Friday night arrived, and Tyler sat in his apartment, fingers nervously tapping on the edge of his couch. His phone lay beside him, already buzzing with notifications. It was almost midnight—the moment his new single, Heart on a Sleeve, would be released on all digital streaming platforms. The room was quiet except for the hum of the street outside. His heart pounded in his chest, anticipation gnawing at him.
A countdown timer flashed on his phone screen. Five seconds. Four. Three. Two. One.
Tyler's single was live.
The record store was buzzing with its usual Friday night crowd, filled with hip-hop heads browsing through vinyls, mixtapes, and posters. The store's manager, Daryl was in his usual spot behind the counter, scrolling through Spotify's New Releases. His eyes widened when he saw the name pop up.
"Yo, look at this," he called to his co-worker. "Ty the Phoenix just dropped a new joint!"
His co-worker raised an eyebrow. "The dude from Resurrection?"
"Yeah, that's him. Shit blew up, and now he's already dropping his own stuff."
Daryl clicked on Heart on a Sleeve and let the track fill the store's speakers. The smooth beat kicked in, followed by Tyler's raw, heartfelt lyrics.
"...Couldn't tell you how I felt back then
Too many secrets I was trapped in sin
Now I'm tryna make it right, let you in
But it's hard when the guilt still creeps within..."
Heads started turning as the song played. The customers stopped flipping through records and began nodding along to the beat.
"Damn, this is fire," one guy said, moving closer to the speakers.
"Yo, who's this?" another asked.
"It's Ty the Phoenix. Dude's on the come up for real."
As the track continued, the store was soon filled with murmurs about the rapper behind the song, the guy whose face no one had yet seen, but whose voice was making waves.
Jamal sat on his couch, headphones on, scrolling through his phone. Tyler had told him about the release earlier that day, but Jamal still couldn't believe his boy had made it this far. As soon as midnight hit, Jamal hit play on Heart on a Sleeve.
The beat dropped, and Jamal couldn't help but smile. Tyler's voice came through his headphones, smooth but full of emotion, rapping about that girl from their teenage days. Jamal recognized every word, every feeling. He knew Tyler wasn't just making up stories—this was real. This was his life.
"...Used to watch you from afar
Never could tell you who I really am
Thought about you when I was in the car
While I was out there duckin' from the law..."
Jamal leaned back, nodding along. Tyler had taken something so personal and turned it into a track that anyone could feel. By the time the hook came in, Jamal knew this was going to blow up.
"Ty's really 'bout to take over," Jamal muttered to himself, a grin spreading across his face.
Behind the scenes, the streaming platforms were already working. In real time, numbers started rolling in as soon as Heart on a Sleeve dropped. The song was already being added to playlists, liked, and shared by users across the globe.
In the label office of Black Gold Records, Marcus sat monitoring the early reception "Streams are lookin' good," "It's only been, what, fifteen minutes? We're already seeing traction."
Marcus smirked, satisfied. "Let's keep pushing. Promo's gotta be strong this week."
The single's cover was plastered all over social media. A moody, striking image of Tyler's silhouette, face obscured, standing in the middle of an empty street at night. His figure was shrouded in shadow, with a neon heart flickering on his chest. The heart was cracked down the middle, glowing faintly, representing the emotional vulnerability of the song.
Beneath the title Heart on a Sleeve, Tyler's name appeared in bold, graffiti-like font—Ty the Phoenix—a name now associated with mystery and buzz.
Three friends sat in their group chat, excitedly sharing links and reactions.
"Yo, y'all heard this new track?" one of them posted, dropping the Spotify link. "Ty the Phoenix just dropped Heart on a Sleeve. Shit's deep."
Another friend replied with a series of flame emojis. "Bruh, I'm already replayin' it. Dude's voice is somethin' else."
"I'm still tryin' to figure out who this guy is," the third chimed in. "Ain't nobody know what he look like. Think it's an industry plant?"
"Nah, I think he's real. His music too personal to be fake."
As they debated back and forth, they all agreed on one thing: Ty the Phoenix was here to stay, and this single was only going to take him further.
Miles Carter leaned back in his office chair, watching the play count tick upward on his monitor. His secretary had just left after giving him the final numbers for the rollout.
"Looks like we got a hit on our hands," he muttered to himself satisfied. Miles couldn't help but think about the future. Ty the Phoenix was more than just a one-hit wonder, more than just a rapper riding a viral wave. With a voice like his, and the mystery surrounding his identity, the potential for greatness was limitless.