Countdown Begins

Tyler sat in the dimly lit studio, headphones around his neck, eyes fixed on the mixing board in front of him. The beat of his new single echoed in his mind, still lingering in the air as Kai worked on the final touches. They'd spent hours tweaking, adding layers, perfecting the sound, and now it was finally ready. His first official single was complete.

"Yo, T," Kai called from the other side of the glass. "We're done, man. You wanna hear it one more time?"

Tyler nodded, leaning forward. "Yeah, run it back."

The beat kicked in, smooth but with enough edge to make heads nod. His vocals layered perfectly over the instrumental, and the adlibs he'd added last minute gave the track the energy it needed. The lyrics still hit him hard every time—honest, raw, about the girl he'd had a crush on back in the day but could never confess to because of the life he led.

"....I used to dream 'bout your face every night 

But I was too deep in the streets, tryna fight 

All these demons in my head, they were never right 

But if I told you how I felt, would it be light...?"

Kai let the track run through to the end, the last note fading into silence. Tyler leaned back in his chair, a sense of accomplishment settling over him.

"Damn," he muttered, shaking his head. "We really did it."

Kai nodded, sliding off his headphones. "You killed it, bro. This is it. People gon' feel this one for real."

Tyler smiled, but there was still a nervous energy simmering beneath the surface. This was his first real shot outside of the work he'd done with Jax. He knew people would be watching closely after the success of Resurrection. He couldn't afford to flop.

"Now we just gotta drop it," Kai said, standing up from the mixing board. "You talk to Marcus yet?"

Tyler checked his phone and saw a message from Marcus, reminding him to call when the track was finalized. He sighed, knowing that the real business was about to start. Managing the streets was one thing, but navigating the music industry felt like a whole different kind of hustle.

"Yeah, lemme hit him up now," Tyler said, dialing Marcus' number.

The phone rang twice before Marcus picked up. "Yo, T. What's good? Track done?"

Tyler nodded, even though Marcus couldn't see him. "Yeah, we just finished. Kai put the final touches on it. I think we got somethin' special here."

Marcus didn't miss a beat. "Good. Send it over to me. I'll get everything set up on our end, make sure it's ready to drop. I'm thinkin' end of the week sound good?"

"Yeah, that works," Tyler replied, pacing the studio floor. "You sure we can make it happen that quick?"

Marcus chuckled. "Bro, you gotta trust me. You're a hot topic right now. We drop this at the right moment, you could easily ride the momentum from Resurrection. The buzz is still out there."

Tyler exhaled, the tension easing slightly. "A'ight, I trust you. End of the week it is."

"Bet," Marcus said, his voice filled with confidence. "I'll make the arrangements. Get the visuals prepped, do some promo on socials"

Tyler rubbed the back of his neck, his mind already running through the list of things that needed to be done. He had no doubt Marcus knew what he was doing, but the thought of stepping into the spotlight again made him anxious. Too many people had eyes on him now.

"I'm focused," Tyler muttered. "Just tryna keep my head straight with all this shit."

Marcus laughed lightly. "You good, T. Just keep makin' fire tracks. Let Black Gold handle the business. You got a team behind you now."

"I know," Tyler said, appreciating the reassurance. "I appreciate it, Marcus. I'm just not used to all this... you know, bein' the center of attention like this."

"Get used to it," Marcus said firmly.

Tyler nodded again, feeling a bit more at ease. "Thanks, man. I'll send you the track."

"Cool. I'll hit you up later with the rollout plan. End of the week, it's on."

As Tyler hung up the phone, he glanced over at Kai, who was scrolling through some samples on his laptop. "It's set, bro. We droppin' it end of the week."

Kai grinned. "That's what's up. You ready for this?"

Tyler shrugged, though a small smirk played on his lips. "Guess I better be."

Kai stood up, patting Tyler on the shoulder. "You gon' kill it, man. Just remember what I told you—stay real, stay you. That's what people connect with. Don't try to be nobody else."

"I got you," Tyler said, feeling the weight of the words settle in. This was more than just music to him—it was his shot at a new life, away from the streets, away from the ghosts of his past.