“This some shit I got the Laws to do for me when they were running their lil’ contest looking for fresh talent. I came out on some fake support shit so they could jumpstart my career. They can’t fuck wit’ what y’all got going on around here.”
He had to go. Admitting to the both of us that he’d worked with the opps and then came to us was his first mistake. If we signed his no talent having ass it would put us in the middle of some more shit with the Laws. That beef making its rounds in the news had finally calmed down and we didn’t need it to stir up again. Not with us being so close to having it dealt with.
His second mistake was proving that he wasn’t loyal or trustworthy. Having somebody like him in my space reminded me of King and that wasn’t a good thing.
“Appreciate the compliment but that don’t change shit.” Travis was trying to help T-Lo out but dude came with a mission to get signed to something before he left.
He was aI’m leaving here with somethingass nigga and little did he know it would probably be a newly installed sunroof to his skull.
“Shit, y’all came lookin’ for me. What da fuck is up wit’ the attitude?”
Trav and I shared a look before he helped this man find the common sense he lost.
“Nah, muhfucka you confused. We came looking for talent. Not a nigga who is only out for self and had the nerve to call himself a street rapper with a line like ‘Just one look and you see I’m from the street. You wanna be my bitch you better be neat.’”
Trav rapped that shit back to him harder than he’d said it and T-Lo looked pissed. It didn’t help that my ass was cracking up because I couldn’t keep a straight face the second time around hearing that line. Shit was trash and he was wasting everybody’s time coming in here.
“You know you gone try to steal that shit.” He tried to play off his embarrassment but how the fuck could you rap stupid shit like that?
“My nigga I can get better rhymes from the riddles off a Banana Laffy Taffy paper. And nobody but this oversized ass nigga eats the banana ones.” He pointed at me and I could tell he’d finally lost the murderous haze if he was making jokes.
“Say what you want. Maybe you wouldn’t be so damn short if you’d ate ‘em.”
“Why are y’all talking about candy?” T-Lo’s attitude was even louder than his lack of talent and I had to take a breath to calm my nerves.
“Bruh do you lack a sense of self-preservation? I know we were just saying you were for self but damn do you know when to shut up? Us laughing is putting more minutes on your life clock but nah you gotta interject because you wanna laugh too. Keep on thinking something is funny and I’mma show you something hilarious.” Travis was damn near frothing at the mouth and when that vein popped in his forehead and I knew T-Lo needed to get low.
“Oh, so now you bout that life you ain’t know nothing about a few minutes ago?”
I wasn’t arguing with this nigga a minute longer. For my peace of mind and our freedom, I pressed a button that immediately had security walking in the room.
T-Low turned when he heard the door open and smirked. “Oh, you gotta call somebody else to handle me? Y’all supposed to be them niggas, though. Gotta get tossed out by security cause City and Trigga went Hollywood. Wait til the hood hears this shit.”
“Considering the source and the subject, I doubt we as the subject have to worry about much. Our hood knows us far better than you could ever say you did. Be careful who you spread that lie too, though. Some of these niggas ain’t wrapped too tight and they get down for their big bros real crazy.”
I leaned back after delivering that word of warning. He could go running off at the mouth but people knew how we moved. More than anything else, they knew how we moved for and with them. Besides street shit, we’d been crucial in setting up opportunities for our folks to do more than just following in our footsteps. Hell, one of the niggas from our block worked directly with Yacouba as his assistant.
“Oh, so a threat, too? To get some YNs to handle me? Not y’all afraid of T-Lo.” He was laughing but it was either bravado or he hadn’t really done his homework on us like he said he had. T-Lo was about to have more problems than being a shitty rapper.
I gestured toward T-Lo so the guards knew what they needed to do. “I need y’all to gone head and send him on his way.”
He didn’t know how blessed he was to be walking out of this office mainly of his own free will instead of being carried out rolled in a tarp. When the two guards we had in place for shit like this snatched him up by his arms he tried to jerk away. They were more than happy to take his ass out. He went talking shit, kicking and screaming but at least he was gone. As soon as thedoor was closed Trav turned to me and I knew he was about to start.
“He really tried to play in our face.”
A surprisingly calm response for what transpired but I wasn’t going to acknowledge it. I knew Trav was trying to keep shit professional but T-Lo was now on his radar.
“Yeah but we already got that meeting tonight. We’ll address it then. This feels like the Laws got something to do with it. Swear you think they’d learn their lesson.” I knew we hadn’t seen the last of them especially with the company being in the news for holding auditions but to send in a plant was wild. “If he’s affiliated with them past this demo we’ll know. I ain’t studdin’ that shit cause everything comes to light when the time is right.”
He nodded as his phone rang, and by his grin I knew who it was.
“How’s it going up there y’all?” Lyric felt guilty about not joining us, but we knew Grant was about to surprise her with a vacation so we told her we were going to handle this. I was glad she ain’t get in her feelings about being left out, but I knew that brat in her could show up any time.
“These niggas ain’t got no heart, Lyrie. Everybody ain’t gone be you switching up genres and making some hood ass love songs but these muthafuckas walking in here ain’t got it. No heart, lack sense and soul. I’m almost embarrassed to claim the A right now.”
Travis had her on speaker, and he wasn’t holding back his frustration. I, of course, knew it had more to do with T-Lo than our time overall but Lyric didn’t. And letting her know that we were having an issue with somebody would trigger herMighty Mouseinstinct to get active. I needed her out the way how she’d been enjoying her damn life. Not getting sucked back into our shit.
“Say it ain’t so. No talent in the whole city? Can’t be.” Her laughter was a good sign that she didn’t have a clue that anything was wrong. Which is exactly how we needed it to stay.
