The Hidden Genre (C. H. H. Ain't Dead 01)

chapter three

THE CREW for the event put their all into preparations. The dark outfits they wore made the heat work as hard as them. Most of the men had their shirts drenched in sweat. Some of the women made sure to be within sight, as they "worked" with different movements than the guys. Either way, they prepared the stage for a once in a life time performance.

Regardless of their efforts, Luke stared over the sea of empty seats in amazement. Did the label really expect to fill this amount of seats? Yes, he had a one in a million agent on his side. Even better, he had fans worldwide on his side, but wasn't this asking too much?

"You here early," said agent Dobe as he took his stance next to the celebrity. "What? The hotel not good enough?"

"Nah, it ain't that," replied Luke, "I just needed to clear my head. That's all."

"Well, get this into your head," the agent guided his client's eyes around the stadium, "fifty thousand seats will be filled tomorrow night." A grin overtook the bottom of his face, "Didn't I say we would conquer the world?"

"You did and I'm truly grateful for everything you've done, Nick. I mean it . . ." said Luke.

"Hey, I don't get all the credit. You brought a lot to the table as well, don't forget that. Look at those seats . . . those are from your flows, not mine. And the songs are what the fans are enjoying. Not my little agent speeches."

"Yeah, but you got me the right gigs, the right interviews, at the right moments. That's why I am where I am today," said Luke, "I was nothing but a rapper caught in a struggle hidden from the world. You got me out of it. You basically saved my life, Nick. Thank you. It really means a lot to me."

Agent Dobe sneaked a look at his client. Now he was curious. Luke was acting way too . . . humble. Was it because he was at the end of his contract and in his feelings, or because he was so close to home after three years?

Nick lit a cigarette and wished he could blow his doubts away like he did the smoke, "I'm really honored to represent you, Chase. Your raw talent is what got me interested in signing you. That's no joke, kid. We would have done anything to get you and look how worth it, it has been."

"Yeah," Luke's eyes wondered around the arena, "it sure has been worth it, hasn't it?"

"Come on, kid - where's the energy? I can't have you perform like this tomorrow. You'll bore your fans to death," said a now concerned Nick.

Behind them, a member hesitated to approach. She looked towards the other crew members as if she needed confirmation that her job wasn't on the line for doing this.

"Hi, Mr. Chase. I'm a huge fan! So, I'm really excited for tomorrow night. That's why . . . well. We need to prepare the floor. So, can you please clear the stage?" asked the fan/crew member who tried to keep her composure.

"Sure -"

"But you can stay a little longer if you want to," she quickly added.

"Nah, I'm all good," grinned Luke.

+++

"You said you wanted to chat about something," Luke continued the conversation in the front row, "is it feedback on what I've requested?"

"Listen, Luke, you know I've had your back since the beginning, right," Nick stated more than questioned. "Decep Records are willing to offer you a three album contract over a period of seven years. I think you should accept it."

"What you mean, seven years?" Luke asked, curious. "How exactly would that work?"

"We still in detailed discussions," replied Nick, "but manage your money right and it will guarantee a paycheck every week for seven years."