Live Fast,Die Young 5:The Fall Of An Empire

Chapter 23

It took a while for me to convince LaShonda to cut a demo and she thought that I was bullshitting when I told her that I ran a record label. After our one night stand,we tried to keep things professional between us but it was becoming obvious that we were catching feelings for each other, I even formed a bond with her six year old son,Troy. The day after we had recorded the demo tape,we took it to the offices of Warner Bros. to play for Miranda,who wanted to meet LaShonda face to face. Miranda gave her a long quizzical stare and it was unclear whether or not she met her approval. "So,Darin tells me that you could sing...",Miranda inquired while staring her down,"Yeah,if you want,I could play you my tape",LaShonda said with a bit of nervous energy,"Fuck that tape...I want to hear it directly from your vocal chords,show me what you got",Miranda said in an assertive tone. LaShonda closed her eyes,took a deep breath and belted out Stephanie Mills' latest hit "Something In The Way You Make Me Feel". Miranda just sat there emotionless like she normally does whenever an act auditions for her,which she uses as a scare tactic to put the performer under pressure. Once LaShonda was done,Miranda just nodded her head but didn't say a word. "Sing something else",Miranda ordered nonchalantly,"Okay,I could do that", she replied before tearing into Stacy Lattisaw's classic ballad "Let Me Be Your Angel". Miranda had held her hand up and signaled for her to stop mid-song. "Stay put,I need to speak to Darin outside for a moment",she said before turning her head in my direction,gesturing for me to follow her. "So,what do you think?",I asked while crossing my arms,"She sounds great but we need to work on her appearance and line her up with some of the best producers and songwriters",Miranda whispered,"Who do you have in mind?",I asked,"L.A. Reid & Babyface,Teddy Riley,Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis...Those kind of people",she explained,"Ok,I could see that happening",I replied while thinking it over. "Let's talk about Double Trouble for a second",she said,changing the subject,"What about them?",I inquired,"I was listening to the finished product over the weekend and while I think it's a great album... It's pretty harsh, in terms of language and content",she explained with a hint of concern in her voice,"So,what do you want us to do? Go back and change some of the lyrics?",I asked while shrugging my shoulders,"No,not at all...I just want you to be aware of the fact that we may end up putting a Parental Advisory sticker on the album and I hope that you guys don't take offense to it",she said,"I'm not worried about that, there's all sorts of rappers out there cursing in their lyrics right now",I replied,"Yeah,I understand that but the last thing we need is Tipper Gore breathing down our necks,you must remember...Time Warner is one of the biggest corporations in America right now and that alone gives the right wingers a reason for us to be in their cross hairs",she reasoned,"I could give two fucks about Tipper Gore,take her ass to South Central and I guarantee you that she will change her opinion",I stated,"Do you want us to release this album or not?",she asked while becoming irritated by my statement,"Look,do what y'all gotta do...you could put the Surgeon General Warning on the cover for all I care",I said with mild sarcasm,"Whatever you say,Darin",she said rolling her eyes and opening the door back to her office. "So?",LaShonda asked while shrugging her shoulders,"I have a question for you",Miranda inquired,"I'm listening",LaShonda replies while crossing her arms,"Would you like to be signed to Warner Bros.?",Miranda replied with a smile on her face. Another star is born.