Of all the chores required of a teenager (homework, taking out the trash, cleaning the bathroom, etc.), washing the dishes was hands down the most mundane for Charmayne. Even though there were only two people in the house, it seemed like there was always an army’s worth of dirty dishes in the sink.
“Why the hell can’t we just wash the dishes as we use them,” she always thought as she scrubbed, rinsed and dried. The only good thing about the task was that it allowed her to listen to the radio, and freestyle without being interrupted by anyone. Dish washing time became prime time rhyme time for her, as she pictured a microphone hanging down from the cabinet above the sink. Her sudsy hands would splash water on the walls and floor as she waved her arms about- mimicking her favorite rappers’ movements. On this particular afternoon, she had just finished blessing Soul II Soul’s “Back to Life”, when a commercial came on the radio:
“..Toniiight. MC Shadow, live at the Paladium. Thaaaat’s right! MC Shadow, live at the Paladium! This is a once in a lifetime event. Come and witness the undisputed heavyweight champ of hip hop perform aaaallll of his hits, including the Grammy nominated single “Baby I love You”! Tickets are only $42.50, so get yours now! You don’t wanna miss MC Shaaadow!! Live at the Paladium. See you theeeere.”
Charmayne’s excitement could not be masked. The hip hop fan in her wanted to be in the front row, reciting every lyric, but the realistic side of her realized she couldn’t afford $42.50 (which by the way would increase to about $100 after she bought an outfit to wear). As that sobering thought set in, it was interrupted by the phone ringing. She quickly dried her hands on her jeans, and grabbed the wall mounted phone.
“Yo”, she answered. Her mother hated when she used this greeting to answer the phone. She said it was “un-lady like”.
“What up,” Tae’s voice greeted her back, with the urgency of a man who had some serious shit to say. “You sittin’ down?” he asked.
“Yeah nigga, why?”
“You ain’t sittin’ down.”
“I’m ‘bout to be hanging up. What the fuck do you want?” she was growing impatient.
“You not gon’ believe this shit. Why is my cousin gon’ be at the studio with MC Shadow tonight after his show? He said we can come through so you can spit!” he paused as if anticipating an overjoyed response from Charmayne. Instead he heard nothing, because she couldn’t muster any words.
“Hello?” he had to make sure she was still there.
“Yeah, I hear you,” she was trying to sound unfazed.
“I’m gon’ pick you up at eleven. Wear something nice, and come with your A-game.”
“You know I’m gon’ do that,” she got a quick shot of adrenaline, as she pictured impressing Shadow so much that she’d have a recording contract by 8 am tomorrow- which would mean an advance check by noon- which would mean this would be the last time she EVER washed dishes.
“You ain’t nervous are you?” her naive fantasy was aborted by Tae’s punk ass voice. She hadn’t even thought of being nervous until he mentioned it. Now her whole body was overcome by a massive stomach cramp. Her mouth had a metallic taste and her armpits began to itch violently.
“Naw, I ain’t nervous. I just gotta figure out what I’m gon’ spit.”
“Well, you got five hours. Be ready,”
“A’aight. It’s on,” as she hung up the phone.
“It’s On” was the way most young people said good bye where she was from. In this instance it was eerily relevant, because “it” was truly “on”. All of the practicing, writing, ciphering, battling and hoping has come down to one moment. Eleven o’clock. Five hours and 18 minutes away. What would she wear? What would her mother say? Then, there was the biggest question: What would she spit? She knew Shadow had a reputation for being a phenomenal lyricist. His song “Baby, I love You” was a heart warming soliloquy about the loves of his life- his mother, his daughter, and his wife. On the track he opened up about how he lives his life through them, and does everything for them. That song was just the tip of the iceberg. His entire album was laced with social commentary, witty wordplay, and flat out undeniable charm. For some reason, these facts gave Charmayne extreme confidence that her abilities would impress him. She always saw herself as an intelligent person, so she liked to group herself with intelligent people. Who’s more intelligent than the #1 lyricist in all of hip hop. Her nervousness turned into anticipation. Excitement. The countdown began.
(to be continued- next Monday at 8:00 am)
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