Tyler's excitement from meeting Jax the previous day still lingered as he woke up the next morning. The small contact card with Jax's information lay on his bedside table, a reminder of the opportunity ahead. He grabbed his phone and quickly typed out a message.
"Hey Jax, it's Ty. Ready to link up whenever you are."
He hit send and moments later, his phone buzzed.
"Yo Ty, let's meet up at the studio today at 2 PM. You ready?"
Tyler's heart raced. ".Sounds like a plan."
He spent the morning rehearsing his verses, making sure he was ready to impress. As the clock neared 2 PM, he headed to the studio.
The studio was in a gritty part of town, but it had a certain charm. It was a place where raw talent came to life. Tyler stepped inside, looking around. The walls were pasted with posters of legendary rappers.
Jax was already there, adjusting the equipment. He looked up and nodded as Tyler entered. "Yo, Ty. Glad you could make it."
"Thanks for having me," Tyler replied, trying to keep his cool. "This place looks dope."
Jax smiled. "Yeah, it's got a vibe. I want you to meet someone, he's a very close friend of mine. He should be here any minute now."
'Someone' Tyler thought, 'Maybe one of his rapper friends or some shit'. Just then a tall dark-skinned man with dreadlocks walked in and greeted Jax. "Jax my man, what's good bro?".
"Kai, my man I'm doing alright. I want you to meet someone though, Kai this is Tyler. Tyler, Kai". "This the kid you been talking about?"
"Yeah, Kai the kid's not half bad," Jax said. "Aight aight, let's see what you got man. Hop in the booth". Kai said instructing Tyler to get in the booth while he stood behind the equipment, 'So he's a producer' Tyler thought, not expecting that. "Alright let's get to it" and with that, the beats started flowing and Tyler started to drop the verses he had written the last night, eager to impress.
"Your flow is tight, but you gotta work on your delivery," Kai said, adjusting the levels on the mixing board. "Put more emotion into it. Make people feel what you're saying."
Tyler nodded, taking the advice to heart. He stepped back to the mic and delivered his verse again, this time pouring his heart into every word.
".....From the hospital bed to the streets I tread, Rising up from the bullets, won't be misled. Got a second chance, can't let it slip, My life on the fucking line, every rhyme I spit....."
Kai nodded, a look of approval on his face. "That's it, man. That's the energy we need."
By the end of the session, they had a rough cut of a track that both of them were proud of. Jax handed Tyler a USB drive with the recording. "Take this, listen to it, and think about what you want to tweak. We'll finalize it next time."
As Tyler left the studio, his phone buzzed with a new notification from the app. "Quest Update: Collaborate with another rapper - Complete. New milestone quest unlocked: Release your first single."
Back at his apartment, Tyler plugged the USB drive into his laptop and listened to the track. He made notes, thinking about the tweaks and improvements he wanted to make. The app's feedback had pushed him this far, but now, with real-life mentorship from Jax and Kai, he felt unstoppable.
The next few days were a whirlwind of activity. Tyler refined the track, working late into the night to perfect every verse. He sent the updated version to Jax, who responded with more feedback and encouragement.
"It's a huge upgrade, Ty. Just a few more tweaks and we're golden."
Finally, the day came to release Jax's EP. Tyler promoted it on social media, tagging Jax and sharing the story of their collaboration.
The response was overwhelming. Friends, family, and even strangers shared the track, their comments filled with praise and support. Tyler felt a sense of pride and accomplishment like never before.
That night, as he lay in bed, his phone buzzed with a new message from the app. "Milestone Quest Complete: Collaborate with another rapper. New quests have been unlocked."
"Bring it on," he whispered to himself, a smile spreading across his face. "I'm just getting started."