Love Don't Cost A Thing

As had been predicted by Johnny, the crowd erupted into a loud roar. There were many people who attended Club Esmeralda just with the intention of witnessing Prince Zeke working the stage. His opening song was something he had composed, a dance instrumental based on the Hi-NRG style of classic Eurobeat. With only an hour on stage, Ezekiel had to come up with a set list that would work in his time span. He always preferred to open with a high tempo song, knowing that it would cause the people on the dance floor to begin moving and shuffling quickly. Through the first song, he played the lead parts over his Roland synth keyboard. With a few chords played through, he took the time to play something of a mini solo after the song switched keys to a slower tempo. When it came to switch songs, Ezekiel had already programmed something of a small medley by allowing his drum and bass tracks to shift keys of what would be the next song. The lights above the dance floor shifted down, fading into the colors of purple and pink as the next synth-driven song went on.

The lights themselves were programmed to match in sync with the DJ's performance up on the stage. Back in the control room, a small tech crew kept up with the lights. Prince Zeke's music was based around high tempos, so usually whatever programmer was in charge had been instructed to follow through changing colors of the lights on time with the chord changes of his songs. The most competent light programmer knew when to change the lights by shifting them on time with key changes in songs. As the show continued, the dance floor carried on with people jumping around and dancing at the high tempo dance music that came pounding out of the speakers. After playing through a handful of tracks and loving to the middle part of his set list, the time had come to throw a cover version into the slew of songs. Ezekiel liked to throw remixes of pop songs into his set lists from time to time. Tonight he had a special remix that he had worked to an old song considered 'classic Lopez'. He pushed his fingers down on a few of the keys of his keyboard, pouring out his bright synth notes just as the voice of an artist known as J-Lo began to sing out.

"You think you gotta keep me iced, you don't!

You think I'm gonna spend your cash, I won't!

Even if you were broke, my love don't cost..a...thing!"

Suddenly, the crowded bodies on the dance floor slowed down and a roar of cheers was heard. They recognized the voice of Jennifer Lopez, as anyone would have known this hit from the early 2000's. From across the dance floor, Tracy watched as the lights began to blink with the fast tempo of Ezekiel's remix. She quickly grabbed her cellphone out of her pocket and pulled up a webpage online to check the number of people listening in to the stream. So far, twenty minutes into the set, the number of listeners had jumped to over eight-hundred. Tracy quickly pulled up one of the Prince Zeke social media accounts, copying the link to the stream and sharing it with the message: Coming at you LIVE - Prince Zeke plays J-Lo! Love Don't Cost A Thing, LISTEN NOW! Just as she shared the link, Jennifer Lopez's voice sang out the bridge to the song.

"All that matter's is, that you treat me right!

Give me all the things I need, that money can't buy, yeah!!"

Standing next to Tracy was Johnny who starred back at the stage from a distance in shock. This was something bigger than just a cover version or a remix. He was well aware just how often Ezekiel liked to throw cover songs into his set lists. Usually he just played his keyboards along with old pop songs or sometimes the Italo-Disco tunes that he was most inspired by, but this time. This was something completely different and unexpected. His remix took the infamous Jennifer Lopez song, modernizing it with layers of synths while keeping the pacing of the song the same. Johnny patted Tracey on the shoulder before speaking to her.

"Oh my god, this is gold right here! Imagine if this song is getting airplay on the radio tonight. He's made a real gem out of this one!"

"I just posted a link online sharing the stream, so it's out there."

"Share it again! Make sure you highlight that this is a remix of an old J-Lo hit! I think our boy has struck gold with this one!"

Tracy almost wanted to breathe a sigh over Johnny talking to her like this, but she understood his display of excitement. Neither of them had any prior knowledge that Ezekiel had been working a remix to this song, but the loud roaring reception from the dance floor was enough to tell anyone that this was a hit for the hour. Even though the song was coming to a close now with repeating it's chorus, Tracy still made mention of the remix in posts on the various social media accounts. Soon Ezekiel had closed it out and was beginning to play through the rest of his set of composed synth based instrumentals, but Johnny's mind was still stuck on the Jennifer Lopez remix. When Tracy stepped away from the gold rails of the dance floor, Johnny turned around and spoke to her. He had an idea that they needed to take advantage of tonight with no waiting around. This was the moment he felt that Prince Zeke could truly become a name known outside of just the underground Miami dance scene.

"I hope someone is recording this live stream tonight. We need to get that song out of the recording."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Zeke has the full mastered track back home."

Johnny shook his head.

"No! We need to get that song tonight! Upload it online and share the hell outta of it! Spam the link if you have to! Don't you see, Tracy? This is a hit. That remix of an old J-Lo song could become huuuuge!"

Letting out a sigh, normally Tracy would roll her eyes over Johnny acting like this, but tonight seemed different. He usually was enthusiastic, but she had never seen him react like this out of excitement. Biting down on her lower lip, she thought to herself for a moment. The best place to get a recording of the stream was backstage in the audio control room where soundboard recordings were done. With any luck, perhaps she could sweet talk her way into the control room and asking for a copy of tonight's soundboard recording. Tracy knew how to work basic audio software, so it wouldn't be a problem for her to load up the recording and cut the remixed song from the stream. It was a long shot, but perhaps Johnny was right about this remix becoming a 'huuuuge' hit.

"You know what? Let's go backstage. Maybe we'll get lucky and they'll let us in the control room. That's the only place we can get a proper recording right now."

******************

1 DAY LATER

With luck on Tracy's side, the soundboard recordings of Prince Zeke's performance had been handed over to her and Johnny just after he walked off stage. What seemed like a hard task was made into something simple from Tracy's kind heart. The recording was burned onto a CD and given to her. Johnny couldn't help but joke that she had killed the sound tech engineers with her kindness before they left the club while Ezekiel was moving his equipment backstage. With the recording in hand, Tracy rushed home to her apartment in Coral Gables to load up the CD into her computer and open up her audio editing software. It only took a few minutes to locate the remix song in Ezekiel's set list. From there, she cut it out from the recording. it clocked in at a little over three minutes, making for a perfect quick remix of the eighteen-year old song. After converting it into an MP3 file, Tracy uploaded it into all of the Prince Zeke social media accounts, sharing the link to allow fans to listen to the remixed Jennifer Lopez song.

Johnny and Tracy did not consider that a local radio station partnered with Club Esmeralda were playing the stream live last night. As the next day approached, something of a trend was set online with the Prince Zeke remix trending on social media sites. 'Love Don't Cost A Thing remix' became a trending tag on social media by the afternoon hours. The song itself received radio airplay again in Miami, as callers requested to hear the new trending song. All while his song was blowing up in a blitz of popularity, Ezekiel himself had no idea of knowing exactly. Once he had loaded up his synth work station and Mac book into his car, he went home and unloaded his equipment back in his hotel room as usual. Never once did he leave equipment behind in the club, knowing the possibility that something could wind up stolen the next day. Ezekiel's sleeping hours took up all of the morning and most of the afternoon. He usually would awaken around 2 or 3 PM, sometimes with his phone's loud automated voice mail awakening him.

After finishing a night at the club and coming home, Ezekiel usually placed the phone under the cushion of the couch in his hotel suite. This muffled the ringing noise and left it muted from it's usual loudness, allowing him to sleep well through the morning and afternoon hours without Johnny's voice mails disturbing his slumber. When he finally did crawl out of bed in the late afternoon, Ezekiel went on took a shower and put on some casual clothes after getting out. He didn't think to check his phone until after he had decided what he was going to do for the day. On an off day like this, he would spend his time focusing to create more music between a few meals that usually consisted of take out delivery. Calling for pizza was a habit he had yet to grow out of and probably never would. By the time he finally did snatch his phone from under the cushion of the yellow couch in his apartment, Ezekiel was almost impressed to see that he had a total of twelve new text messages and four voicemails. Just as he held his phone, it began to ring with Tracy calling him. He answered it, raising the phone to his left ear.

"Hello?"

"Zeke! Oh my god, you aren't gonna believe this!"

Her voice was ecstatic before carrying on.

"Log onto your Twitter account, you'll see it. Your song is trending online and J-Lo HERSELF tweeted about it! I think you're gonna be famous now, Zeke."

"Wait, what? What the hell are you talking about?"

He was utter confusion listening to her speak. The thought had never crossed his mind about Jennifer Lopez herself hearing his remix. To Ezekiel, it was simply a quick remix done to be played in his set list last night."

"I got a recording last night of your show and went home and cut the song out. I uploaded it online and shared it everywhere, you need to log on and see for yourself. People love what you did with that old song. You've got J-Lo herself listening to it. I think this could be your big break, you need to see it yourself."

Letting out a sigh, Ezekiel tried to comprehend what Tracy was telling him. It seemed too good to be true, so he would have to witness it with his own eyes.

"Okay, I'll do that right now. Talk to you later."

Hanging up the phone, he moved it from his ear and then scrolled past the text messages. Ezekiel pulled up the internet browser of his smart phone and didn't waste another second pulling up his social media accounts. When he went to Twitter, Ezekiel's jaw dropped as he starred at the screen to see that Tracy told him no lies. In plain day, there it was. A tweet from Jennifer Lopez's official account giving him a mention along with the message: 'my love don't cost a thing to say how much I adore your remix!' This was something he had not come to expect by any means. Love Don't Cost A Thing was simply a song he enjoyed from a long time ago, figuring it was worthy of a new remix. Now Ezekiel was reading through all the social media posts mentioning his song. From where Tracy had uploaded it, so far it had received over nine hundred thousand hits, close to hitting a million in less than twenty-four hours. Perhaps Tracy was right, this could be his big break since the name Prince Zeke was pushed into the limelight online. With his name trending everywhere, Ezekiel was starting to feel that this would lead to something special.

******************

3 HOURS LATER

After witnessing the explosion on social media with his remixed song, Ezekiel had to get on his laptop from within the bedroom and check things for himself on a larger screen. He was still in shock that Jennifer Lopez herself had made a post about his remix, even mentioning him. While he could've doubted that it was her since he had someone running his own social media accounts, Ezekiel at least gave it the benefit of a doubt. In the past, he had made posts on his various social media accounts, trying to send remixes to other famed music acts when he covered their songs. He never once got a reply but this was something he did not do on his own. Tracy and Johnny were to all thank for realizing the opportunity that was on the table at the right hour. By reading articles online that spoke of his remix, Johnny learned that Jennifer Lopez herself was in Miami at the moment, as rumors and gossip were quick to circle about the famed singer mentioning the remix.

With the hours passing, Ezekiel had noticed that from his streaming sites, a few of the songs he put up for sale last summer had been purchased digitally by new fans. He always put his songs up just for one dollar, as he knew that it wasn't much money to be made trying to sell music digitally. The only way to truly make a living in this era as a working musician was to play live, as Ezekiel accomplished with his night shows at Club Esmeralda. He had made a little over fifty dollars, account for one download each but paid it no real mind. From reading a few of the gossip stories online about Jennifer Lopez, he seen that she had a home in Miami and perhaps was on vacation before she was preparing for her own residency shows back in Las Vegas. It seemed like a long shot to be able to actually meet the woman, despite what the gossip websites speculated with their rumor-ridden articles. While he sat at his desk, the cellphone sitting next to his laptop began to ring. The screen told him that it was Johnny ringing on the other end. As Ezekiel wasn't focusing and concentrating on anything important, this was a time he felt more inclined to answer Johnny's calls.

"Hey Johnny, what's up?"

"Hey man, I've got something to tell you. You probably aren't gonna believe me at first."

"I know. Tracy already called me earlier and told me. Jennifer Lopez said something online about my remix. Everyone loves it, I've seen the stuff online."

"No no, this isn't about that. I just spent the last hour talking with two of Jennifer Lopez's people. I think these guys are her bodyguards or something. Whatever it is, they work for her. They found out that I'm your manager but they don't wanna talk to me. They keep asking me to get in contact with you."

"So they wanna talk with me, is that right?"

"No, SHE wants to talk to you! They're coming to me because J-Lo herself wants to get in contact with Prince Zeke himself."

This seemed far too good to have any ounce of truth to it, at least Ezekiel thought to himself. He remained quiet for a few seconds before replying.

"You're shitting me."

"No, I'm not shitting you. You think I'd call you and tell you about if the woman wanted to talk to me? She wants to talk to you. Her guys keep bugging me about how to contact you."

Ezekiel couldn't believe what he was hearing. He licked his lips and raised his eyebrow while still clutching the phone in his left hand. To be in disbelief before was merely an understatement by now. Jennifer Lopez herself wanted to speak with him? This seemed almost as if it were a fantasy-like dream. It didn't seem believable that a famous singer like her would want to meet him, just over a remix of an old hit song. There wasn't any question about accepting this opportunity, as Ezekiel replied back to Johnny.

"Very well. Give them my phone number. If you aren't full of shit, I expect J-Lo herself to be calling me up before the day is over."

"Alright then, if you say so. I'm pretty sure this ain't a joke, you'll see."

He moved the phone from his ear and hung it up. When Ezekiel didn't cut a conversation short with Johnny, it was easy to sit on the phone for extended periods of time just listening to him ramble. The man loved to talk, where Ezekiel preferred to remain quiet and focus on whatever task he was currently concentrating his efforts on. For now though, all he wanted to know was if this was true about Jennifer Lopez herself wishing to contact him. After hanging up the phone, he set it down on his desk before wandering off back in the kitchen. Feeling hungry, the thought of calling for a large cheese pizza crossed his mind, but Ezekiel ignored his aching stomach for the time being. He grabbed a can of Dr. Pepper from the refrigerator before he wandered back into his bedroom. Twenty minutes had passed while Ezekiel sat isolated in his room and the phone began to ring from his desk. This was the moment of truth for him. He didn't recognize the number calling, so perhaps it really was Jennifer Lopez herself. Ezekiel answered the phone, not allowing it to reach voice mail like he usually did numbers he didn't know.

"Hello?"

"Hi, am I speaking to the man known as Prince Zeke?"

A feminine voice was on the other end of the phone. From there, Ezekiel knew this was all true now.

"Yes it is, am I-"

She cut him off.

"Hi! It's me! I'm really Jennifer Lopez, I can prove it if you don't believe me. I love what you did with my old song. I figured since I'm in Miami right now, I'd call up the man himself and tell him what a hell of a job he did with my old song."

Ezekiel stood there frozen in silence as he blushed holding the phone up to his ear. He stuttered in his reply back.

"Wow, t-t-thanks. I love that song, it was just a remix I did last week for the club."

"You're a talented man, I like that. I've heard a lot about you lately. Wanna meet up sometime and have a day out?"

Now this seemed almost like a dream. Was she asking him out? Ezekiel didn't think he could become more surprised with today's events but now he had been proven wrong yet again. He spoke back in excitement to her.

"Oh yeah, I would love that!"

"Good, cause I wanna meet you. This is my personal cellphone. Text me where you're staying and tomorrow I'll send one of my bodyguards to pick you up and bring you back to my place. We'll have lunch and talk. I'll be looking forward to meeting you tomorrow, Prince Zeke."

Jennifer hung up the phone, leaving him in silence to process what had just happened. Ezekiel couldn't believe that he was meeting someone famous in the music business, let alone a woman such as Jennifer whom he had crushed on in his youth. In the past he had done remixes and covers of pop songs and some old Italo-Disco songs while sending them out online to the original artists. Never once did Ezekiel receive any reply from an artist he had performed a cover or remix over. That all changed with Jennifer who had now spoken with him over the phone. Tomorrow was going to be among the biggest days of his life. Maybe Tracy was correct all along. Perhaps Prince Zeke was on the brink of reaching stardom, even if it meant a fast burning light by having a date with one of the most famous singers in the world.

******************

1 DAY LATER

For the first time in many months, Ezekiel went to bed early just so he could be awake in the afternoon. He ordered a pizza for dinner and then took a few sleeping tablets after he sent a text message to Jennifer's phone giving out the location for his hotel. She replied back almost instantly with small words: 'thanks, see you tomorrow.' It almost felt funny to him that he had Jennifer Lopez's personal phone among his list of contacts in his own smart phone. After getting up earlier, Ezekiel took a shower and then went through his closet to find the finest suit of clothing that he had. Usually he dressed casual with light colors to make up for the burning heat that southern Florida offered, but today was different. He wanted to dress in a classy matter, anything he could do to impress the real 'Jenny From The Block'. His decision came down to a black T-shirt with stone washed blue jeans and a light blue blazer jacket. His shoes of choice were slip on loafers in a light grey color.