The reigning queen of hip-hop lit, Nikki Turner, takes on the music biz in this tale of a young woman who risks everything to be a superstar. Fabiola Mays was born to sing. She has a voice like honey and a body to match, but one heartbreaking setback after another threatens to derail her dreams of a recording deal. To make matters worse, it’s Christmastime, rent is past due, and the cops intend to kick her tight-knit family to the curb–until a small-town gangster comes to the rescue and offers them a place to stay. Years pass, and Fabiola continues to play gigs and travel around the country hoping for another shot at fame. She’s long forgotten the gangster named Casino who bailed out her family once upon a time. But when Casino is shot, Fabiola feels that she must help the man who helped her family during their lowest point. As Fabiola climbs the ladder of success, she is pulled between the spotlight and the street, trying to resist industry moguls who find the allure of fresh meat irresistible and the thugs from the shadowy side of the ghetto who threaten to keep her close. Another vivid slice of street life from Nikki Turner. You can’t go wrong with this page-turner!”—T.I.Turner’s fans will be riveted by this fast-paced tale of redemption and betrayal, and will be left gasping at the cliffhanger ending.”— Booklist Nikki Turner is the author of the New York Times bestseller Black Widow , the #1 Essence bestseller Forever a Hustler’s Wife , and the Essence bestsellers A Hustler’s Wife, The Glamorous Life , and Riding Dirty on I-95. The first two books in the Nikki Turner Presents line were published in 2008 by One World/Ballantine Books. Track 1 Hot Soundz Fabiola Mays stood under the hot lights as she grasped the sweaty hands of two of the finalists in the talent show. She and her family had traveled a long way—from Richmond to New York City—and winning this competition could make all their dreams come true. Wearing a curve-hugging silk tiger-print dress with a high side split and low back that fit her to perfection, compliments of her sister, Adora, Fabiola surveyed the crowd for her support team. There they were: Adora and her mother, Viola, were sitting in the middle row. Mom gave Fabiola the nod, and a smile. Adora just kept screaming, “You gave it to ’em, sis! You did yo thang guurrl!” Hot Soundz, the fastest up-and-coming record label in the industry, had sponsored the contest, and first prize was $50,000, plus a recording contract worth another $150,000. Hot Soundz was slowly taking over the hip-hop and R & B industries, flooding the radio and the music charts with number-one hits and giving The Wizard, a legendary label that dominated the Billboard charts and was run by one of the biggest music moguls, Johnny Wiz, a run for its money. “And now . . . the moment you’ve been waiting for.” The commentator’s voice echoed from the speakers, causing the final five contestants to hold their breath. The host pretended to have a hard time opening the envelope that held the name of the winner. The anticipation was killing Fabiola, and just when she thought she couldn’t wait another second, the MC then removed a handkerchief from his pocket and mopped some invisible perspiration from his brow. The crowd and the contestants were in total silence. Finally he opened the envelope. “And the winner is . . . hailing from Richmond, V-A . . . Fabiiiiioooolllla Maaayys.” Fabiola screamed and leaped into the air, completely forgetting that she was wearing four-inch stilettos and almost breaking an ankle. She hugged and thanked all the other finalists, then, after regaining her composure, she flashed a radiant smile to the stunned crowd. Had the winner hailed from the Big Apple, the New York crowd would have gone crazy with applause, but that wasn’t the case. It didn’t matter, though. Viola and Adora more than made up for the crowd’s lack of enthusiasm and were screaming and carrying on as if they had just won the competition themselves. As if they had just sung “Fallen” by Alicia Keys in a version all their own. And in a way, they had. They had both sacrificed to make sure that Fabiola achieved this goal. This wasn’t her win alone. Slowly but surely, the tough New York crowd started to come around. One at a time they began to come to their feet, clap, and cheer. The girl from down South with the songbird voice had won top prize fair and square. And boy, after hearing her sing, they couldn’t deny that whatsoever. Fabiola always knew in her heart that she was destined to be a star. Now, thanks to the prize money and contract, all her family’s worries were about to be over. No more robbing Peter to pay Paul, no more shuffling and scraping to get by, no more waiting and anticipating when opportunity would come a-knocking; this time Ms. Opportunity had kicked the damn door down. As Fabiola walked up to the host she imagined she was at the Grammys. The host placed a platinum chain with a diamond-e