The stage is in the middle of a small park, a plot located amidst a vast savannah, where one can distinguish space for kilometers around. The first challenge that artists face in open spaces is the sound, but the battle is for the producers.
-Adjust your singing, you can't move the microphone like a flag, try to hold it firmly, - shouted a sound producer from below.
The strident sound was annoying, and often it was not pleasant to listen to due to the sound scares. Adjusting the sound is a detestable task. Equalizing is a modest art that some people do not fully appreciate; this is the background that carries the hopes of the people.
Billy shook his head. He had no intention of denying that rehearsal was a real nuisance. He just hoped that others could fight while he tried to reap the benefits, but that only ended up causing another view of how the world of artworks.
-Try lowering the mids a bit, and 1/16 the lows; let's see if this works. If so, raise the lows again, and lower the highs by half; we'll have the particular sound for the type of song, - commented the sound technician.
Billy, though it may not seem like it, has a strong tone, and his songs can be heard from many takes. For example, he does a deep tone for "Gorilax," like a strident tone for "Teenager," which is a ballad of songs. However, the one that contrasts the most is "Chop Suey," which is played with a strident voice that uses a difference of 10 Hz from his other songs. Typically, these types of sounds range from 60 Hz to 250 Hz.
-Let's move on to the next song, - Billy commented, as they continued with the song.
The impromptu band, from Billy to Spencer, Connor, Sugar Egg, and Jack Sauce, is made up of young rookies, to appease extreme wills. On many occasions, hiring rookies generates dissatisfaction, as they are more willing to demand and propose more fitting methods.
-One, two, three... - said Sugar Egg from the second drum set, a small one, different from the tropical type.
***
Billy arrived at the hotel exhausted from all the work he had in his day, singing the same song meticulously in parts, repeating it, musical notes, again and again, one mistake after another. The Reading and Leeds Festival. The festival's production has gained some popularity. The Leeds event takes place at Bramham Park, near Wetherby, on the grounds of a historic house. Camping sites are available at both locations, and tickets include weekend camping. Daily passes are also sold. They arrived on a Monday morning, and now people start arriving from multiple locations in England.
-Damn, man, I can't believe we're playing alongside Eminem. They're all crazy, - said Jack Sauce at Wednesday night's dinner.
-I'd prefer a rock band, maybe Aerosmith. It's a rock festival, but rap people show up, - commented Sugar Egg.
-You guys have me, the future big music superstar and you're still thinking about other big artists. It's uncomfortable that my musicians don't value my music as much as others, - said Billy, receiving a glance from Spencer.
-Behave yourself and don't act like a child, - Spencer replied. Billy just sighed from the heart. Jack Sauce, along with Connor, had their mouths open.
-You're Billy Carson, - Eminem replied, aka Marshal Bruce Mathers, wearing a rapper cap on his head and a large black jacket draped over his shoulders.
-Oh, you're Eminem, - Billy commented.
-I am. I liked your song 'Lose Yourself,' a song that I could have written myself, - Eminem responded with a rapper's arrogant demeanor, known for his spicy lyrics.
-Your songs are good too, - Billy commented, shaking hands and then paying attention to his polished features, popular yellow hair, along his charisma, he wasn't a big man, he even seemed smaller than he already was.
-Oh, you've got the style. Do you want a drink? I've been thinking about a movie for some time, and I'd like you to be a part of it, at least in the production, - Eminem commented, surprising Billy.
-What do you mean? - Billy asked.
-Just as you hear it, come on, let's... find a less attentive place, - Eminem commented, with a quick nod of his head, gesturing towards some secluded tables.
Billy glanced at the people at the table, who continued with their mouths open. Even though Eminem isn't very well-known and has been around for less than two years, he has popularity because only one person, a white man who succeeds in a black man's house, is a striking scene, a blow to many and a different call from someone who imposes a different type of singing.
-We're white rappers, - Eminem commented.
-There's no doubt about that, we're white rappers. Although I consider myself a rocker, I prefer rock over rap, - Billy commented.
Eminem gave him a penetrating look.
- You're a rapper, I've heard your story: correctional facility, multiple fights, absent father, and a mother. You live your days graffitiing, you're 15 years old, and I see in you that spark that I had. You've done well, I want to support you, with the promise that you'll help me promote rap for whites, - Eminem commented.
-For whites? -
-Don't get me wrong, even though people say otherwise, there's racism, even for whites. I'm not complaining... I just want to fight with others, someone to accompany me. If I say something, it's considered rude; if my skin is different, people will just say it's normal. I know people who, for not fitting the rapper stereotype, weren't accepted by record labels, and now they're disillusioned and have given up. That's why I want to make a rap movie, a white guy who knows how to kick others' asses, - Eminem said.
-Let's do it, - Billy responded, with a slight foreboding. - I'm not white, I'm Latino, but my dad and his family are the typical stereotypes of people who go to church and are detestable. That's why my Latino mother is a stain on the white class. -
-I have Irish touches or so a friend says, well, you'll see... - Eminem narrated what he wanted and how he wanted it, a blow on the table that would teach people that the way they act always has a motivation, and this is to say, hey, I'm here, I'm better than many of those rappers who call themselves big stars.
-Perfect, I'm fine with it. I'll support you in the movie, I'll release a rap song, you take care of the music, and kick people's asses in one way or another, - Billy commented.
-More than that, my agent says I need marketing, are you willing to participate? I don't have much money, but we can collaborate, - Eminem said.
-Oh, I see. Although I can rap, I can't come close to creating such good lyrics as you, - Billy replied.
-The promotion for the movie can be done as follows, - Eminem replied.
The talk about "8 Mile" is still on the table. Although it may not seem like it, the repression he suffers in the rap industry, and the ridicule, is just a truth.