights of counting money until the wee hours of the morning. His adrenaline pumped when he flipped a brick and doubled his money back before his night ended. The same way he felt toward the streets, was the same way he slowly began to feel about his music. It came effortlessly to him and the feedback from fans was more than he could have ever imagined. He couldn’t live both lives and he’d have to make a decision sooner than later.

“So what do you think Young Mel? If you’re not sure right now where you stand with our offer, we’ll gladly give you time to speak with your manager and look the contract over,” Mr. Homage said.

Shemel stared at the contract, sighing heavily. He had way too much on his brain to consider. They were basically asking him to sign his life away. Picking up the water bottle, he unscrewed the top and took a slow sip. Wishing it was some Hennessey instead, he sat it back down. That’s exactly what he needed. A drink to calm his nerves. Contrary to everyone’s beliefs, he wasn’t nervous at all when he stepped into the room. He figured if they chose to reach out to him, it was for a reason. Only niggas who got looked over were those who were slept on or simply garbage artists. He was neither, and they both knew that.

“We’ll look it over and let you know something in a few days,” Shemel replied.

“Good, good. That’s what I like to hear. Don’t take too long now. We’re trying to make you a millionaire before you hit 26,” Howard chuckled, but was serious.

Him saying that meant he had a year to put his plan into action and he meant what he said. Shemel had saw close to a million in dirty money, but there was nothing like clean, legit money. He always had to be cautious how he spent it and what he spent it on. No matter how many times he cleaned it up, there was always more dirty than clean funds laying around. It never failed.

“I like the sound of that sir,” Mel replied, giving him a firm handshake.

Howard walked out the glass doors with his team following behind him. The meeting had lasted over two hours and at ten o’clock, he had meetings lined up for the remainder of the day. Running a company had always been his dream. Giving people the opportunity to showcase their talent and love for music is exactly what Howard’s brand was built from. He wished someone had given him a chance back in his younger days, and since they hadn’t, he planned to take the music industry by storm. Howard knew Shemel had what it took to change the game, and wanted to make his dream a reality if he’d let him.

Leaning back in his chair, Shemel ran his hand over his face. He was grateful for this opportunity, but his indecisiveness was driving him crazy. He never had to make a decision as crucial as the one presented to him in such a short amount of time. The two worlds had never collided and now that they had, he was needing to sleep on his options. Not only sleep on them, but discuss it with his dad. Even though he was grown, he still looked to his dad for support. He hadn’t got that far in the game by not listening and he wouldn’t start now.

Standing up from his chair, he stretched and let out a much-needed yawn. Functioning on a few hours of sleep, Shemel wanted to desperately crawl back in the bed and blow Brix’s phone up like some love sick puppy. He couldn’t though. There were moves to be made and other companies to negotiate with if the prices were looking right.

Patting his manager on the shoulder, he thanked him. He had been his manager for the last three years and he was considered a friend of the family at this point. He had put too much money in his pocket and made quick decisions not to be. A key asset to Shemel’s career, he was indeed and got paid handsomely for it.