Into the Storm

Chapter 14 | The Cypher

HIERO

The cypher. The night at Storm Koffee Hauz everyone had been waiting for, was finally here. The place was full of dj's and anyone and everyone who wanted to take the mic on the stage and battle out rhyme lyricisms. Jade opened the night like a like a phantom. She likes to pretend she doesn't have talent but I see her playing around in Storm when it's slow and empty, at Art's studio with Mai, her house, or even my house on my turntables. When I showed up from a bit of a family function at my mother's place, I budged carefully through the tight crowd of people in the venue. A song I knew well was playing through the speakers and I couldn't help but think of the night Jade picked me up for my first night of work. I immediately smiled and my entire mood shifted from wondering where Jade was, to giddy like a little bitch in love. I looked behind the dj booth and there she was. Holy shit! She looked fucking hot! Her dark hair was down and set in from the humidity and slightly curled, her headphones sat over one ear causing that side of her long hair to be pushed back, her skin lightly glistened from sweating, and her diamond jade eyes fluttered as they danced around the mixers through her lashes. Her eyes. Her eyes were focused on mixing the next song through and she did the one thing that I couldn't keep my eyes off of before I took my focus off of her. She bit her bottom lip and smiled as she brought through the next song carefully. Holy shit.
I smirked a proud moment and looked away immediately before I got boner in the middle of a sweaty large crowd. I spotted Jonah and Philly first, then Maia and Emma with Katherine and Lily. Everyone and their mums were there. I worked my way to them all at the back corner against wall.
"Shit, man! Took you long enough! Where you been, R.T.?" Vince shouted not loud enough over the music.
"Doesn't matter! I'm here!" I shouted and smiled and Ryder handed me my signature drink. Hennessy and coke. The music seemed louder than it normally got on Cypher nights, but this particular night was sort of a bigger one than usual. Art was going to open the Cypher. He was nowhere in sight.
I leaned into Philly "Arthur trying to make a celebrity appearance?" I laughed.
Philly laughed as he took a drink of his beverage "No, man. I don't even know where he is." He laughed.
"He's a dick!" I shouted and Jonah looked at me when I said that and laughed. I shrugged and he shook his shoulders with a nod agreeing with me. I nudged Jonah's arm and tilted my chin up at him for him to follow me. We made our way behind the bar of the shop and I grabbed the stack of fliers Jade and Maia had left for us to pass out for the next event. I handed half of the stack Jonah. I looked up at Jade and she spotted me. I flashed my brows at her with my million dollar smile and she blushed as she smiled and looked back to focus on the music. I turned away laughing before I fucked up her set.
"What's funny, man?" Jonah missed that whole interaction.
"Nothin, man. Let's go." I tried to hide my stupid ass blush.
Art walked in as I stood chatting it up with Jonah and a few people who were just hanging out. I looked towards Ryder's way, and he was already noticing Art's presence. When Art made his way to us, he noticed Ryder and couldn't be more excited to see him. Who wouldn't? It's Ryder. I could also see Ryder getting annoyed every time Art opened his mouth to speak. They are friends but Ryder does whatever the fuck he wants, including talking as much shit as he can to Arthur.
__________
ART

The mic palmed to my fist with a grip so well of a natural feeling I'm used to. The comfort of the mic in my control is a mood that never goes away.
I'm determined to get R.T. on the mic tonight weather he wants it or not. Once someone calls him out, he won't dare oppose. Hiero's a funny mother fucker. He can't have a heads up when we call him out. It's gotta be spontaneous and that's when he's spits his best bars. Hiero is a unique individual full of every element that hip hop can finesse its rein around.
My view from the stage is my favorite kind of view. The crowd smiling with their excitement and anticipation of watching their favorite lyricists battle in their own verbal assaults in lyrical form.
Storm was shoulder to shoulder with people and the place was fogged with mist of sweat and smoke from marijuana blunts from every which way. The only night that Jade and Maia allow this type of madness. I had two guys who wanted to lyrically go at it with Hiero. I let the first few guys take their rounds on the mic with each other before I let these two lyrically talented asshats named Cory and a guy named Seth who we like to call 'Sneak'.
The peak of the night was in it's full force. I had my guys verbally going back and forth at each other. I handed the mic to Cory who kept eyeing Hiero to make sure he would hear him call him out once he had the mic in his hands. The beat was pumping through the speakers. Vibrations from the bass for a fucking fact, were felt through bodies of every drunk and sober guy and girl in the building. Plus to mention, Jade's annihilating set to open the entire night.