As soon as Leon and his group got out of the car, they saw the Anheuser-Busch InBev logos plastered all over Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Before Jay-Z took over the Made in America festival, its influence couldn't compare to what it was now. Back then, it was just a carnival party launched by Budweiser to promote their beer.
The invited guests were often heavy metal bands or experimental rock groups.
The homeless people filling the streets of Philadelphia had no habit of buying tickets. They would usually swarm into the venue, sweep the beer counters clean, and drink themselves into a stupor amidst the hoarse screams of death metal.
But after Jay-Z took over, Made in America leaped to become one of the top ten music festivals in the US. Many singers were even willing to perform for free just to promote their new songs.
"Fk, this is the City of Brotherly Love? What an eye-opener..."
The park full of homeless people looked like a scene from Dawn of the Dead. Leon was so shocked he didn't know what to say.
And it wasn't just the sheer number of homeless people. They were gathered around Robert Indiana's giant "L.O.V.E" sculpture.
Many gray-bearded male homeless people were hugging each other like couples, openly engaging in unspeakable acts in broad daylight.
Phil explained, "This is why I hate Philadelphia. It was the first city to recognize gay partners. Those people enjoy numerous benefits here, so a large number of gays moved to Philly."
Leon frowned deeply. having lived in Brownsville, he thought he was mentally prepared for anything, but what he saw in Philadelphia still made him physically uncomfortable.
There's a puzzling phenomenon in America: the more an area waves the banner of "freedom," the worse the public safety is; while the more conservative areas tend to be safer.
Philadelphia is the perfect example. This great city, haloed as the "Birthplace of the Constitution," is now held hostage by "freedom."
Freedom, sometimes, can become a shackle.
Guided by the event staff, Leon entered the temporary artist green room.
Because he was a member of the Roc Nation Kingdom, the staff treated Leon's group with extra respect. No matter how much trash Phil talked along the way, they maintained awkward but polite smiles.
"Sht! Do you know what I just saw?! I saw a homeless guy taking a dump right nearby!"
"I don't know what the security here is doing. If I were ten years younger, I'd kick his ass so hard with my leather shoes!"
Phil's mouth was like a magical machine gun, spraying non-stop along the way.
When he started complaining about why all the staff here were Black girls, Leon hurriedly covered Phil's mouth.
Although he agreed with most of Phil's sentiments, such politically incorrect talk wasn't acceptable in America, especially not in Philadelphia.
Inside the green room, many singers were already trying out makeup for tomorrow's performance.
When Leon appeared, they all looked over. The cursing from the two earlier was just too loud.
He smiled and waved at the other singers while walking toward the makeup table with his name on it, whispering to Phil, "Fk, I don't know a single person here."
"The first day's performances are just appetizers. Jay-Z is a shrewd businessman; of course, he understands that the big shots need to be the grand finale." Phil casually pulled out a cigarette.
Made in America was a two-day festival, and most audience members bought two-day passes.
If Kesha performed on the first day, the audience numbers for the second day would shrink drastically.
Phil lit his cigarette, puffing away in the communal makeup room as if no one else was there.
"Cough, cough..." A tall young white man frowned and coughed repeatedly.
"Don't you idiots know what manners are?!" Beside the young man, a middle-aged woman in a red suit immediately scolded sharply.
Phil adjusted his belt with the cigarette dangling from his mouth. This woman was clearly looking for trouble.
There were no no-smoking signs here. If long-established big shots were doing drugs here, no one would stop them.
Just as he was about to unleash a string of profanities, he found the woman in red surprisingly familiar.
After double-checking, he said in a low voice, "Grey... so it's you, you btch."
"Phil?" The woman in red, Grey, looked surprised at first, then immediately sneered. "Damn loser... I thought you were finished. How are you still here?"
Phil shrugged. "Nothing can defeat me. Just wait and see, you viper btch."
After speaking, he turned around and filled Leon in on the woman's identity.
Grey was a professional manager rising rapidly in the record industry in recent years. She used to work at Epic Records and was, in a sense, Phil's subordinate.
Now she was the Vice President of North America for New Vision Records, also serving as the head of Artist Management.
This company had strong momentum recently. It was a label under the umbrella of the "aircraft carrier of the record industry," Universal Music Group.
Backed by a giant like Universal, New Vision Records signed several impressive newcomers and had become a force to be reckoned with in the North American music scene.
And Grey was one of the initiators of the impeachment that cost Phil his position as GM of Epic Records.
She was a typical American corporate elite woman—willing to sell her body, family, soul, and anything else to climb the ladder.
Seeing her warning had no effect, Grey stomped over to Leon in her 7-inch heels. "You signed with Phil, kid?"
"I must remind you, the waters in this industry are deep... The speed of survival of the fittest is astonishingly fast."
Leon looked at the fierce woman as if she were an idiot.
Big talk. Who does this woman think she is?
The boss of Universal or Warner?
Staff members quickly ran over to prevent the situation from escalating. "We are very sorry, Miss Grey. We will talk to Mr. Leon."
"Talk?! Get them out of here immediately!" Grey turned to look at the tall man at the makeup table. "Dan is extremely disciplined. Smelling smoke makes him nauseous, and this could affect the entire Imagine Dragons' performance!"
Grey remained aggressive until the staff mentioned that Leon was with Roc Nation. Then, like she was struck by lightning, she went silent.
Her self-perceived superiority as a record executive instantly became insignificant in front of Roc Nation. Not to mention Jay-Z was the co-founder of the festival.
To get her promising newcomers on this stage, Grey had even engaged in "multiplayer sports" with executives from Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Phil said smugly at this moment, "The young man standing before you is the most talented new generation singer in all of New York, Street Jesus Leon Smith."
"By the way, he was personally signed by Jay-Z."
Losing face in front of her own artist, Grey turned red instantly. Under Phil's repeated provocations, she was about to explode again.
Just then, a voice as sweet as heavenly music rang out.
"Please stop this stupid argument immediately. Rehearsals are about to start."
"This is my first time performing at such an important music festival. I don't want it to be a mess."
Leon looked towards the voice. A girl with a high blonde ponytail was sitting at a makeup table, blinking her innocent big eyes.
Petite figure, exquisite features... Although her skin was a bit tan, her face showed no trace of African features. She looked tender enough to pinch water out of.
The nameplate on the makeup table read: Ariana Grande.