Julius straightened from his slouch and looked at Victor in surprise. As far as he knew, even though Victor ran in the rappers circle and had some interactions, he wasn't experienced in that circle. But, he also knew Victor's habit of downplaying his talents.

If his brother said that he has some knowledge, that usually meant he had a good understanding of things that happen there. If not, he would just simply say he doesn't know. While most people on the streets boasted without reserve, the Creed Brothers often downplayed their talents and knowledge. It was trait that was shared by both brothers.

“Hey, come now, when did you start to mix in that circle?” Julius asked in a serious tone.

“He he he,” Victor scratched his head a bit and smiled sheepishly. Seeing Victor's ugly face, Julius knew immediately that the story must be interesting. “It happened in the past year. Kim, my current girlfriend, is big time into rap music. She has a good talent. I have been running around with her recently to search for an opportunity for her. So, I have learned a bit about the circle.”

“Damn, you dog, why didn't you tell me this? How come I didn't know about this?” Julius asked.

“Well, it happened after you went to college. You know, you are pretty busy with your basketball. And you rarely even came home in the past two years,” Victor shrugged.

Julius had to admit that he had been pretty busy with honing his basketball skills of late. After joining college and fixing NBA as his target, he didn't pay much attention to anything else. He rarely paid attention to what was happening at home. He had been so involved in his training and stuff that he didn't have much energy to spare for other things.

“Spill it,” Julius urged.

“Well, we met at a friend's party. We hit it off right off the bat. We have been going out for a year now. She is super into hip hop. She wants to become a hip hop star. I didn't know much at that time. But, one of my buddies knew Biggie.”

“You mean, The Biggie?” Julius asked gesturing to a big size.

“Yup, that's the one,” Victor replied smugly. “I took her to meet Biggie under my friend's introduction a couple of months ago. Biggie heard her sing and said that she had potential. Ever since then, we have been trying to see if she could get a chance. But, it is hard going.”

“That's damn cool,” Julius sighed.

Biggie or The Notorious B.I.G was a big name in the rap circle of the East Coast. Gaining his approval meant that Victor's girlfriend Kim had a chance to debut. Julius didn't know what dogshit his brother stepped in, it looked like his luck had been good in the past year.

“So, let me get this straight, you have the knowledge of how to move in the hip hop circle. And you have a girlfriend who is good enough to impress even Biggie,” Julius spoke and Victor nodded with a smile. “So, if I set up a record label and let you manage it, will you be able to do it?”

“It's not that easy,” Victor hedged a bit. “Look, I know some stuff and how the business operates. But, I know nothing about producing music, artist contracts, or publishing tracks.”

“Fuck, can't we hire someone to do that stuff? What are lawyers there for? We can hire people to do all this stuff. As for publishing tracks, we can reach out to Biggie through your friend and get his help,” Julius spoke in excitement.

Why wouldn't he be excited? 1994 was the year in which hip hop resurgence took place. While gangster rap still occupied a major part of the black market, hip hop would slowly overtake it and become more and more popular. Entering the market now with solid connections would be an incredible move.

“You sure!? The money needed is not a small amount, you know. It would easily reach 100 grand or more,” Victor reminded.

“I'm sure. But, we first need to connect with Biggie and see if he is willing to help us out. If not, it will be hard,” Julius was still sober about what needs to be done.

Despite his excitement, he wouldn't rush in and capsize in a dish. He knew that the chances of them acquiring the big cake was not that good. But, they can still get a share of the pie if even one of the songs becomes a hit. But, the prerequisite was that they had a publishing channel.

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Other aspects can be done by hiring people. Julius had enough money to do it. But, publishing required contacts. This was not the era where artists could directly publish their songs on the internet. In this era, the music circle still followed traditional publishing routes. So, Julius wanted to make sure if the publishing channels were available before entering this circle.

“If you are sure, then I will ask my friend to get in touch with Biggie. Also, since you have become an NBA player, it would be easy for us to meet Biggie,” Victor said, brightening up a little.

“Cool, then it is decided. You will stop the street stuff and concentrate on the music label business,” Julius reiterated his position.

“Fine, I will do as you say,” Victor's lips twitched a bit and grumbled.

But, there was no dissatisfaction in his voice. Hearing his answer, Julius felt relieved. A large big stone in his heart disappeared. Julius decided to proceed with the label, even if his brother's girlfriend wasn't really talented. To him spending a bit of money to ensure his brother's safety wasn't much.

Moreover, this was a legitimate business. His brother's future would be settled as long as he operated the label normally. If his brother managed to find some promising artists, then it would be even better.

That evening, Julius met with his brother's girlfriend Kim at a party thrown by Tony and Dave to celebrate his entry into the NBA. Dave had modified his house into a party venue. With his parents out of town, he went into full party mode redecorating his house and setting up everything.

Victor brought Kim to the party and introduced her to Julius. Julius felt that Kim was recognizable a bit, but he couldn't pin down from where he recognized her. There was a vague feeling as if he was supposed to recognize her.

“Hey Caesar, nice meeting you,” Kim spoke enthusiastically.

“You know me?” Julius asked, fearing that she would be someone who had once slept with him.

If it was true, it would be incredibly awkward.

“Who hasn't watched “The Caesar” playing ball in Brooklyn,” Kim chuckled. “I once watched you play ball in high school. You literally thrashed the opposition. I became your fan since then. I even gave this lumphead a chance to date me only after knowing he was your brother.”

Julius smiled and shook his head. The thing he dreaded didn't happen. From her words, it was clear that they had no intersection. Still, that feeling persisted.

Kim looked younger than him. He pegged her to be around 20. His brother was already 25 this year. Still, this difference in age was normal in this day and age.

“Ha, he got most of his girls thanks to me,” Julius teased Victor a bit.

“Dream on brat,” Victor snorted.

“You guys enjoying the party?” Julius asked, looking at the duo.

“Yeah, this is a good one. The music is good. But, that's given since Klepto is the one on the disk,” Kim said, swaying her hips to the music.

“You know Klepto?” Tony asked in surprise.

Klepto was his friend. Tony brought him here tonight and let him DJ for the main purpose of introducing Klepto to Julius.

“We have ran into each other in some parties. I have known him for some time. He has a good ear for music,” Kim replied.

Julius and Victor looked at each other in surprise. They have just discussed creating a music label. This sudden intersection of talents immediately after that surprised both a bit.

“What do you think of his music?” Victor asked Kim nonchalantly.

Only Julius was vaguely aware of his motive. He decided to remain silent and see what Kim had to say. If this Klepto guy was any good, he wouldn't mind helping out Tony's friend as well.

“His style is quite unique. Has a bit of East Coast influence, of course. But, it feels fresh and not routine,” Kim spoke eloquently causing Tony to nod along.

“That's right, I have known Klepto for a long time. He is really good. He just needs a chance to make a mark,” Tony said, shooting side eyes at Julius.

Julius acted as if he didn't see Tony's eyes. He looked at the guy who was DJing and found him bopping along with the song. He would sometimes make adjustments a bit here and there to suit the mood on the dancefloor. He looked at ease with operating the equipment.

“Don't we all,” Kim sighed wistfully. “Opportunity is the most important thing. Without it, it will be hard to make a mark.”

“You are right,” Tony sighed as well.

“Hey Jules,” Victor cut in, “you free the day after tomorrow? It is about what we discussed this afternoon.”

“Of course, I'm free whenever you want. But, isn't this too fast? We just discussed this afternoon. You already arranged for it?” Julius asked in surprise.

“Gotta catch it when the ball comes at you, little bro,” Victor shrugged. “I just made a call. Your name helped a lot though.”