says in a heavy New York/Puerto Rican accent.
Chase snickers.
“Oh but she can spell shit though?” he says to Chase. “That’s okay Lydia. I see…uh huh…I see. You drinking hater juice too. But you know what. That’s okay because the people. The people… ” he says cupping his palms to his mouth like a megaphone, “…have spoken.”
“What’s he yapping about Chase?” she says.
“One dude, one , gave him a compliment and that was all he needed to hear,” Chase says.
“One is representative of the many my brother. I was robbed and Lydia knows it.”
“Hello, I’m standing right here. Look Naka. You know you will always be my favorite DJ. But the crowd makes the decision honey, not me. You did good. You always do. But this time the other guy won. I still love you though. Te quiero papi," Lydia says.
She squeezes Tanaka’s lips causing them to pucker and kisses the air.
“ Mwah . Better luck next time sweet cheeks,” she says and trudges up the path towards the parking lot.
Chase shakes his head.
“Dude, why do you do that?" he says.
"Do what?" Tanaka asks
"Never mind,” Chase says.
"I get it now. It was the crowd. Lydia said it. She knew I won. That was obvious you peeped that right? You peeped right?”
“Oh yeah I peeped all right,” Chase says.
"It was that hipster crowd. That's why he won. He had his hipster peoples rootin' for him. Notice how none of them shouted me out? Not like the Jamaican dude right? The real New Yorkers. Not the gentrifying, hipster interlopers, trying to push the indigenous residents out. You peeped that right Chase? Chase!”
“Yes, yes my brother,” Chase says with a power fist to the sky.
”I’m telling you Chase. Once I started playing the conscious music everything changed. A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, Queen Latifah, Brand Nubian, bah. They wanted that mumble mouth, dumbed down hip-hop the other dude was playing. They started going with the interloper.”
“Interloper? Oh Tanaka. You know I love you right?” Chase says with a belly laugh.
“Don’t patronize me. You know I hate when you do that.”
“Okay, I’m sorry bro. It’s just you sound like Spike Lee complaining about gentrification in Brooklyn. I should crown you the Japanese Spike Lee. Just make sure you do the right thing? Haha get it? Do the right thing?” Chase laughs.
“Okay. Crack jokes if you want to. Meanwhile, my people being squeezed out by these hipsters.”
“Your people?”
“We all one rainbow coalition bro. Stop being the grey cloud. And stop always sticking up for the capitalist, elitist, racially dismissive agenda of the corporate oligarchs.”
Chase opens his palm and starts flipping his fingers across his hand as if he were looking through a book.
“Chase what the hell are you doing?”
“I’m looking up all those big words you just used,” Chase cracks up.
“Oh you’re a real comedian. That’s okay. Make light if you want to. But I know why you’re so desensitized to the situation.”
“Situation? Dude there is no situation . You lost a freakin’ DJ battle. Does this look like Selma, Alabama or Ferguson, Missouri to you? Pull your panties up and stop crying.”
“I’m not crying. You see any tears? No. I’m standing up for myself. And the reason why you’re so desensitized is because that female stole your righteousness.”
“Oh no not this again. Tanaka. No, no, no. I am not dealing with you and your Andrea fetish. Why whenever you’re losing an argument with me, you always have to bring up my past relationship with Andrea? We dated for a few years when I first moved to the city. Dude that was seven years ago.”
“You know why I don't like her Chase? Two words…the bitch is bad.”
“Tanaka that’s like four words—“
“She’s a master manipulator and she’s crazy. Craaay, Chase. And the fact that y’all are still friends is totally wack. You lucky Jenae don’t know the two of you was hot and heavy before
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