And so it continues

Arell sat in his apartment, the early morning sunlight filtering through the blinds, casting a warm glow on his desk. He leaned back in his chair, a rare moment of peace amid the chaos of the past week. As he sipped his coffee, he marvelled at the recent explosion in his online presence.

Just a week ago, his YouTube channel had 20,000 subscribers. Now, he was staring at 150,000 subscribers. His Twitter and Instagram followers had similarly skyrocketed, both accounts now boasting over 100,000 followers each. The notifications on his phone were endless—mentions, retweets, comments, and direct messages.

"Damn," he muttered to himself with a smile. "I'm practically famous now."

He chuckled at his own joke and then turned his attention to the clothing brand. The official launch had happened just a few days ago, and the response had been overwhelming. The website showed over 2,000 orders placed, with most of their inventory sold out within the first 48 hours.

Arell opened a spreadsheet, going over the sales numbers. "We're gonna recoup our investment and pay back that loan easily," he thought, feeling a sense of relief and accomplishment. He made a mental note to thank everyone who worked on the business.

His phone buzzed, and he saw a text from Geoffrey. "We got interview offers from Complex, XXL, and even The Breakfast Club. Labels are sending many offers as well. Check your email."

Arell opened his email, and sure enough, there were numerous offers from record labels. He skimmed through the messages, seeing numbers that made his head spin. One label was offering a $500,000 advance, another a million-dollar deal, and the offers kept coming.

"This is wild," Arell muttered. His diss track had done more than just defend his reputation—alongside the fame and buzz reward, it helped him explode.

He turned his attention to the beef with Lil Reese. Arell opened YouTube and checked the views on both diss tracks. Reese's track had garnered 2 million views over the past week, a significant number that had even landed it at #98 on the Billboard Hot 100.

But Arell's own response had blown past those numbers. His track had amassed over 3 million views and had entered the Billboard Hot 100 at #93. It was climbing the charts on other Billboard categories too; it was #59 on the Rap Songs chart.

"Damn, I really did that," Arell said. He clicked on the system interface, eager to re-read the rewards for his recent success.

[Ding!]

[Congratulations! You have once again achieved another milestone]

[Milestone: Billboard Hot 100 Chart Entry]

[Milestone: Rap Songs Chart]

[Reward Unlocked: "It's Time To Go Viral" Extension]

[Fame and Buzz of a mainstream artist. New Time limit: 50 days]

[Georgia Street Cred: You've gained significant street cred in Georgia (Expect the respect of many, living and from the State)]

[Financial Boost: You've earned $20,000 from music sales and $10,000 from performances. and $60,000 from your clothing brand. An additional $30,000 has been credited to your account to support your growing brand and personal endeavours]

[Song Structure Pack]

Arell's eyes lit up as he read through the rewards. He was about to check out the new song structures when his phone rang. It was Geoffrey.

"Hey, Geoffrey. What's up?"

"Hey, Arell. Just wanted to give you a heads-up. We've got some serious brand deal offers coming in. Nike, Sprite, and a few other smaller companies. But the one that really stood out to me was Puma. They showed a lot of hospitality and sincerity. I think they're genuinely interested in working closely with you."

"Wow, that's amazing," Arell replied. "I'll definitely consider Puma then."

"Yeah, I really liked their approach. But listen, there's something else. I was going through social media posts, and you need to see this and judging by you're tone I'm guessing you haven't seen it yet. I just sent you a link."

Arell's phone buzzed with a new message as he forrowed his eyebrows at what Geoffrey said. He clicked on the link Geoffrey had sent. It was a tweet from Lil Reese. Arell rolled his eyes, almost, thinking about how Reese had been trying to troll him a lot lately on twitter. He sighed and clicked on the YouTube link.

The video title read "Granny's Crib." Arell's heart sank. He noticed immediately that it was mocking his own song, "Granny Crib." As the video started, the first scene made his blood boil. It was shot in a cemetery, the same one where his grandmother was buried.

"Where my grandma was buried," Arell muttered, he sighed deeply and pressed play.

The opening lines hit hard, instantly setting a tone of disrespect and threat.

"Yo, Arell, you think you tough?

Talking 'bout your granny crib, now it's time to rough it up.

Look at this place, where your granny lay

Six feet deep, she don't see another day"

Arell clenched his jaw, feeling the sting of Reese's words. The video cut to scenes of Reese standing in the cemetery, a blatant act of provocation.

"Your mama, your daddy, your aunt, all gone

I got bullets for the rest, won't take long

Talkin' street cred, boy, you a joke, hahaha

I run these streets, make you choke, uhh, yuh"

The beat was relentless, pounding in Arell's ears as Reese continued to spit his disrespectful bars. The wordplay was minimal, but the sheer venom in his words made up for it.

"Your granny dead, and I'm laughin' out loud

Your friends next, see 'em in a crowd

Talkin' big, but you ain't nothin'

Run up on your boys, and they all bluffin'"

Reese's voice grew more intense, the threats becoming more specific and personal. The video showed him with his others outside the cemetary, weapons visible.

"I'll take out your friends, make 'em disappear

One by one, they'll all live in fear

Your hood ain't safe, I run this game

Chicago mine, remember the name"

Arell's anger was mounting. The sheer disrespect was infuriating, but he knew he had to stay composed. He continued to listen, noting the references to his own diss track.

"You talkin' 'bout loyalty, but where's yours?

I'm the king, you just open doors

Parkway Gardens, my real niggas

You a fake, couldn't walk in my shoes"

Reese's attempt to turn Arell's words against him felt forced. The quality of the diss track was lacking, but the intensity was undeniable. The video cut to various locations in Chicago.

"You think you know the game, but you're just a pawn

I'm the king, on this board, got you drawn

Anybody that rock with you, they all next

Bullets sprayin', leave 'em perplexed

Talkin' big in your diss, but you can't walk

You just a talker, I'm a hawk

Watchin', waitin', ready to strike

Your life a gamble, roll the dice"

Reese's confidence oozed through his delivery, each line dripping with malice.

"Yeah, I hit a girl, so what?

You talkin' like a saint, we all make mistakes

Street life rough, gotta do what I must

You soft, boy, can't handle the dust"

He tried to deflect the allegations about his past, sounding dismissive and defensive. It was clear he was attempting to undermine Arell's credibility.

"Guns and hoes, that's my life

Got shooters on call, end your life

While you play pretend, I'm real in these streets

Trap money, got the world at my feet

Who the fuck is Kamilah, she tryna snitch

Tell her to stay out, she ain't in this bitch

Got my eyes on you, and everyone around

One wrong move, you know what we do, blow it down"

The mention of Kamilah, the person who had sent the videos, was a clear attempt to intimidate and silence any potential witnesses.

"Chicago mine, I run it with pride

You just a small fry, tryna ride

Remember the name, Reese is king

End your career, make the whole city sing"

The final verse hit harder, Reese's words cutting through the beat like a knife. The video showed him standing triumphantly in front of various Chicago landmarks, as if staking his claim.

"You ain't nothin', just a wannabe

I see through your facade, ain't hard to see

Your time is up, boy, better step back

Before I end you, that's a fact"

As the track ended, Reese's laughter echoed one last time, leaving a chilling silence in its wake. Arell felt a surge of anger. He knew Reese had crossed a line, but he also knew that he had to be smart.

Arell sat there, seething, as he felt his phone vibrate in his hand and saw that Geoffrey was still on the line. He unmuted the call and took a deep breath.

"Geoffrey, did you already listen to it?" Arell's voice was tight with anger.

"Yeah. That was beyond disrespectful. You need to respond to this, Arell. Despite the quality, it's still too disrespectful to ignore," Geoffrey said, his tone serious.

"I know," Arell replied, his mind racing with thoughts of retaliation. "But I've got something for him. I've been writing for hours, I've got at least four songs' worth of disses ready to go."

Geoffrey could hear the determination in Arell's voice. "Good. We need to hit back hard. But let's be strategic about it. Let's make sure everyone's eyes are on you when you drop your next track."

<> 

Two days after Lil Reese dropped his diss track, DJ Akademiks was live on his stream. The chat was buzzing with activity as fans discussed the ongoing feud between Arell and Lil Reese.

"Alright, alright, everybody calm down," Akademiks said, his voice commanding the attention of his audience. "We all saw that new diss track from Lil Reese, and man, was that something. But I've got some inside info for y'all. I just got word that Arell is cooking up something major in response and it could be dropping tonight. I'm not all that sure."

The chat exploded with excitement, fans typing furiously about the anticipated response from Arell.

"So apparently this Kamilah person," he paused as he pulled up Kamilah's twitter. "Has turned into some sort of news page for Arell, and she just posted a text message between her and Arell not long ago, where he said something dropping soon."

"Now, let me tell you something," Akademiks continued, leaning closer to the camera. "Lil Reese has been talking a lot. He even messaged me, telling me to stop supporting Arell and threatened me. But listen, man, this beef has done nothing but help Arell. His numbers are through the roof, and he even released a clothing brand, and I actually mess with it, normally the clothes these famous people drop aren't like that but the clothes is fire, I actually ordered one of his hoodies."

Akademiks paused, glancing at the chat that was now filled with comments about Reese's threats. "Yeah, Reese is saying a lot about how Arell isn't about the streets. But apparently, a lot of hood niggas in Atlanta mess with Arell. I don't know why, but they just do. And that's something Reese probably didn't expect. Now there are also other negatives in this for Arell." He said as he pulled up another tweet from Kamilah.

"Apparently, he's been getting a lot of offers but some brands had taken back their offers. According to what Kamilah says it because they don't want to be associated with the 'street violence' one of these brands are actually Nike."

As he spoke, Akademiks picked up his phone, his face suddenly registered confusion as he read a text message. "Ohh," he muttered, his eyes widening. "Hold up, hold up."

He quickly searched for something on his computer, his fingers flying over the keyboard. "Guys, you're not gonna believe this. Arell just dropped."

The chat went wild, messages flying faster than Akademiks could read. He navigated to Arell's YouTube channel, and sure enough, there was a new song titled "Deadly Silence."

"Here it is, folks," Akademiks announced, clicking on the video. "Arell's response to Lil Reese. Let's see what he's got to say."