CHAPTER 41

Johnny Drille continued to look at Hamza standing in front of him in awe. The young man's talent had left him deeply impressed. Unable to contain his curiosity, Johnny Drille asked, "You wrote this song?"

Hamza noticed Johnny Drille's intense gaze and chuckled nervously. He scratched his head and replied, "Yes, I'm the one who wrote it."

A broad smile lit up Johnny Drille's face. He was genuinely taken by the song. "Well, Hamza, I love it! This song is perfect". It's as if the song understands me, and I feel such a deep connection to it this was Johnny Drille's thought.

Malik stood up, saying, "Very well then, we can move straight to negotiation," from behind Johnny Drille, who nodded in agreement. Johnny then turned to Mathew, who understood his nod as a signal.

Once they were all seated in the office and settled down, Mathew spoke up, saying, "So how about we get down to business?" Malik, who was sitting close to Hamza, nodded and addressed Mathew, saying, "My client here says that you can only pick one of the two songs, so your client should choose."

Mathew was taken aback by this statement, and his voice carried anger as he asked, "What do you mean by that?"

The look on Johnny Drille's face wasn't favorable, and he tapped Mathew on the shoulder, whispering, "Mind your attitude and get a hold of yourself. Just take the second song and leave it at that." Johnny understood Mathew's desire to secure both songs, as he believed they could be a hit. However, Johnny couldn't comprehend why Mathew was reacting so aggressively.

Ignoring Johnny Drille's advice, Mathew turned a deaf ear to him and looked at Malik and then Hamza. He voiced his concerns, saying, "If this is a tactic to increase the price, it won't work. Just sell it at half the price we gave for the first song."

Malik, still looking confused about Mathew's anger, replied, "I've told you what my client wants. It's up to you to decide if you want to purchase the song or not." Malik's responded calmly and he relaxed in his seat.

Mathew was on the verge of an outburst when Johnny Drille swiftly intervened, saying, "That's fine with me. I'll take the second one. Let's sign the contract and get to business." Mathew looked at Johnny Drille with the desire to argue but was silenced by Johnny's clear but not loud warning, "If you mess this up for me, you know what will happen to you, right?" Mathew sulked and remained silent.

The entire experience left Hamza with mixed feelings, and he couldn't help but wonder if he had made the right decision. However, he dismissed those doubts, believing that it was Mathew who had been overly greedy. With the contract signed and the promise of witnessing his song come to life, Hamza's excitement was palpable.

Then Johnny Drille asked bringing Hamza back from his thought "I have a request to make if you want to hear?" 

Hamza looked at Johnny and said, "Okay, let me hear it."

Johnny Drille continued, "If you don't mind, I would like you to be present when I record the song and the video". Johnny Drille believes that having the songwriter there will help capture the essence of the song.

Hamza was taken aback for a moment, not expecting such a request. He turned to Adekunle and Hafsat for their opinion, silently seeking their approval. The couple exchanged smiles and nodded, giving their consent.

Hamza's face lit up with excitement as he turned back to Johnny Drille and said, "It would be an honor to be there with you. Can I also make a small request?"

Johnny Drille, still smiling, replied, "Of course, let me hear your request."

With a hopeful look in his eyes, Hamza held out a piece of paper and said, "Can I have your autograph, please?"

Johnny Drille chuckled and said, "I thought you'd never ask. Haha, sure, you can have my autograph." With that, Johnny Drille warmly bid them farewell and headed back into the building.

Malik said as he walked toward the car, "Well, that went better than I thought."

Hafsat, who had been mostly quiet during the negotiations, finally spoke up, saying, "Yeah, but what was up with that Matthew guy?"

Malik considered her question and responded, "The way I see it, Matthew felt that we should be content with Johnny Drille buying our song. In the music industry, there have been cases of new artists being cheated out of their songs by more established artists. It's a cutthroat business, you know."

Adekunle chimed in, "It's disheartening that things aren't always as they seem to the public."

Malik turned to Hamza and added, "This is how the industry works, Hamza. It's a world where the strong prey on the weak and the ignorant. You have to be smart when dealing with people from the industry."

Hamza, although aware that the music industry was far from perfect, didn't fully grasp the extent of its complexities. This would become one of Hamza's regrets, failing to heed Malik's advice. It would soon become clear that the industry was much deeper and more treacherous than Hamza had initially thought.

The family drove back home, and by the time they reached home, it was already quite late. After dinner, everyone retired to their respective bedrooms. Hamza lay in his bed, unable to believe that he had met Johnny Drille and would have more contact with him. The experience also served as a reminder for him to be cautious in this new journey. Slowly, he drifted off to sleep, contemplating the opportunities and challenges that lay ahead.