Gangstress

April 1999 (1)

***Angel's POV***

My first record had been fully released for a little over a month now, and it was doing great. I sold 78,000 copies in the first week and it debuted at number eleven on Billboard 200, as well as number three on Top R&B & Hip Hop Albums for Billboard. 

My royalty cheques started looking way bigger than they ever did with just my two singles, so I wondered if maybe it would be the right time for me to look at buying a house for me and Aidan. Marshall told me he had Paul looking at houses for him, so I figured I'd get my manager to do the same for me. 

When I told him I was thinking about looking at houses, I was expecting him to get upset with me again about the whole moving to Detroit thing again. But he never brought it up once, which I thought was weird. But maybe he was just trying to back off that subject as to not start another fight, which was fine with me. 

Currently, I was back in the studio working on my second album. I was really unsure about the direction that I wanted to take with it. The beats that Diddy had as samples were really different from the ones I had on Hardcore. They sounded a little more pop, and modern, but I loved them. I thought it would be good to have more modern sounding beats, considering the fact that this album would likely end up coming out in 2000. 

I knew I definitely still wanted that same hyper sexual vibe that Hardcore had since that was kind of my brand now, but maybe just different, somehow? The first song I ended up recording was No Matter What They Say, mainly because I was still pissed off with people still talking shit about me and Marshall. 

I was being called a 'feminist icon' by the public, but then the critics would question how my lyrics could be so sexually free, while I was dating a minsogynst. It pissed me off because they didn't know a fuckin' thing about Marshall, or me for that matter. Everything I talked about in my music could be complete bullshit for all they knew. 

Regardless of what people were saying, the label had offered for me to start my own label. I couldn't believe that they really saw that much potential in me for me to start my own label already! I called it Queen Bee Entertainment. I didn't know who I was gonna sign first, but I figured I was just gonna put this album out under my label, and then I'd start signin' some artists. 

I also had a modelling agency reach out, and they wanted to sign me, which was absolutely crazy to me. They said they already had work for me if I was interested in being the face of the Candies fashion brand, along side Brandy Norwood. Brandy was Snoop Dogg's cousin, so I absolutely said yes. I signed their contract within a week and they immediately had me doing tonnes of photoshoots for their campaign. 

Marshall was fully supportive of everything that I was doing which I was so appreciative of. I was worried that when I told him about the modelling thing he might get mad since he always said he didn't fuck with bitches like that, but he thought it was dope. The only thing he said was to keep my music as a top priority, since that was the bread and butter of my career. I agreed, but I just really wanted to diversify the work I was doing. But music was always going to remain the most important to me out of all of it.

Speaking of Marshall, it had been a little while since I saw him last. He had been to LA twice since the last time I saw him, and I was really missing him. I knew it was only about to get worse since we were both about to start tours, as well as our recording schedules were both packed, and he was going to LA all the time. And now, with modelling added on top of that, it was going to be even more difficult to try and see each other. I needed to see him soon though, I had something sorta time sensitive that I needed to tell him, but I only wanted to do it in person. 

Currently, I was on my way to the studio when Marshall called me on my cellphone. I smiled at his name popping up and hit 'talk'. 

"Hi baby!" I answered, excited to hear from him. 

"Hey baby girl, how ya doin'?" He sounded like he was whispering. 

"Good, I'm just on my way to the studio right now. How are you?" 

"I'm aight. I'm just at Kim's right now, seein' Hailie." I cringed a little bit at Kim's name, but I had been trying really hard to not get jealous about it.

"That's good, what are you guys doing?" 

"Uh, they're just watching cartoons. I just went to the bathroom quickly and figured I'd call ya." 

I nodded. "Is that why you're whisperin'?" 

"Uh, I just don't wanna start shit with Kim right now. We're havin' a good afternoon together, y'know?" 

"She's still bein' a bitch about that? Jesus tell her to get over it." 

He laughed. "I know. I'm sorry." He trailed off. "Anyway, I'm goin' to LA next week again, and I thought maybe I could fly from there to New York on the Friday after I'm done?" 

I got a giant smile on my face. "Yes! I miss you so fuckin' much! But I thought ya wanted me to come to Detroit next?" 

"Uh, yeah. But I just figured it'd be easier, y'know?" 

I nodded. "Okay, that's fine! How long ya gonna stay? I'm gonna have to work if you're here longer than the weekend."    

He started stuttering. "Uh, I'm not sure yet. Maybe we'll just play it by ear?" 

I laughed. "Don't ya gotta work, baby?" 

"Yeah, no, I do. I just don't know when." 

My eyebrows knitted together in confusion. "Okay. Well I'll see ya in a couple weeks then, yeah?" 

"Definitely. I can't wait to see ya, baby girl." 

"Me either. I love you so much! Call me tonight?" 

"'Course. I love you too." 

"Have a good day! Bye!" 

"You too. Peace." 

I hung up and felt a little weird about the way he spoke to me. He did say he loved me, and called me 'baby girl', but still. The stuttering and shit? What the fuck was that about? He never sounded like that with me. I wondered if something else was going on that he just maybe hadn't had a chance to tell me. I figured I'd just ask him about it tonight when I talked to him, but I was still feeling uneasy about it.  

I got to the studio a little while later, and as I was walking in, I quite literally bumped into Prodigy as I was looking down at my phone. 

"Shit, sorry!" I looked up from my phone and saw Prodigy smiling at me. "Oh my god, hey! What are you doin' here?" 

He chuckled. "I was here to see Diddy for a bit. You just comin' in for the day?"

I nodded and tucked my hair behind my ear. "Yeah. I started workin' on my new record a little bit ago." 

"No shit! Already? How far along are ya in it?" 

I shook my head. "Not far at all. I have 'bout a song and a half. I'm really unsure about the sound I want for it." 

"Mind if I listen? I might have some ideas for ya."

I smiled big. "Please! I would love ya input."

He licked his smirking lips and did gave my body a once over. "Aight, let's do it."  

We walked back to the recording room that I had essentially claimed as mine and he ended up spending the whole day with me. He helped me finish the track I had half done, which was called 'Off the Wall'. He even did a pre chorus for me, and then we did the chorus together.

 His input was super helpful, and I was so grateful that he had taken time out of his day to help when he had absolutely no obligation too. I mean he wasn't even signed to Bad Boy, he was just friends with the label. Regardless, I was so excited to even be able to put him on my record, he truly was one of the best emcees I've ever heard.