The front door closed with a soft click as Kenzo and her crew disappeared into the Manhattan night, their laughter fading as they climbed back into the black SUV. Amias lingered on the front steps for a moment, the February air sharp against his skin, watching steam rise from manholes in the distance like ghostly fingers reaching toward the city's neon-lit sky.
Twenty minutes. He'd spent twenty minutes outside just talking - about video shoot logistics, potential dates that worked with both their schedules, maybe hitting the studio again before he left New York. The conversation had flowed easily, naturally. Kenzo was sharp, driven in a way that reminded him of himself, but there was something else there too - a creative hunger that matched his own.
When he finally headed back inside, the house felt different somehow. The lingering scent of whatever perfume one of Kenzo's friends had been wearing mixed with the smell of the furniture and the faint electronic ozone from the equipment.
Amias settled back into his streaming setup, the familiar weight of his phone in his hand as he scrolled through the chat. The numbers were still climbing - fourteen thousand viewers watching him at 4 AM.
StreamQueen24: YO THOSE SONGS WERE INSANE
KingMaker: kenzo x amias bout to break the internet
BXLegend: when y'all dropping this??
MusicMogul: chat has been here for HOURS and still going
NYBeats: amias really got the sauce
"Chat's been loyal tonight," he observed aloud, leaning back in his chair. "Y'all really stayed up to watch us create some magic."
He noticed movement in his peripheral vision. Zara stood near the edge of the camera frame, her silhouette backlit by the hallway light. Something in her posture - arms crossed, weight shifted to one foot, the slight tilt of her head - suggested she wasn't entirely pleased about something.
He reached for the mute button, cutting off his audio to the stream.
"What's up?" he asked, turning to face her properly.
"So what were you doing outside with that girl?" Zara asked, her tone carefully neutral but her eyes betraying something else entirely - something sharp and wounded.
"What do you mean?" Amias replied, genuinely confused by the question and the edge in her voice. "We were just talking about the video shoot. Logistics and stuff."
"Outside? For twenty minutes?" Zara's eyebrow arched slightly, and there was something almost prosecutorial in the way she asked it. "Just talking?"
"Yeah, just talking." Amias felt a flicker of irritation rising in his chest. "What else would we be doing?"
"I don't know, Amias." Zara's voice carried a sharp edge now, like a blade being slowly unsheathed. "You tell me. Can you really not control yourself? You just keep touching everything you see, don't you?"
The accusation hit him like a physical blow, the words seeming to echo in the sudden silence between them. He stared at her for a moment, trying to process what she'd just implied.
"Touching everything I see?" he repeated, his voice rising slightly before he caught himself, glancing at the chat to make sure they couldn't hear through the muted audio. "Zara, what the hell are you talking about? I literally just went outside to talk to her about business."
"Right," Zara said, disbelief dripping from the single word like acid. "Business. At three in the morning. Outside. In her car."
"We weren't in her car!" Amias's frustration was bleeding through now. "We were standing by the gate talking about when to shoot the video. You know, the thing you're supposed to help coordinate as my manager?"
Zara's face hardened, her jaw setting in that way it did when she was about to say something she couldn't take back. "Don't even try to make this about me."
"Then what is this about?" Amias asked, standing up from his chair now. "Because I have no idea what you think happened out there, but whatever it is, you're wrong."
For a moment, Zara just stared at him, her eyes searching his face for something - truth, maybe, or confirmation of whatever suspicion had taken root in her mind like a poisonous seed. Whatever she was looking for, she apparently didn't find it.
"Forget it," she said finally, her voice going cold and distant. "Just... forget it."
"Zara, wait-"
But she was already turning away, her footsteps sharp against the hardwood floor as she headed toward the hallway. The sound of her climbing the stairs carried down to the studio, each step like a small door closing between them.
Amias sat back down heavily, staring at the empty hallway where she'd disappeared. The accusation stung worse than it should have, partly because of how wrong it was, but mostly because it came from her. Of all people, Zara should believe him. The fact that she didn't left him feeling hollow.
He unmuted the stream, forcing his expression back to neutral as he returned his attention to the chat, though his mind was still replaying the conversation.
TestGod: yo you good? looked heated for a sec
StreamQueen24: drama behind the scenes??
Neat: keep the content coming bro
KingMaker: everything alright?
"All good," he said simply, not addressing their questions directly. "Just sorting some logistics."
His phone buzzed with a text from Larry: Kyle Rich just pulled up. Four people total.
The notification was exactly what he needed - a distraction from the lingering sting of Zara's words.
"Alright chat," Amias announced, pushing thoughts of Zara to the back of his mind. "Next guest is here. About to get even more crazy."
He headed to the front door, where Larry was already coordinating with the gate security. Through the camera feed, Amias could see a dark sedan waiting, four figures visible inside.
"Let them in," he confirmed.
A few minutes later, Kyle Rich stepped through the front door - taller than Amias had expected, maybe six-two, with an easy confidence that seemed to expand to fill whatever space he occupied. Behind him came three others: a guy with neat dreads who carried himself like he might be another artist, and two others who looked comfortable being in studios at odd hours.
"Yo, what's good," Kyle greeted, his handshake firm but not aggressive, his eyes taking in the house's interior. "Appreciate you having us through. This spot is crazy."
"No doubt," Amias replied, gesturing for them to come further inside. "Welcome. I'm Amias."
"Kyle. This is Dee Billz," he gestured to the guy with dreads. "And that's Mike and Trey."
"Wassup, wassup," Dee Billz nodded, already eyeing the studio setup visible through the open doorway.
Amias led them through the house. Jordan was still in the living room, scrolling through his phone while keeping an eye on the stream comments. Zel was at the mixing board, headphones around his neck, organizing the session files from earlier.
"This is serious," Dee Billz observed, stepping into the studio and examining the mixing board. "You really travel with all this?"
"Had it shipped ahead," Amias explained.
"Yo, you got a basketball court?" Kyle asked, peering through the glass doors to the backyard where the half-court was illuminated.
"Yeah, came with the place," Amias laughed. "You play?"
"Little bit. You?"
"I'm absolutely trash at basketball," Amias admitted, which got a genuine laugh from Kyle. "I swim, can play football - soccer, you know - but basketball? Put me on a court and I'll embarrass myself quick."
"Football?" Kyle repeated, grinning. "Like proper football with your feet?"
"Yeah but basketball?" Amias shook his head. "Different story entirely."
They settled into the studio area, Kyle and his crew taking in the livestream setup. The chat was already reacting:
Misdes: KYLE RICHH IN THE BUILDING
Daily: 41 x amias bout to be crazy
StreamQueen24: UK x NY drill about to break the internet
"Fourteen K watching?" Kyle asked, checking the viewer count. "At four AM?"
"The insomnia crew's loyal," Amias joked. "Plus it's breakfast time in London."
"That's wild," Kyle shook his head, settling into one of the chairs. "I seen some clips from your session with Kenzo earlier. That shit was fire."
"Appreciate that. She's talented."
Kyle leaned forward slightly, clearly interested. "So how you approach making music? Like, what's your process?"
Amias considered the question. "Depends on who I'm working with. Like tonight with Kenzo, I wanted to push her out her comfort zone 'cause I could tell she had more range. But with you..." He paused, studying Kyle. "I'm curious about something different. What would happen if we took that New York drill energy but approached it from a UK angle?"
"Facts," Kyle nodded. "I been wanting to try some different vibes. Been hearing these UK tracks and thinking about how that would sound with my flow."
"Well," Amias gestured around the studio, "we got the setup. Let's see what we can create."
Zel was already pulling up folders on the computer. "What kind of vibe we going for?"
They scrolled through several options - hard drill beats, melodic productions, UK-US hybrid styles. Kyle listened to each one, nodding sometimes, but Amias could see he wasn't fully connecting with any of them.
"What about something more melodic?" Amias suggested after they'd gone through about a dozen. "Like drill energy but with more musical elements?"
"Could work," Kyle agreed, though he didn't sound completely sure. "Show me what you thinking."
Amias pulled up a melody loop he'd been working with - a haunting vocal sample over atmospheric chords. "This is just the foundation," he explained, letting it play twice. "But listen to the vibe it creates."
Kyle's head started nodding almost immediately. "That's hard. Real hard. But what would you put under it? How do you make that drill without losing the feeling?"
"That's where it gets interesting," Amias replied, thinking for a moment. "Zel, can you remake those drill drums from earlier? The Kenzo session pattern?"
"Which one specifically?" Zel asked, fingers already moving.
"The basic pattern, but I want to flip it completely."
As Zel programmed the drums, Amias started making adjustments that seemed random at first. The rhythm sounded off, fighting against itself.
"That sounds..." Kyle hesitated, not wanting to be negative.
"I know it sounds weird right now," Amias said, one small adjustment to the countersnare placement. "But listen now."
The change was subtle but transformative. Suddenly the rhythm made perfect sense, creating a bounce that was completely unique.
"Yoooo," Dee Billz's eyes widened. "What the hell was that? That's not regular drill."
"Counter-snares," Zel explained. "Not many people using those yet."
Kyle was quiet for a moment, his head nodding unconsciously. "That bounce is crazy," he said finally. "I never heard nothing like that."
"You feeling it for a track?" Amias asked.
"Hell yeah," Kyle replied immediately, then paused. "But I don't know how to approach this. It's so different from what I usually do."
"Want me to show you what I'm hearing?" Amias offered, moving toward the booth.
Kyle nodded eagerly.
Amias stepped into the booth, adjusting the headphones. He closed his eyes for a moment, letting the beat sink in. When he opened them, he nodded to Zel.
What came out was smooth, melodic, riding the unusual rhythm naturally:
{Reference Track: Miami by Nemzzz ft Kyle Rich}
"Damn, the vibe's contagious
She wanna cruise like spacious
If the night ends famous
Her eyes speak outrageous
Spent all night just talkin' for hours
Picked her up from London towers
Mind connection, stronger than power
I see the style flowin' in that dress
Gave her time and she disappeared then reappeared like, 'Tell me the rest'
Now she's out of words
Real, real, yeah, yeah, yeah, like, damn
Her energy different, can't even explain it
She want trips to hidden places
If our story gets told, it's timeless
Picked her up from across the lawn
Soul connection, beyond the norm
That drink got her, yeah, yeah, yeah"
When he emerged from the booth, Kyle was staring at him with something approaching reverence.
"Bro," Kyle said slowly. "That was completely different from anything I've heard you do."
"The beat demands a different approach," Amias explained. "You can't attack it like regular drill. You have to float on it."
Kyle was already moving toward the booth. "Let me try something. I think I get what you mean now."
What followed wasn't perfect on the first take. Kyle's instincts fought against the unusual rhythm.
"Hold up," Amias called through the talkback. "You're fighting the beat. Don't try to control it - let it control you."
Kyle tried again, closer this time but still not quite there.
"Here," Amias said, entering the booth. "Feel this." He started moving to the rhythm naturally. "The beat wants to float. Your flow should float with it."
Kyle watched, then tried to mirror the movement. Something clicked. His next attempt was dramatically different:
"Fuck a date, we could hop on a flight
She wanna go to the UK
Let's wake up in a whole new time zone
We could have us some dinner and D'USSÉ
Ain't you tired of Miami? Wanna put you on JetBlue
To a place where it's just me and you
To a place where the water is blue"
"That's it right there," Amias called through the talkback. "Stay right there."
But Kyle stumbled on the next line.
"Punch in from 'To a place where the water is blue.'" Amias instructed Zel.
They continued this way, line by line, building the verse:
"Baby, don't gotta argue, I don't wanna be toxic
Let's go to the tropics, everywhere that we go we the topic
Dump truck, told her, 'Pop it and lock it'
Big dump truck, when I'm in it, I park it
She expensive so she got a taste
So I call her to beat up the pockets
Uh, I'm too icey, thooties call me vibey
I-I like my bitch pricey, face card, don't need no ID
Why cry in the back of the projects when you could cry in Hawaii?"
Twenty minutes later, Kyle emerged with something completely different from his usual material.
"Yo, that's actually fire," Mike commented from the couch.
"Play it back," Kyle requested, eyes bright with excitement.
As the track played through the monitors, Amias watched Kyle's reaction. The satisfaction was obvious.
"This is wild," Kyle said when it finished. "Like, this is still me, but it's... more?"
Before Amias could respond, Larry's voice came through: "TaTa and Jenn just arrived."
"Perfect timing," Amias said, but Kyle held up a hand.
"Yo, let me hear this one more time before they come in."
They played the track again. If anything, Kyle seemed even more impressed the second time.
"Alright," Kyle said finally.
Amias headed toward the door, already hearing voices in the hallway.
TaTa entered first - medium height, energetic presence, the kind of person who filled a room just by walking into it. Jenn followed, scanning the studio with obvious appreciation for the setup.
"So y'all really been in here making bangers all night?" Jenn asked, dapping up Kyle before turning curious eyes to Amias.
"Just getting started," Kyle replied, barely containing his excitement. "But yo, wait till you hear what we just did. This beat is completely different."
"Different how?" TaTa asked, settling into a chair but still bouncing slightly, like he had energy he needed to release.
"Play it," Kyle urged Zel.
As the Miami beat filled the studio, TaTa and Jenn's reactions were immediate - heads nodding, eyes widening.
"Yo, what is that bounce?" TaTa asked, leaning forward.
"That's what I'm saying," Kyle laughed.
"It's giving New York energy but different," Jenn observed. "Like, I can feel the drill in it, but it's floating."
"Exactly," Amias confirmed. "Y'all want to get on something?"
"We actually got some lyrics we been working on," TaTa said, pulling out his phone. "Been sitting on them trying to find the right beat."
Amias read through the lyrics. "These are hard. Real talk. But this needs something different from what we just did. Something with more... intensity."
"Like what?" Jenn asked.
"Zel," Amias called, "you remember that beat we heard the other day? The one with the vocal sample?"
"The 'SAVE ME' one?" Zel asked, already searching.
"Yeah, that one."
When the beat began playing, the reaction was immediate and unanimous.
"Oh shit," TaTa said, his eyes lighting up.
"How the hell y'all just got hard beats waiting like that?" Mike asked, genuinely amazed.
"We collect them," Amias shrugged. "Never know when you'll need the perfect sound."
"Can't grow without trying new things," Zel added, which got nods of approval from everyone.
"Who wants to start?" Amias gestured toward the booth. "TaTa, these your lyrics?"
"Yeah, but Jenn should open it up," TaTa suggested. "Set the vibe."
What followed was a longer, more collaborative process. Jenn approached the booth first, spending several minutes just listening to the beat, feeling its pulse.
The way she delivered the opening transformed the entire track:
{Reference Track: Save Me - PBM, 41}
"I'm walkin' on all instrumentals
She wanna go where her friend go
She wanna fuck but I'm bussin'
Like turn up some music and slow down the tempo
Couple bands just for incidentals
She keep a rose 'cause she fallin' like pedals
Bitch, I'm the one, no I don't need a medal
Like big black truck in the hood, presidential"
When she emerged after laying down the foundation, the room had a different energy.
"That's the vibe right there," TaTa confirmed, nodding as they listened to the playback.
He entered the booth next, his delivery completely different from Jenn's but complementary:
"She a ten but she want me for money, yeah
Why this bitch think I'm a dummy? I'm geekin',
I might take a ten when I'm hungry
Get the fuck out my face if you kill my vibe
Little bitch, I'm tryna slide where the fun be
Everyday on my waist, where my gun be
If he get away from us he lucky, bitch"
As he continued, building momentum:
"Bitch, I'm at the mall with the groupies, yeah
We takin' shots at the movies, yeah
If you love her then buy her Chanel, I might go spend a bag up at Louis, yes
Only think I smoke is 'za, yes
Why would I pull out a loosie? Yes
Shorty a ten off the wake up, yes
I'm 'bout to buy her a booty, bitch"
Kyle followed, bringing his own interpretation:
"Fuck, did this shit on my own, I ain't even have no handout
Fuck, ever since I got bread, everybody been stickin' they hand out
Some niggas see me everyday, you would think that they wouldn't be fanned out
I ball like Zach Randolph
I'm with Amias tryna catch me a man now, grrah"
He continued with his second verse:
"Fuck, they ain't tell you they love you, whole time holdin' grudges against you
Fake niggas, fuck up my mental
Got these oppies, I pop 'em like Mentos
Grrah, five o'clock with a bop I'm in her pussy like menstrual
When I'm strokin', avoid bein' gentle
She a Barbie, but I'm not her Ken though"
Then Jenn stepped back in for her second verse:
"She keep on talkin' bout Caicos
Bitch better do as I say so
Give her besos, that pussy is fuego I'm tryna—,
I don't care how your day go
Any bitch fuckin' with me, shorty better be grateful
I walk in, put the G on her table
Even with all of this bread, I'm not mentally stable
Bitch, I been lit before the label"
As each artist added their contribution, the song became something larger than any of them could have created individually. When they played back the completed song, the room fell into appreciative silence.
Then TaTa broke the spell by literally tapping his chest to the beat, nodding hard. "Yo, that's actually crazy," he said with genuine amazement.
Jenn was vibing too, head nodding as she listened. "This is different."
Kyle was grinning wide. "Both these tracks are insane. We really just created something new."
"Chat's losing their minds," Dee reported, scrolling through comments.
"We should drop both of these," Jenn suggested. "Like, these are too good to just sit on."
"The Miami track especially," Kyle added. "That bounce is gonna change things."
Amias leaned back in his chair, watching as the others continued processing what they'd created. Two completely different tracks, both pushing boundaries, both representing collaborations that wouldn't have existed without this specific moment.
The first hints of dawn were creeping through the studio windows. Five AM in New York, but none of them felt tired. The creative energy was too strong.
As Amias sat there, absorbing the moment, his mind was already moving beyond the immediate satisfaction.
He was building something bigger than he'd initially realized. Not just a music career.
All of this… the show, the business, the music… this felt like the just the beginning.