**Chapter 199: Video Exposure (Dual)**

"They really look like they're in love."

On the sidelines, Emma Roberts licked her ice cream, glancing at Link and Taylor filming on set with a hint of envy in her eyes.

Link, being a sports star or a big music sensation, is handsome and strong, making him a top choice for many girls. Taylor is also great, a bestselling singer with a good boyfriend.

A lot of people in the industry are envious of them.

"Fake. They're definitely not as in love as you think," Kristin said, sitting on the wooden railing with her phone, looking up at the set with a neutral expression.

"How do you know? Did you talk to Link privately? Did he tell you that?" Emma Roberts asked curiously.

Kristin, engrossed in a mobile game, didn't respond. Emma, irritated, snatched the phone and stuffed it into the back pocket of her jeans.

"Give it back!" Kristin reached for her phone, nearly falling off the railing.

Emma quickly supported her knee and said with a smile, "Tell me why first, then I'll give you your phone back."

Kristin shrugged and looked at Link and Taylor on set. "It's not hard to guess. They're both busy people. How could they have time for a relationship? Now, give me back my phone."

"So it's just a guess," Emma said disappointedly, handing the phone back.

Kristin looked at her. "What's with that expression? Do you really want to see them break up?"

"I don't. Don't make things up."

"I'm not making things up. You, Katie, Lively, and Duchen all want to snag Taylor's boyfriend. Shameless."

"Shut up! They're coming over."

Emma nudged Kristin.

Kristin glanced at Link approaching from the opposite side, then leaned in to Emma's ear and said, "Link said he likes it from the front. Can you handle that position?"

Emma's ears and cheeks turned red instantly, and she discreetly pinched Kristin's calf.

"Hi, Kris, still on break?" Link greeted them.

After wrapping up the afternoon shoot, Taylor invited Emma and Kristin, who had nothing to do, to shop on Beverly-Rodeo Avenue, with Link joining them.

The three girls walked ahead, drinking cold beverages, chatting and laughing.

Link carried several shopping bags behind them, feeling like a bag carrier.

He had intended to hand the shopping bags to bodyguard Wallace, but Wallace refused, saying it affected his ability to draw his gun.

Link thought he had a point.

"Link, hurry up."

Taylor called from the front.

"Taylor, Link doesn't want to go shopping with you," Kristin said, hands in her jeans pockets, looking at Link with a deadpan expression.

"Is that so?" Taylor asked, not pleased.

"Of course not. I just think you're walking too fast, missing out on a lot of sights."

"That's better!"

Taylor smiled slightly, kissed him on the cheek, and continued walking with the two friends.

Emma offered to help carry a couple of shopping bags, but Link refused. Emma was too petite and looked too weak to help. Kristin, with a cold expression, didn't say a word.

As they approached the LV boutique, a few reporters suddenly rushed towards Link.

Wallace and Bob immediately stepped in to block them, preventing anyone from getting close to Link. Police officers on the street also came over.

"Mr. Baker, is it true that you're a Kanye fan as the video on YouTube suggests? Is that really the case?"

One reporter shouted with a microphone.

"What?" Link looked at the reporter in confusion.

"Mr. Baker, don't hide it. Everyone knows you're a Kanye fan now."

"Yes, your friends have also confirmed it."

Several reporters and paparazzi chattered on.

Link shook his head. "Please, everyone be quiet. Can someone tell me what's going on?"

The reporters began explaining.

Two hours ago, a video suddenly appeared on YouTube titled "Shocking! Pop Superstar Link Baker Claims to Be a Kanye Fan, Evidence Here!"

The video had over a million views in less than two hours after its release.

Upon checking YouTube, Link saw the video on the homepage, with over 3 million views by the afternoon.

The video was only twelve minutes long.

He watched it once, and his face became serious.

The video showed a pale young man singing Kanye's "Stronger" on a bar stage.

"Work it, make it, do it, makes us harder, better, faster, stronger, work it, make it, do it, makes us harder, better, faster, stronger."

The young man was Link Baker.

The video also included interviews with staff from the Pink Lover bar, revealing that Link frequently requested to play "Stronger" when he visited.

Among the interviewees were James and Michael.

When asked by a reporter what song Link liked, James said "Stronger," noting that he played it every time Link came to the bar. Although they found the song annoying, Link liked it.

Link realized that James's response made sense. He used to wonder why he always heard that song at the bar, and now it was clear.

"Link, you really like Kanye's music?" Taylor asked with a smile.

"Link, are you really a Kanye fan? It's interesting that you'd fight him and then support him," Emma Roberts laughed.

Link felt helpless; with the video and interviews as proof, he couldn't deny it.

After dealing with the reporters, Anna and Mandy called to inform him about the YouTube video, and Ivanka also knew about it. The company was preparing a public relations response.

Link told them not to rush. A single video wasn't a big deal. Even if people thought he was a Kanye fan, it wasn't a major problem.

Kanye had been in the industry longer and was a top star. It was normal for him to have sung Kanye's songs before, so it wasn't a big issue.

However, the reporters and paparazzi continued to increase, and shopping on the street was becoming chaotic. Link and Taylor had to say goodbye to Kristin and Emma and head home early.

Given his rising fame, everything related to him became a hot topic. The new video about him being a Kanye "fan" was both fresh and humorously ironic.

The news continued to attract attention throughout the night.

The next day, media discussions about the news increased. Most of the talk was about the humorous side of his relationship with Kanye, speculating about fan and artist dynamics.

There was also curiosity about why Link, who appeared to be a fan, would suddenly turn against Kanye and clash with him.

By noon, one popular theory emerged: Link, who had a troubled youth and was into rap music's themes of sex, crime, and violence, had evolved. His taste in music matured, moving towards pop, rock, and country.

This theory resonated with many, suggesting it was normal for young people to be drawn to rap's energetic beats and provocative lyrics, and that Link's change reflected his personal growth.

Another theory, though more absurd, gained traction: Link became a Kanye fan to hasten the release of Kanye's new music. The idea was that by competing with Kanye, Link was indirectly pushing him to release more songs.

There were claims that Kanye had released "Monster" early because of Link's competition, and fans of Kanye and other East Coast rappers should thank Link for this.

This theory, while outlandish, had some acceptance.

By afternoon, many Kanye fans had posted on his Twitter, claiming a misunderstanding and thanking Link for encouraging Kanye to release more music. Some even deleted previous negative comments.

Link was bemused by the idea that singing one of Kanye's songs made him a fan. The situation seemed overly contrived.

James also called, saying he didn't know about the dispute between Link and Kanye. He asked if his casual comment about "Stronger" had caused trouble.

Link assured him it was a minor issue and not worth worrying about.

"Really?" James asked, still worried.

"Of course, I'm a big star now, this is nothing, just a little embarrassing," Link laughed.

"Okay, as long as I'm not causing you any trouble. When are you coming back to Miami? The beach is crowded and lively now," James said in an exaggerated tone.

Link thought about the scenery on Miami Beach and wanted to go back and rest, but he was too busy recently and didn't have time.

After hanging up the phone, he called Ivanka and asked Mandy and Graham to have a video conference online to discuss how to deal with the current trouble.

After discussion, everyone came up with three options.

First, ignore the video, pretend nothing happened, don't respond when reporters ask, and in a few days, there will be other news in the circle, and no one will mention it.

Second, publicly deny the video, saying that you used to like that song, but now your taste has changed and you don't like Kanye's songs.

And take the opportunity to criticize East Coast rappers, advising them not to promote drugs, sex, guns and other content in their lyrics, as these songs can easily mislead young people.

Third, publicly admit that you like Kanye's songs and express your appreciation for Kanye.

After a show of hands, everyone thought the third option was better.

First of all, his fame is no less than Kanye's now, and he doesn't need to fight Kanye anymore to attract media attention.

Secondly, he is now a top player with many fans, and his attitude often represents the attitude of fans.

The same goes for Kanye.

Taking the initiative to reconcile can not only avoid conflicts between fans, but also have the opportunity to win over Kanye and others' fans.

Finally, in the past period of time, the news of his battle with East Coast singers has been raging, and many people know about it.

Now the sales of the album "Fearless" have completely defeated Jay-Z's album both in the United States and overseas.

"See You Again" also topped the Billboard singles chart and rap chart for two consecutive weeks, and sales continued to rise, suppressing all singles from rising.

In this music battle, he is the absolute winner.

A winner proposes reconciliation to the loser, which is a generous performance.

After he, the winner, expressed his willingness to reconcile, the pressure would shift to the East Coast rap. If they did not agree to reconcile, the mainstream media and fans would have opinions on them.

Therefore, Link took the initiative to release the signal of reconciliation, and the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

Link thinks their opinions make sense.

The day after the video went viral, he tweeted: "Yes, that song 'stronger' is really good, and Kanye and Eminem are both rappers I like."

After the tweet was sent out, the comment area became very lively, and his fans and Kanye and Eminem's fans all came to leave messages.

More than 90% of them are positive comments, and only a small number of people expressed their hope that they will continue to fight, so that fans can hear those good songs earlier, and if they don't fight for the charts, the rap charts will become very boring.

There are also very few black fans who said that he lost to the East Coast singers, took the initiative to seek peace, and then was sprayed into a mess by fans with the sales data of "Fearless" and "See You Again".

More than an hour after he tweeted, Kanye also tweeted, "There is no doubt that 'See You Again' is a great song, and Link is also a very promising new singer."

There is nothing wrong with the first half of this tweet. "See You Again" is too popular, and too many people like it. Kanye took advantage of the trend to praise it, no problem.

But his later words caused dissatisfaction among many people.

Link already has two albums that have gone double platinum in the United States, and two albums have sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. Is this very promising? Is this a new singer?

Link's fans think Kanye is putting on airs.

In the past battle for the charts, Kanye and the East Coast rap gang were defeated.

As a loser in the battle for the charts, facing Link's goodwill, he commented on Link in a condescending manner, which is a bit of a disappointment.

Although Kanye's tweet caused some controversy, the mainstream media regarded it as a signal of reconciliation between the two sides, and believed that the music scene will usher in a relatively peaceful period in the future.

"Fearless" was released in its seventh week.

It continued to top the Billboard album chart with sales of 368,000 copies, and won the championship for four consecutive weeks, and it was also the only album with four consecutive championships in 2009.

The second place is Grizzly Bear's album "Veckatimest", with sales of 146,000 copies in the second week, with little fluctuation.

Maxwell's "BLACKsummers'night" ranked third with sales of 114,000 copies.

"The Blueprint 3" dropped to No. 19 with sales of 34,000 copies.

According to media investigations and analysis, "Fearless" continues to sell well, partly because of the popularity that "See You Again" brought to Link.

The other part is the reason for Link and Kanye's reconciliation.

According to media surveys, fans of Kanye, Jay-Z, Lil and others also publicly bought Link's albums and singles after the two sides reconciled, including many black fans.

Kanye, who was originally in a good mood, became depressed when he saw this news. He felt as if he had been蹭ed by Link again, and this time he took the initiative to deliver it to his door.

He suddenly felt that it was not a good idea to reconcile with Link in that way.

"See You Again" is still at the top of the Billboard singles chart, and online sales have exceeded 10 million copies.

According to Link's previous decision, 50% of all proceeds from the singer's share will be donated to the MJ Charity Foundation, and 50% will be donated to the International Red Cross.

According to media estimates, this donation will not be less than 2 million US dollars in 2009 alone, and the subsequent income will be more, not less than 10 million US dollars.

However, Link Music can also earn a lot of income by sharing songwriters, production, copyrights, etc.

(End of this chapter)