Ace

Meek and I got on the F train at Rockefeller center and talked about our night.

"Damn Ace so she just got you like that" Meek asked with a surprised look on his face.

"Yeah man buts it what ever I just need to get my mind right real quick. Lets head to my spot and smoke something before I head out again." I answered.

"Where you going" Meek asked.

"That call I got was Rakim asking me to meet him at the studio to work on something" I said rubbing my neck feeling naked without my chain.

"Cool, you bout to be straight again scrap don't about it" Meek said trying to make me feel better. We came to a stop and a voice came through the speaker.

"This is Roosevelt Island next stop 21st street QueensBridge" The conductor said sounding muffled.

Home I thought to myself, all I wanted to do was take a shower and wash this bitch aura off of me. My face started to cringe as the train took off.

"What happened after I left last night" I asked looking at Meek.

"Alpo cracked one of Nas peoples in the head with a bottle and Nas backed the hammer out and started clapping. I got up out of there but I heard no one got hit" Meek continued "I took shawty to the hotel and she blew me to sleep. Niggas told me her pussy was trash so I didn't want to waste my time.",

I cracked a smile looking out the window. "I could respect it"

As we came from out the tunnel I saw brown bricks and a black sign that read 21st street Queensbridge. I stood up and said "This us" and made my way to the door as I waited for the train to stop.

I finally made it to the crib and took the best shower of my life. Meek was in the living room with my dad rolling blunts watching SciFi movies while they waited for me to get dressed. I put on my navy blue Levi jeans, with a black hoody that said Phreshman across the chess in bold white letters, my white and black Nike Cortez sneakers, my Cuban link bracelet that was suppose to match the chain that was stolen, and my twenty inch gold crucifix chain.

I made my way to the living and heard my dad speak. "I told you about them bitches Ace"

I sucked my teeth because I didn't want to talk about it.

"If you would of stayed your ass in school you wouldn't have to worry about bitches robbing you. Do you know why?" He said as he reached for the remote to mute the TV.

"No but I'm sure you're about to tell me" I said sarcastically as I sat on the couch.

"Because them women want to work for they shit"

I sucked my teeth again and looked at Meek as he was trying to figure out which of the three blunts he want to smoke first.

"Shit happens " I replied

"No" he said with quickness. "Shit don't just happen, that shit happened cause you think you can just Ha ha ha and he he he with any chick. Learn when to fall back." He said raising his voice trying to make a point.

"Learn when to fall back" I said mocking him.

"You see that THAT right there is why your dumb ass got booked. You don't have any respect" He said pointing at me.

"Yo Meek what are you doing my Nigga light the fucking weed" I leaned over and took a blunt and lighter off the coffee table.

"What you doing my Nigga you know that's bad luck" Meek said cringing his face. I sparked the blunt and took a pull before I said anything.

"I don't have time to hear it right now, I just want to smoke and go to the lab with Rakim"  I needed to focus up and not pay attention to anything that would get me upset or else it'll spill into my music and I couldn't afford that. I took another pull before I passed it to my dad.

"Be careful pops that's some chronic" Meek said.

"Fuck out of here I was smoking before ya momma started fucking little nigga" my dad said before he took a long dragon pull.

"Iight pops" Meek said sounding unsure. Meek and I looked at him as if he we couldn't believe what we saw.

"Iight Indian Chief chill! " I yelled.

He started blowing smoke out and a moment later started coughing. He gagged a few times while his eyes began to water.

"Give me something to drink"

He said through numerous coughs. I started laughing because I knew deep down he was mad after talking all that shit. "You alright ol head" I said mocking him over his coughs.

"Get the fucking water before I beat your ass" he said choking.

I laughed and took my time walking to the fridge. I poured him a tall glass of water and handed it to him. His eyes were bloodshot red and snot ran down his goatee. Meek just sat there smoking as the whole thing went down.

"You good now" Meek said with a smile. "

"Yeah he iight, just let him get himself together before we pass it back to him"

After sparking the last blunt, my dad asked me what the plan was for today.

"First things first, im going to cancel my credit card, and then when I get to the studio I'm going to freestyle on the soundboard and see what I come up with."

"Don't worry about the card I'll take care of that for you, you just worry about the music. "My dad said. 

"Iight cool.

"Yo pops you think I can hold three hundred in case they tryna go out" I wasn't trying to be around a bunch of rappers broke.

My dad went in his back pocket and took out three one hundred dollar bills and handed it to me.

"Watch yourself Ace " my dad said sternly.

Meek stood up handed my dad the blunt and gave him dap. I gave my dad a dap and started to make my way to the door .

|Quad Studio's, NYC|

Its six in the evening and I been at Quad for about three hours now embodying the vibe of the studio. It was a bunch of Rakims' people smoking and drinking. Eric B left because he had an event to go play at. We were sitting there chilling, listening to unreleased music.

I sat at the soundboard rocking back and forth trying to come up with an idea.

"A lot of these rap niggas are nice but they ain't fucking with me" Rakim said to one of his peoples.

I turned around and seen Rakim give a dap to a big bald headed dark skinned guy. I rolled over to the keyboard and started playing some high pitched keys until I found the right sound I was looking for.

"I'm intentionally known" I heard Rakim say proudly.

I took one of Eric B's records and played it on the turntable. It was Paid N Full. I scratched a sample of the song and played and recorded it. The room got quiet as I felt their eyes staring at my back. Now I have to kill it I thought to myself.

I slid back to the piano keyboard and started playing a rhythm with the keys I discovered a second ago. When I finally got it to match the tempo of the recorded sample all I heard was

On dangerous blocks, claiming spots Where the goal is to be one of the top ranked soldiers,

Forty-five holders, one of the high rollers, Get respect in the hood, credit is good,

Knock it down lumberjack style, baby, extra wood

"Oh shit!" I heard one of the people in the group yell as Rakim continued to rhyme.

Make the record fly undetected by the naked eye, So just feel the vibe cause your ears never lie,

Nowadays DJ's bags of tricks, graphic on some behind the back shit catch it and scratch it

Classic, this kid got his craft mastered, Hands is mad quick like he mix with magic.

"Ayo Ace" Rakim called as I kept playing. "This shit is dope" He said with a smile.

I turned around in the chair and looked at him.

"It ain't shit if that's all you got for it" I said with a smirk

I wanted the best of Rakim on this instrumental. His face turned serious in half a second. He walked in the booth looking at me as if he wanted me to regret challenging him. He put his headphones on at gave me a signal to play the beat. I pressed record and started the instrumental.

Its to my real I'll niggas, heavyweight hitters, dough getters, fifty ways to make figures.

I was amazed how he can just go in the booth and spit something off the top of the head. He rapped the whole thing through in one take and told me to play it back so he can hear how he sounded.

He put a thumbs inside the booth wondering if I thought it was good enough. I gave him a head nod to let him know its good. Rakim came out the booth and reached for his jacket.

"Yo mix it up and give it to me at the airport next week." He said.

"The airport?" I questioned. "Nigga I take the train home." I said looking at him as if he lost his mind.

He smirked. "I want to debut while I'm on tour in Cali, and I want you to come with me"

I froze up. Did you hear what this Nigga just said, he wants me to come to Cali . Is he serious? I thought to myself

"Oh iight, shit I'm down." I replied trying to keep my cool.

He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a thousand dollars cash. He counted ten one hundred dollar bills and gave it to me.

"This for you, and don't worry about the tickets just bring a couple heads with you so you not out there by yourself I got you"

"Iight my G and good looks on the bread" I said giving him dap.

"Ayo we out, let my man Ace work in peace." Rakim said making his way to the exit. I gave everyone dap as they made their way out.

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