Watch The Throne

[watchthethroneplay]

A Shakespearean Drama by Lev Novak

(The sequel to Watch the Throne can be found here .)

Act I, Scene I

Kanye is sitting upon the throne of rap. His trusty lieutenant, Pusha T, stands beside him. On the other side is Kim Kardashian.

PUSHA T My liege, As Jay-Z hath ascended Past this mortal realm The throne has become watched by those that would seek it for themselves The guilds of rap grow restless, my Lord. MMG of the north waits patient, and YMCMB rake their coals in darkness Even the fiefdoms seek their claim; A$APs require attention, Asap, Taylor Gang and TDE watch us from afar,  And, though I hate to report it, There is a whispering of evil within the very halls of G.O.O.D.

(J.Cole enters, triumphant)

J.COLE I have long said the same,  Oh Pusha.

PUSHA T Yeuchh.

KANYE Jermaine? Ah! So good to see you!

(The two embrace as Pusha watches)

KANYE Have you found success?

J.COLE Indeed, Yeezy.  As befitting my princely status,  I have completed my first quest:  I have solidified our treaty with Kendrick of the West.

KANYE Excellent! The West, slumbering May threaten West Nevermore, without Kendrick’s flow. But aligned, The two might prosper. You have done well Jermaine.

J.COLE Thank you, Yeezy.  But I have taken a name unto myself: J.Cole

KANYE Christened by Yeezus, I approve your nameship. May pressure make you a diamond. Like the Roc-a-fella’s before us.

(They look skyward)

J.COLE Praised be J-Hova.

KANYE Praised be he.

J.COLE And yet…

KANYE Yet what, Cole?  Speak.

J.COLE It was odd; As I left the palace gates, I found myself without reinforcement. Guest verses undelivered, My album was assailed by critics. I survived, and persevered but this;

(shows a scar on his face) Is damage from Pitchfork.

PUSHA T The young Don Glover Found his head upon one. ‘Tis but a scratch.

J.COLE You shroud your meaning, Pusha, And speak of my scratch As though it were not upon my flesh, But rather a mark upon your records, And thus fully inconsequential. 

PUSHA T Though you say “Cole World” You would be wise to be wary of heat; heated words, of course. Forgive the entendre.

J.COLE You are modest in your estimation. I fear no weapon. But am wary of he who wields them.

(J.Cole leaves, an eye to Pusha.)

KANYE This is heavy news to ponder.  Pusha, I require my jester.

PUSHA T Yeuch.

(Pusha T summons 2 Chainz enters in his jester gear.)

KANYE Two Chainz, my head is weary, as though two chains,  each heavy,  hung around my neck. Tell me, oh Jester,  Is ruling yet a fool’s errand?

2 CHAINZ If it were, your majesty,  you’d have sent me in your stead.

KANYE Ha! For a fool, 2 Chainz, your wit speaks loud.  Send in my first guest!

(Ludacris enters, in all his finery.)

KANYE Hear, oh wise Ludacris,  That you are welcome in my presence.  Oh, wise Luda, hear how Jay-Z hath ascended And left me to follow in his wake. It is I, now, who must watch the throne  From King Richard the Ross and of Weezy F. Baby,  The occult swamp-man who threatens to devour us all.

LUDACRIS Ay, and you have asked for my partnership.  A wise decision, Kanye. For indeed, my clan of DTP is mighty In the southern realms of this land,  And together,  We can rule this land as brothers.  Though shrouded in irony, we may keep the peace.

KANYE Nay, Ludacris;  I cannot split my rule of this kingdom.  I ask not for your partnership, but for your service.

LUDACRIS A knee?  Nay!  Wise Luda, you have called me,  Yet you play me for the fool. I serve standing, never hunched like your jester.  He used to be a rapper, a man amongst us,  Though he ran from my service only to find your favor? An outrage!  He hath 2 Chainz, oh Yeezy, But no honor.

2 CHAINZ Aye, take me for a fool?  Perhaps, and that path be quite oft taken to my benefit.  They laugh, oh Luda, but I do so to the bank. Why, for me to be forgotten or broke, Why, that would be Ludacris.

LUDACRIS Knave!

(Ludacris draws his sword)

KANYE Luda! There shall be no violence in this halls. 

LUDACRIS Hear, Yeezy, how I work alone.  But for respect to you, I swear an oath of separation.  I will not be disturbing the peace. Keep your clan-mates with you, but be wary, O Yeezy,  Some watch the throne When they should watch their court.

(Ludacris exits.)

KANYE Pusha! Oh, my trusted advisor!  How might I handle a foe, oh Pusha?

PUSHA T My liege?

KANYE A foe.  In glorious battle, with the colors of banners  And the roar of my warriors, the clashing of weapons and diss-tracks- What a spectacle!  But tell me, Pusha, who radiates a glory near mine?

PUSHA T None, my lord.

KANYE Indeed, Pusha, and this worries me greatly. Jigga, the king before me,  rests amongst the greats  Having defeated countless foes.  But who may I face? Who can match my luster?

PUSHA T One may exist.

KANYE You are kind, Pusha  But I doubt that. Still, as I pursue greatness. Can I trust you, Pusha, To do what is necessary?

PUSHA T By Biggie’s Ghost, I pledge my loyalty, now and forever,  To the ‘Ye. 

KANYE I sense in you the truth. I retire gladly, Pusha.  I leave to examine leather skirts.

(Kanye exits)

PUSHA T For truth, I am loyal to the ‘Ye. The yeyo, cocaine, sweet white.  Hard white, they call you,  though you be soft in my embrace.  Kilo’s, soft as pillows,  how I long for you in my bed.  Caine, oh Caine! It is for you, my love,  that I will ascend the throne myself.  Forgive me, Pac! Forgive me, Biggie! I betray for love, of the game and of the game. As Cain killed Abel, I too am able for ‘Caine. Yuch. See how I have come to loath the man Yeezy For now the throne is watched Observed by paparazzi Bloggers and more Nerds, hovering over us Casting a shadow over rhymes This doth provoke in me a malice And such as Malice is my brother I find it inseparable from my motivation. That I may avenge Clipse with clips And take the throne I have earned.

(Offstage he hears the click of heels)

Yea, for the strumpet approaches I must keep my plans disguised. Yuch, I say, Yuch, For the Kardashian comes quick.

KIM Oh Pusha,  hath thou seen my husband?

PUSHA T Kris Humphries is out, m’lady.

KIM Rouge! My husband, my love,  the famed and talented-

PUSHA T Ray J?

KIM Yeezy. Oh Pusha, push me not.  My plans move beyond you, With rapid steps measured in weeks and years.  My wealth exceeds yours, as does my wit.  You pushed cocaine?  I too sold poison- Myself! Loved, loathed and consumed  By every fiend across this country.  Do not doubt me, Pusha. Keeping up with the Kardashians is a fools errand.

PUSHA T Such that your viewers are I am inclined to agree. 

KIM You are an ass, Pusha And one that rivals even my own.

(Kim moves beyond Pusha to the kingly chamber, her eyes at the mirror behind the throne)

KIM Oh, my sweet fair Kanye! I envy you, For the vision you have. How good it is to be seen. And how good it is to see me.

KANYE Oh, my sweet fair Yeezy indeed!  To see you is to see me, reflected, ad infenium.  Your beauty is my own, in blogs and magazines,  radiating in this kingdom and beyond.  Ah, sweet Kim, she that may join me in blessed union,  My true equal.   love thee, Kim, for in you I see myself.

(The two embrace, each holding a mirror over the other’s shoulders)

KIM How goes the realm?

KANYE Difficult, my wife. Tensions abound in all corners. The youth, Drake Drizzy, Rallies troops And our alliances have frayed.

KIM Alliance? What need have you for alliance? You are a ruler, my love. Why allow them to share your light? Come, Yeezy, And take what is yours. Attention! From every corner of the world, let them see you- Us! Me! Let them hate us, Or love us, So long as we are noticed.

KANYE Your words to tempt, But Jay-Z was a noble king, Balanced, Who survived the wrath of the old Gods To usher in my realm. Surely, some fealty-

KIM Fealty! Fah! You are a God, Kanye. As surely as I am a Goddess.

KANYE My…my ego sees true. I understand your logic. Our beauty is too transcendent for the mortal realm.

KIM So too shall you leave it.

KANYE Eh?

KIM Nothing, my love. I said, So too you will believe it- And make them believe as well. A kingdom, united,  With us as Gods.

KANYE Gods, you say? The aesthetic appeals, I cannot lie. A crown is garish, Gold, outplayed. But divinity? Such a concept would turn a head.

KIM Aye, Yeezy, and the eyes would follow. Let us conquer these kingdoms more fully. Let them make statues of us,  Temples in our likeness.  May all kingdoms praise Yeezus in their worship.

KANYE Yeezus? Such an act would be grandiose. I love it. Sirrah!

(Big Sean comes running)

KANYE Send word to Weezy of the swamps,  that we seek his tribute. Or else a war upon him. Alliance is bland, Peace boring. Let loose war, In all its shades and hues! And Pusha!

PUSHA …my liege?

KANYE It is time to prepare my successor.  As Jigga hath ascended  To the Booklyn in the heavens He had tapped me as his number #2 For so justly- I was the shit. But now, as the ascendant It is time the next be groomed.

PUSHA T Aye, I am prepared.

KANYE Good. Go and fetch J.Cole. He is the next prince of rap And the heir to the Roc.

PUSHA T …

KANYE Did you hear me?

PUSHA T I did, oh Yeezy. And I assure you. The heir to the rock shall have his throne.

KANYE  Very good, Pusha. See to it that he does.

(Kanye leaves, and Pusha seethes on stage)

PUSHA T Ay, for I spoke true; The heir to the rock shall succeed; Crack rock, that is, Myself, then And not the child Jermaine. Jermaine? Who That? He shall not Work Out,  Me thinks.

(Shakes head) I have waited too long for Greatness,  What good then is G.O.O.D? Ye, I shall take what’s mine. And the heir to the Ye’ shall be the heir to the ‘Ye The prince of the Rock shall be prince of the Roc’ And I shall do as needed to take what’s mine.

[watchthethroneplay]

Act I, Scene II

(From off-stage)

TYGA Halt!  Who goes there?

BIG SEAN Let me in!  I am Big Sean, of G.O.O.D. Music and I demand passage!

TYGA Demands are poorly given by strangers, Sean, but I shall lower my gate out of my duel curiosities as to the message you bring and the manner you dare give it.  Pray, you watch your tone,  lest those duel curiosities become dual curiosities.

(The bridge is lowered and Big Sean strides in, confident.)

BIG SEAN Indeed, you seem bi-curious. And I dare give it how I please.  I am a noble of Kanye West, sirrah, and I demand respect.

TYGA Noble? Respect? Hah!  I am no mere servant: I am Tyga, of YMCMB.  Sirrah, says you? Thou jeans are barely skinny, your shirt without ruffles or skin-tight fur. How can thou be noble, when dressed as a peasant?

BIG SEAN Watch it boi,  though thou appear a lady in appearance and hysteria. 

(Drake enters from offstage. He is decked out.)

DRAKE Enough!  Tyga, who is this?

TYGA It is Sean, Prince Drake.  A rouge of Kanye’s employ.

BIG SEAN Big Sean, Drake. I prefer my title used.

DRAKE It is Drizzy Drake, Sean.   I too enjoy my title.  As for “Big,” however, I see it reflects your daring.  Tell me, Sean,  if it is true that YOLO, Why end you end your life so abruptly at the tip of my sword?

(Drake pulls out his sword, until he is stopped by a voice offstage)

NICKI Who is that, sweet brother?

DRAKE Do not concern yourself,  Sweet Nicki! ‘Tis none but a corpse made manifest.

(Nicki Enters)

NICKI Oh! Do not injure him brother!  The blood would stain thy silken shirt!

DRAKE I did just wash it…

BIG SEAN (To Himself) Who is this beauty? This rose growing in the swamp With eyes so brown And ass so fat. Is this love? I cannot doubt it My heart swells Near the size of that ass.

(Drake sheaths his sword at Nicki’s begging.)

DRAKE Very well. Only at the pleading of my sister Do I spare your life.  But as family instructs me So too shall I seek guidance in this matter. And turn to my father The Birdman Jr.

(Drake goes behind a curtain where an old, withered Lil Wayne sits)

DRAKE Father! I request an audience.

WEEZY My chalice.

(Gudda Gudda brings him a cup of syrup)

WEEZY Speak, Drizzy.

DRAKE Yeezy is weak, father.  Only Jay-Z could defeat you in your prime,  and without him, the throne is open to attack.  Let us reclaim the position of your glory. Besides, I find myself drawn By some gravity Towards Yeezy of the North. His clothes, his style Match mine And that we match We thus may clash Upon the tracks of battle.

WEEZY But I am weary, Drake.  My prime at Jigga’s overlapped. And, as equals, we clashed above the planes I was defeated, narrowly- but even in that defeat there was honor And he left me, honorable, to my own kingdom. I shall not seek vengeance for a war well fought. Jigga survived Ether, and ascended through the very same. I take leave of such battles. I wish only to Skateboard.

DRAKE Skate, then For you have earned your rest. You, who brought rain in the drought. And Da Drought To make it rain. I only ask this one favor. Let me go in your place And earn the crown for our people.

WEEZY You? Drake, you are young.

DRAKE No younger than you when you first found Lord Birdman,  who took you as his son. So too have you found me, Abandoned, Through some twist of fate And raised me as your own.

WEEZY Aye, youth is no distinction And as he adopted me,  So too have I adopted you. But you are soft, Drizzy. And for this reason I fear.

DRAKE Nay, Weezy-

WEEZY I know your excellence But see as they see you. Thy name is Aubrey.  The Canadian from Degrassi With the R&B songs And crooning. Can you lead YMCMB Against the nations of the North?

DRAKE  Indeed, Weezy. I know all that they poke fun at But see how it plays to my advantage I do not exceed with force: They underestimate me at their peril I move smooth as my songs And ally myself with Richard the Ross See how I blend genres If I be soft, Oh Weezy It is that I may bend and survive in the winds of change.

WEEZY Well spoken, Drake. When I was a rapper Off the magical sizzurp That did enhance my skills And warp my mind I too could bend  Melding flows and beats.

(He hands Drake a chalice of Syrup) Drink only as you need For the power corrupts. Go, and negotiate with my blessings And battle as needed.

DRAKE Thank you father For I know, though I appear soft I’ve so far gone hard Since So Far Gone. For though soft The hardness of rappers has oft been their downfall Since Curtis Jackson’s career Shattered, crashing into the paths of Jigga and Ye. But no such direct battle will I wage. No, I shall lure Yeezy out With my mastery of beats and feelings To force him to retaliate in kind That he may return to 808s and heartbreak And thus be broken.

WEEZY Tis a dark plan you hold A dark, twisted, beautiful fantasy To usurp Yeezy from within I only ask you be cautious Yeezy is an artist, such as you Soft, yet clever And he shall mirror your advances as he can. Though I am no longer fit for battle Some brilliance remains in me To respect his. And so I instruct unto you, Drake: Take care.

DRAKE I always have.

(Drake prepares to leave)

GUDDA Drizzy! In your stead, with Weezy skating, who shall rule?

DRAKE Nicki shall.

NICKI I take the mantle With pride and honor.

T-STREETS Her!?

DRAKE As feminine as I am Has that affected my rule? No! As I wear mascara So does she As I ruled  So may she And, do not forget your position, T-Streets. Without our generosity, you would be living upon them.

(T-Streets mumbles, removes himself from the scene)

TYGA What shall we do with the prisoner, my queen?

(He leans in to kiss Nicki, who pulls away.)

NICKI Such as I am your queen I do not need a king. The prisoner is no prisoner But an emissary for the Yeezy, And his answer shall dictate his fate. Either a free man Or a loyal corpse.

(to Big Sean) Tell me, Sean, who is the one true king?

BIG SEAN There is no true king There is only you, my queen. And I, your loyal subject.  Smitten by that ass. Ass, ass, ass, ass. Ass, ass, ass ass, Ass.

TYGA Execute him!

NICKI Nay!  We may not slay a man If he be not a combatant. 

TYGA But Nicki! My love for you burns bright. There is only room for one of us. That we may compete.

NICKI So be it. Though I have love for neither I agree. There is only room for one of you If none be no possibility Thus, strive against each other. And in that manner I may be left alone.

[watchthethroneplay]

Act I, Scene III

J.COLE Yeezy, A word?

KANYE Cole! It is Yeezus now.

J.COLE My lord?

KANYE Indeed! Your lord I am. Kim has enlightened me, J.Cole. What is a king, I ask you? To a God?

PUSHA T (Mutters)  Or a God to a non-believer.

KANYE Eh?

PUSHA T A song, my lord. Forgive me.

J.COLE We are unprepared, My lord, For a reckless war. Kendrick has pledged support, But the wilds of rap are thick. Ludacris,  Who you offended in this court, Is but one of the fiefdoms. Action Bronson is capable of action, And Riff Raff is anything but. There are even rumblings amidst G-Unit, That-

KANYE Enough! What time have I for such nonsense? As the rap gods have ascended, I too speak for them on earth. Kim has reminded me of my station. I am the son of J-Hova, Yeezus himself! What cause have I to fear?

J.COLE I… None, my lord.

KANYE None, indeed. And lord, indeed. Watch your tone, young J.Cole. You would do well to examine Pusha T, Who has served humbly, As befits his station. Now, I leave to examine blogs.

(Begins to leave)

J.COLE But Yeezy!

KANYE Yeezus!

J.COLE My lord! (J.Cole hurries after him)

PUSHA T The King is mad, And his steward weak. The throne is mine, But upon this pace, It shall be wrecked and wracked. We cannot survive an all-out war, And Drake Drizzy, The impudent child, Has the hearts of the peasants. 

  (Shakes his head) Kim, that mad woman, Will be the death of all of us.

(In the background, an old man walks by) What luck! Nas! Nas!

NAS Eh? Who is that?

PUSHA T Tis I, Pusha.

NAS Aye, Pusha.  How good to see you! Though my eyes be weak.

PUSHA T Stay, Nas. I have a need for you.

NAS Eh? A co-sign? Very well, very well-

PUSHA T Nay, Nas. I need no such trinkets. I ask merely for wisdom, my liege.

NAS Wisdom! How good to hear! Respect, aye, respect is given in the abstract But attention paid is beyond compare. What do you wish to know, Pusha? I know tales of the ancient ones, The old Gods, forgotten by most. Biggie, lord of matter And Tupac, lord of spirit And how it was the war between the two  That created our world from the dust Each of us a fusion of the two. Too glorious to survive the other They gave us life.

PUSHA T I have no time for stories of the old Gods. I come to you for the secret of Ether.

NAS Nay! Speak not its name!

PUSHA T Ether, The most powerful dark magic in all the realm. Ether! A diss so potent That it could fatally wound Hova himself

NAS I beg you, cease.

PUSHA T Ether So mighty, it countered Takeover And even that “more in Carmen” line Which, let’s be honest Was pretty brutal.

NAS I was reckless A mighty mage I used all my force, Not for creation  But for destruction.

PUSHA T The two are the same, Nasir!  Be not so modest. You dropped Illmatic! It is you who survived the wrath of Jigga, And nay, you could have toppled him. How much easier would it be to face Yeezy And put real rap back where it belongs.

NAS Speak not such blasphemies! Verily, How it pains me to see the throne Weak as it be. But I have fought the one true king, Pusha  And having been reduced to a mere aristocrat in Jigga’s kingdom.  I am too shamed to fight further. Do you know why he spared me, Pusha?  That in death, my memory might have exceeded his.  No, Pusha, he allowed me life to imprison me still from his greatness. It is for this reason I cannot join you. Trapped in my subpar life I am forever imprisoned.

PUSHA T You are trapped as such?

NAS Aye I am in purgatory Nothing but a memory of my greatness I am merely reputation. Immortal, aye, but no longer living. But enough! I must warn the king. Yeezy! Yeezy I say! Yeezy!

PUSHA T If you are such trapped, Nas, Let me then release you.

(Pusha kills Nas)

PUSHA T Yuch. Dead, you may be Illmatic. But alive, you were Hip Hop is Dead. ‘Tis a bitter comedy, That your memory may eclipse your life. Go then, To the land of our fathers. And beg some small mercy, For what I must do.

[watchthethroneplay]

Act I, Scene IV

J.COLE Yeezy! Yeezy!

KANYE Jermaine, what troubles you.

J.COLE Murder, murder most foul!

KANYE Eh?

J.COLE Nas, my lord- Nas has been killed in the palace!

KANYE Nas, dead? My tiles!  The blood will stain them!

PUSHA T They have been cleaned, my lord.

KANYE Very well. For a moment,  Oh Pusha, my heart was filled with terror.

J.COLE A murder in the palace walls; What agents could be afoot?

PUSHA T We have many enemies afar.

J.COLE And perhaps some closer.

KANYE Enough! We must send a message That we shall not tolerate Such brutal stains on our floors. And assaults on our tapestries. Blood can not be so easily washed. Out, out damned spots! From the beautiful floors I have selected. (Kanye leaves)

J.COLE Such intrigue in the palace, eh Pusha?

PUSHA T Aye, Cole. 

J.COLE It boggles the mind; who would harm Nas?  So respected What rapper could be so devious?

PUSHA T I know not.

J.COLE It matters not; For Yeezy hath summoned the necromancers Sorcerers from across the land; The Oddest Future-seers To speak to the dead.

PUSHA T If that is where your hope lies, I am afraid you’ve let Nas down yet again.

(The cultists enter; dark in hoods.)

KANYE Speak, dark hoods! How I loathe thy dark magicks, But need the counsel of Jigga He who hath ascended to to the stars above. But like a star, may he guide me yet. Speak, oh cursed teens! And enlighten me beyond this pale.

(A hooded figure emerges)

EARL SWEATSHIRT Delirious dark deity-delicate Defies devious hard-white selling predicates Yea, Ye, for the same lacks etiquette And seeks to do you foul, Well worse than a reddit thread.

KANYE What riddles are these!?

PUSHA T Nonsense, I assure you.

EARL SWEATSHIRT Breaking Bad Crazy swag Pushed Tea, Alliteratively Nasty Nas to a Body Bag.

KANYE Heh?

PUSHA T Gibberish, my lord. ‘Tis horror-core and nothing more.

TYLER, THE CREATOR We transcend such titles, oh Pusha. Earl’s prophecy Spoken dense Can only be heard by those Willing to hear.

KANYE I do not seek counsel from the youth. I need the wisdom of ancients. Tyler! Bring forth Jigga That I may speak more plainly.

TYLER, THE CREATOR Very well.

(Odd Future Begins their occult ritual, and, before long, we see the Ghost of Jay-Z)

KANYE Jigga! You are back on this mortal plane.

JAY-Z It is true; It’s ya boi, And I have met my namesake, That J-Hova ruled on earth So too does he rule in the heavens My time here is brief. 

KANYE Speak, Jigga. What must I do to preserve success?

JAY-Z You must watch the throne, Kanye. There are those who would take it. But those who would, Would unite us again.

KANYE And together we shall be.

(Kanye kneels, and the vision fades)

EARL SWEATSHIRT Yeezus Hard-headed, swole Between penis and genius Hath received the answer To his excellent secret.

TYLER, THE CREATOR That is as long as we can call the dead, Not for a full song, But for a mere 16 bar, Or feature. Need you speak to another?

KANYE Aye; Nas.

PUSHA T Yeezy, this is madness, These men hucksters, And their lines mere lies, That seek to deceive!

(The ritual continues, and Nas enters)

NAS Aye, Yeezy, I have scarce time upon this earth-

KANYE Aye, And my desperate question needs your counsel. Speak then, Nas! Does this shirt work?

NAS …What?

KANYE Spirit, I seek your knowledge, In matters most arcane. Thus, speak to me! Does this shirt work? I think I’m pulling it off, But, like, the hemline is funny. I don’t really know. Do you like it, Nas? Speak honest, As you are unbound by the tact of the living.

NAS Um… Yeah, it’s cool.

KANYE Really?

NAS Yes, oh Yeezy. It’s actually kind of understated. So it works with the pants.

KANYE Nice. I mean, I knew it. But I’m glad you knew it.

NAS But Yeezy! I have been slain! Slain by a traitor of your court! And what’s worse-

(Nas begins to fade away)

J.COLE He leaves!

PUSHA T He was never here.

KANYE Regardless, My questions have been answered. Excellent, mages. You shall be rewarded. Skateboards of gold And, I dunno, Whatever it is kids are into these days.

TYLER, THE CREATOR We need no trinkets. You, who plucked Yonkers From YouTube Hath earned our fealty. The present does not concern us, ‘Ye.  For the future shall be Odd.

KANYE May it be a far future That I may watch it with Jigga. Go then, to your weird-ass lair.  Thank you, mages. I now seek rest.

(Kanye leaves)

J. COLE Did you hear the spirit?

PUSHA T Indeed. Though I’d never speak it, I thought the shirt was a little much.

J.COLE A traitor! No foreign agent.  And I have a suspicion, Pusha, A dark, twisted fantasy, That you may be behind this.

PUSHA T Your imagination escapes you, And your words run wild. Be careful in your speech,  Cole, Lest you be summoned in smoke To approve new shoes.

(Pusha T storms off, leaving a horrified J.Cole alone as lights dim)

[watchthethroneplay]

Act I, Scene V

(Comic Subplot: Tyga and Big Sean continue their quest for Nikki)

TYGA Boi! If your ad lib speaks to your gender Defend that dubious claim. Come, then Big, as you claim Falls just the same.

(Tyga does an old fashioned ‘put ‘em up’ boxing dance)

BIG SEAN Tyga! If thou name reflects thy gender ‘twould be improper to say aloud. Big as I am, You are more a Hobbit than a Hobbes.   Thus call me Calvin. And as such, A Calvinist,  As your fate is so too determined.

NICKI Enough!  This banter pains me Equal to your verses. I have no love For fools such as you. But, seeing no ass movable From pursuit of my own I deign to be amused. Woe, such woe To be a woman in rap. With flows and rhymes  I am reduced, instead, to spectacle. Though I killed Monster. I have yet to slay the monster That is the male gaze.

BIG SEAN You, Nikki, who are so fine. How can my gaze escape you? Gravity bends a knee to your presence. Paying the homage you so richly deserve.

TYGA Knave! Gravity does not bend to her; She is gravity. A natural force Without which I should surely perish.

NICKI Such flattery Fails to reach me. Understand I am your lady sovereign, Not some Lady Sovereign.  Thus I have no interest In naught but flows and skill. Serenade me then, with your greatest hits.

(Big Sean and Tyga attempt to speak over each other, jostling for center stage)

BIG SEAN                              TYGA

Ass, Ass, Ass, Ass              Faded, Faded, Faded, Faded

Ass, Ass, Ass, Ass              Yeah, I’m Faded, Faded, Faded Faded.

Ass, Ass, Ass, Ass              Faded, Faded, Faded, Faded.

(The two, exhausted, bow, sharp eyes at the other.)

NICKI What noise was that?

BIG SEAN        TYGA Ass,                    Faded,

BIG SEAN AND TYGA my grace. my love.

NICKI Stop! Have either of you recorded a song with merit?

(Big Sean begins to rise up)

That isn’t the weakest verse on a much better track?

(Big Sean slinks down)

Incredible.

TYGA You shall inspire me to greatness. I shall pen the dopest rap  To serenade your ears.

BIG SEAN Aye! If it is flows you want, I shall record a song The likes of which shall appease even the AV Club.

NICKI So be it. Pen me your verses. But be warned; I too shall write. And should either of your verses put mine to rest. So too shall I be bedded. But beware!  Should my verse exceed yours. You shall be banished from our great land. Forced to eke out survival In distant tracks. With verses featured after Ace Hood In the deep cuts of a DJ Khaled album.

(They gasp)     

TYGA ‘Tis a fate worse than death. But so too is being without thy love.

BIG SEAN I too shall take this wager.

(practicing)  Boi, Boi, Boi The spring in my voice is prepared. Come Tyga! Let us do battle On the page Before our verses may fight.

(The two leave, eager)

[watchthethroneplay]

Act I, Scene VI

PUSHA T The prophets spoke in riddles But delivered the ghost. As I respect ghost guild And the Novak thereof I must act fast. But how? Even I may not stand alone,  Yet none are worthy to join me.

(enter Kim Kardashian)

PUSHA T Begone, woman.  I need to think.

KIM Methinks your braids Hath constricted your brain. You have ambition But has ambition been enough? One need only examine Wale to see that one needs more.

PUSHA T You speak in riddles, woman.

KIM You are obvious And though Kanye cannot see it I see you clearly. You are restless And ruthless, aye. But blatant. True greatness hides.

PUSHA T Speak you of greatness? What work have you managed? And what work have I? I, Pusha T, who hath pushed cocaine through the streets Say Yuch, yuch, to your critiques.

KIM And you’ve profited- as have I, oh Pusha. Selling a mind numbing substance Destructive At once both classy and classless? Don’t you see? That is I, and I it. I have built an empire as you have, Though you sold cocaine, I sold myself. Such as we are both the same.

PUSHA T You are cocaine- powerful, rich, and devastation.

(The two kiss, passionately.)

PUSHA T But Yeezy!

KIM Shall soon be toppled As the seeds I have planted Shall leave him destroyed, As all my suitors have been. As have all men that seek to control me I am not an object, Pusha I am a force. And Kanye’s death shall feed me. I’ll be the heartbroken widow, a single mother Raising the daughter of Yeezy.  I shall be a goddess.

PUSHA T The deviousness astounds me.

(They kiss again)

PUSHA T But how to go about it?

(They hear a trumpet from the distance and move to the window; it is Drake)

KANYE Drizzy! To what do I owe your attendance?

DRAKE War, Yeezy. As you have ascended your throne So too have I taken mine. Weezy, oh Yeezy, Is frail But I take upon his burden of greatness. As he challenged Jigga, Star of the heavens So too do I battle his emissary on earth.

KANYE You mix impertinence with respect, Drizzy, And so too shall you receive. Drizzy! You who hath claimed Toronto, Miami, The South; So now you claim rap as your haven? Verily you act beyond your station, Aubrey. Wheel not here, Jimmy. Lest you lose more than your legs.

DRAKE The respect escapes me.

KANYE My respect is present In my presence alone. Many snip and snipe at the throne. And few merit their attentions returned. I mean, Joe Budden had a diss track, You know?

(They share a laugh) But, more sternly,  Let me be plain. I respect you enough for battle. I am fooled not by your name or demeanor Nor the clothes in which you stand So similar to mine. I am aware,  As so few are Of the impertinence of perception. The mighty may seem weak And the weak, mighty. Pink ass polos And a fucking backpack. But everyone knows I brought real rap back.

DRAKE Indeed, Yeezy. And as you have succeeded. So do I plan to succeed you.

KANYE I would expect no less. We shall battle honorable. Upon the public stage. Go, and summon your allies. As I shall do the same.

(Kanye leaves the window, and Drake leaves the foreground, leaving Pusha and Kim to emerge from off stage)

PUSHA T Hear you that?

KIM Yes, Pusha. I hath ears before your own. I have an agent in YMCMB  Who hath alerted me to this arrival.

PUSHA T Devious!

(Aside) Perhaps more devious than I.

(To Kim) Verily, Kim, How should we strike?

KIM As long as the throne remains. There will be those who seek it With the alliance J.Cole forged Between West and West, Drake shall lose. Thus, we must extend the war And exhaust the players That we may climb unopposed. You must incite, then Not murder. To ask the secrets of Ether? Madness! To slay Nas for the same? Foolish. Better to work slow To brew resentment Until you are approached Coming to him? Brutish! Ignorant! To lead a man You must make him think he planned it. To seek a man Leaves you vulnerable. Better, far better, To make them seek you. Men think women weak And though I ascribe no might to gender I take their ignorance as my tool. I need not chase my victims. They approach me Like moths to a flame. That I may engulf them as they thank me.

PUSHA T understand not.

KIM To strike the throne. We may not strike But instead persuade the foolish To serve our ends.

(She leaves)

PUSHA T Genius! Aye, genius, Is the lady And I, torn between fear and worship, Must ponder my allegiance. Long have I considered myself the darkest soul Illuminated by the mere glow of the ‘caine. But this woman Is darker still. I love her for her evil But for the same,  I cannot trust her.

[watchthethroneplay]

Act II, Scene I

TYGA At the touch of love Every man becomes a poet. Pablo Neruda. A rapper of some renown.

BIG SEAN Pablo Neruda! A member of Coke Boys, If I am not mistaken.

TYGA Indeed. Though, I, of course, prefer-

BIG SEAN AND TYGA Diet Pepsi With two packets of Splenda

(The two look at each other)

BIG SEAN It is, um,  A great soda.

TYGA Yes, yes. It is…tasty.

(The two resume writing)

BIG SEAN I have, though I’m loathe to tell a rival, Writer’s block. I have begun my song; “Boi, boi” And yet, I cannot think of a rhyme.

TYGA Equally, I am loathe to help A rival such as you, But have you considered; “Boi” rhymes with “Boi” And has alliteration besides?

BIG SEAN Yes! I mean, Thank you, Tyga. That was, in fact, A valid choice.

(They resume writing)

TYGA Similarly, I am vexed: For my outfit, I have tight leather pants, Leather gloves, and a leather jacket. But I worry-

BIG SEAN It is not enough.

TYGA Yes!

BIG SEAN Have you considered leather socks?

TYGA Genius! I mean, Um, Thank you, sir Sean. The idea is well met.

BIG SEAN Yes…indeed.

(They continue writing)

TYGA What, if I ask, do you have so far? If, um, the touch of love has touched you, Let me hear the poetry from your sweet lips. -For Nicki.

BIG SEAN Yes. For Nikki.

TYGA That is who we are courting.

BIG SEAN Right. Thus my verse begins: “Boi, boi, boi, boi”

TYGA And?

BIG SEAN That’s it.

TYGA Hmm. Well, I like it.

BIG SEAN Thank you.  I like “boi”s And how they feel  In my mouth and throat As I say them.

TYGA Yes, and as a listener, I too enjoy the “boi”s. The more the merrier.

BIG SEAN Indeed! I have yet to find an occasion Where I am satisfied with the number of “boi”s. Regardless of how many “boi”s I cram in there I crave still more.

    (A cough)

And, um, How goes your effort?

TYGA I have my outfit figured out; Leather. Tight leather And many jewels To win my love.

BIG SEAN Yes... and the leather; How tight is it?

TYGA Very.

BIG SEAN Ah, hmm, uh… Yes, well; well met. I like that. And, um, I imagine Nikki will as well.

TYGA Yes, yes. You know, we should practice our songs. That our competition should be transcendent.

BIG SEAN Wise choice!

TYGA I shall be Nicki And you may be Big Sean And win my heart.

BIG SEAN Nay! I shall be Nicki And you shall court me.

TYGA Nay, I shall go first. Allow me to be courted.

BIG SEAN No,  allow me!

TYGA (Starting to impersonate Nikki)

I bees in the trap!

BIG SEAN (Continuing harder)

This one is for the boys with the booming system Top down, AC, with the cooling system

TYGA                                         BIG SEAN

Bitches ain’t shit                      And he ill, he real, he might got a deal And they ain’t sayin‘ nuthin    He pop bottles and the got the right     A hundred muthafuckas          kind of bill Can’t tell me nuthin‘                He cold, he dope, he might sell coke I beez in the trap,                    He always in the air but he never fly bee, beez in the trap.               coach I beez in the trap bee, beez in the trap

(They try to out Nikki-dance the other as T-Streetz walks in. Confused, the slowly backs out as the two stop)

[watchthethroneplay]

Act II, Scene II

(Rick Ross and Pusha T stand facing each other)

RICK ROSS H’uhh.

PUSHA T Yuchhhh. Yuchhh.

(They circle each other ad-libbing, before embracing)

RICK ROSS Ah, Pusha! How good to see A fellow seller of the caine.

(Pusha escapes the embrace with a grimace)

PUSHA T A fellow? If we are discussing the snow I see you not as an eskimo brother.      

RICK ROSS Come, Pusha. Your ego precludes you. Lord knows the truth I moved those chickens. And those wings didn’t stop. Until I bought a WingStop.

PUSHA T I doubt you, Oh Richard the Ross. You move’d weight As you moved your size, Which is to say, Rarely.

(Meek Mill barks and growls) 

RICK ROSS Easy, Pusha. Lest I loose the dogs of war. Let us reserve Meek Mill for a guest verse..

(Meek Mill continues growling, retreats) Have you come to mock me, Pusha? You know my fondness for Drizzy of the south. Soft as he is,  He is agreeable. See, as Yeezy has made no acknowledgement of my kingdom. While Drake has sent guest verses Time and time again in tribute. I mean, have you heard Diced Pineapples? He made a Rick Ross and Wale song actually sexy and cool. That’s not nothing, dude.

PUSHA T Indeed. If he has made you palatable Perhaps I have him under-estimated. RICK ROSS Again the snark. ‘Tis the weakness of your kingdom. Drake has made allies of many. He provided crucial support for the A$APs In the early days of their rise. Even the Riff Raff; Those unaligned men of either Give him their love and respect.

PUSHA T Love? Yuch, I say, Yuch To the very concept. Since when have we sought love? The boy is pop And his appeal shall be his downfall. As he appeals beyond the isle So too does he have no land on which to stand. Can he survive a war, I ask you? His beefs have been petty. Common? Come on. Ludacris? Ludicrous.  He is weak And shall be broken by a challenge.

RICK ROSS Calm yourself,  Pusha.

PUSHA T Is there no room left In the game, for the true players? Yuch! They tell not truth These Rhyme sayers. Rappers sound like Game Name dropping While I’m ‘Caine shopping.

RICK ROSS Be that as it may, I am a man of reason. And you are a man of action. This is where our paths do part.

PUSHA T Yuch, I say. Yuch.

(Rick Ross leaves, heaving, as Wale saunters up)

WALE His judgement is weak.

PUSHA T Eh?

WALE If you be Iago See me as the same.

PUSHA T You guard your meaning.

WALE You are an independent As I once was. The sideline stars, Like Chance the Rapper, Take their chance as rappers. We sought power, But, finding ourselves in crews Tied in allegiance and alliance, We have lost it.

PUSHA T Wise enough, But what have we in common, Wale? Please do not say “talent”- My day is hard enough as is.

WALE We share ambition, for one, And wisdom beside. Both us know that, unopposed, Drake shall succeed the throne.

PUSHA T Bah, Drake! Him and Weezy both. How I loathe them. Strengthened by lean, that enemy of coke They are my enemy as well.

WALE Be that as it may, Intrigue, I find intriguing. As Richard the Ross has ignored me. He has done so at his peril.

PUSHA T I know the feeling. Yeezy has ignored my skills as well.

WALE Ross has ignored mine as well. We be brothers in more than braids.

PUSHA T …

WALE You find the comparison an insult?  I am used to such mockery. But, Pusha, consider: How odd is it that Richard the Ross Has become so much better since I joined MMG, And yet we’ve heard no verses from me?

PUSHA T I admit, it is perplexing.

WALE My skills have been stolen. But that gives me unparalleled access. I am weak. That is true. But, with your strength, I can usurp MMG. I have access to Richard the Ross And with your protection from his hound,  Meek Milly We can rout his troops.

PUSHA T I am shocked by your competence.

WALE They always are. But think If I am overly Shakespearean Then this is kind of my shit.

PUSHA T Well reasoned. Let it be so, then. I will inform Yeezy From inside the castle That we may achieve the coup.

WALE May it be so. That my ambition may be realized.

(They clasp hands, and Pusha leaves, revealing a spying J.Cole)

J.COLE Treachery! As I have long suspected. But I cannot warn Yeezy He is too far from belief. Nor can I stop Pusha alone. He is mighty in disses And crafty on beats. No, to save Yeezy I have no choice but to betray him. Thus I leave to barter with Drake Drizzy And hope his mercy is well won. For Yeezy’s life and mine.

[watchthethroneplay]

Act II, Scene III

T-STREETS  (On the phone)

Aye, Kim, my love, The time is nigh, and soon, Soon, Their blood shall whet our lips, As we cackle in victory! Righteous victory! As foretold in…

(T-Streets looks at his phone, frowns, shakes it) …Boost Mobile. Ugh.

(T-Streets looks around and leaves as Tyga And Big Sean approach, each mid conversation)

BIG SEAN You as well? I love Glee! An actress and I are BFF’s And, upon a time,  We have braided each other’s hair. Tyga: Your tale is well met, With friendship and envy. How could I not? Glee, after all,  Provokes the same in us all. Song is but rap Without rhyming.

BIG SEAN Aye, and rhyming is most difficult. Still, as I am a rapper, I am a poet, And I didn’t even…know such was the case.

NICKI The time has come! Are you prepared to battle me? Win my heart, if ye be prepared. Or far more likely,  I shall win your head.

TYGA Ah, Nicki Sweet Nicki,

NICKI I be not sweet.

BIG SEAN Sweet Nicki, Sweet, sweet, Nicki.

NICKI Again, I be not sweet.

TYGA I am sorry, Dear Nicki To wound your hopes And heart, But I cannot compete for your affections At the expense of my dearest friend.

BIG SEAN I too, Regret to inform you That such a battle as we’ve prepared May not be waged today. For love has been won- The love between brothers and friends. And that love needs no woman between it.

(The two hold hands)

TYGA No homo.

BIG SEAN No homo.

NICKI … I can’t believe this.

(Tyga and Big Sean rush to shush and comfort her, talking over the other)

TYGA Shh! Cry not-

BIG SEAN -Do not mourn us-

TYGA -In our absence-

BIG SEAN -You will find love-

TYGA -Somewhere, out there-

BIG SEAN -Probably, I mean-

TYGA -Statistically speaking-

BIG SEAN Love will find you.

TYGA As it found us.

NICKI Fools. Fools, I say, Though I admit, This display is charming, In its absurdity. I need not another for love, For I love myself. I am my husband, And I my wife. I find glory in rap, In others, And the pursuits I seek. But, lastly, I love your love, For, at last, At long last, it leaves me alone.

BIG SEAN Hear hear!

TYGA Well spoken, Nikki. Come, Sean, We have a marital bed For our friendship. Though we sleep not together, We shall slumber not, At our slumber party!

BIG SEAN Huzzah! I have soda and chips, And we shall watch Scandal,  At a scandalous hour.

(The two leave, off stage, and Nikki sighs, content)

NICKI Fools, the pair, But a pair more admirable Than either solo.

(A short pause, then, to stage right) Hey! Wait up! I’ll get pizza!

(To audience) I am independent, And so shall I remain. But that I needn’t be alone. In friendship, We may Nikki-Menage-A-Trois

(She leaves, offstage.)

[watchthethroneplay]

Act II, Scene IV

PUSHA T The time is nigh, Kim. Wale shall weaken Drake’s army. As our troops are depleted, We may save the day And reign as rulers, By the grateful city.

KIM Wale may yet remove Ross from out path, but Drizzy is not so weak. Wale shall be slain.

PUSHA T He was concerned with his remembrance. His funeral shall spare no expense. I shall slay Yeezy And we shall reign supreme.

KIM Slay Yeezy? Madness! The kingdom shall splinter and fall. Far better to usurp him Careful, slow Or let him cede his power. Blood is expensive, Pusha. And violence is loud.

PUSHA T Very well. We shall use reason, then. Kanye’s mind is weak. And if be not so, His flesh shall cleave like any other. Oh, Lord Yeezy!

(They enter, and see Kanye, contemplative on the throne.)

KANYE War is gorgeous in its starkness. Too many focus on the action of blood. I see the sorrow, foreshadowed on the steel, And the blade, dripping Cries too as it wounds.

PUSHA T Sir?

KANYE War is on the horizon, Inevitable As the kingdom has fractured. J.Cole, Who had allied us with Kendrick. Has sought parlay with Drake, For reasons too dark to tell me.

PUSHA T Cole is out?

    (To self) I will settle his account later Should Wale fall.

KANYE Our army is ready, But without an alliance, It seems my fateful time is nigh.

PUSHA T Fate it is. We have found an answer  To the war. The traitor, Wale, Has agreed to weaken the troops of Drake Drizzy. And he shall do so at my word.

KANYE Your word? You seek to give such commands?

PUSHA T Aye, Yeezy. You are no king of war. To see victory, I must lead. It pains me to say, That I need the throne.

KANYE You lie.

PUSHA T I assure you, this is the truth.

KANYE The facts, it may be. But this is not the truth. You said that it pains you to say this. But that, oh Pusha, Is lie enough.

PUSHA T I admire you, Yeezy, And I shall permit you live, as Nas had, A royal of the court Able to live out your fantasies of fashion. Without the burden of the crown.

KANYE Live as Nas had, To die by your sword?

(A silence) You think me dense? Unable to understand the oracles? Ignorant of palace intrigue? You killed Nas, Having first attempted to procure Ether With which to kill me.

PUSHA T For the good of rap! You, who stare holes in mirrors Would see rap abandoned. And so, Yeezy I must slay.

(Pusha T raises his sword to strike, but is struck with a thought.)

PUSHA T Funny, That here we are.

KANYE Here we are But there is she.

(Kim comes from behind, and stabs Pusha T)

PUSHA T No!

(Pusha collapses, panting)

KANYE You thought my mirror was vanity? I look at myself, oh Pusha That I may see over my shoulder.

PUSHA T My...my love.

KIM You loved the ‘caine Oh Pusha. And like many with such passions. It hath slayed you.

(To Kanye) Oh Yeezy, Yeezy, my love, You have seen the traitor amongst us. You are wise, so wise, And you truly are a God.

(She kisses him) Now you may ascend as one. As Pusha was a traitor, You have missed one last. You saw me as a trophy, As the others saw Nikki. Nay!  Amidst the kings The queenpins shall reign. Understand, then, Yeezy: I have poisoned my lipstick.

KANYE As have I.

(Kim begins to gag and panic) My love, As Jay-Z hath ascended, So too must I.

PUSHA T You fool! All of us shall perish!

KANYE Aye, so we shall. But there are fates worse than death. And lives beyond it. Think, both you, On the Gods of rap: Biggie, Pac, And now Jigga, Who hath ascended. I cannot rap amongst them, And beats be not enough; Fame, pure fame, Unadulterated importance, Can bring such an ascension to greatness. But to ascend,  Life is a toll to be paid. All must part the mortal coil  To reach what lay beyond. I have fulfilled the prophecy. Caeser lived as he died And dies as he lived. With this death, I become immortal.

PUSHA T Madness. You shall die And the king to follow Shall erase your name.

KANYE You fools. Have you not seen that which I have engineered? J.Cole of the Roc Was split at birth From his twin; that baby was Drake.

(They gasp.) Haven’t you wondered? How Jigga survived? Heh. How quickly you put him to myth.| But Jay-Z was mortal, and, Weakened by Ether Weezy came upon us like a hurricane. To negotiate a truce between our kingdoms We had to find unity.

PUSHA T Madness, This is madness.

KANYE We chose, then, A child in our kingdom. My child. And, in the cover of night, Sent him to be raised as a prince of New Orleans. He would be a hybrid, The true successor Beyond east or west, North or south. Even beyond rap itself The new king would reign.

KIM Impossible.

KANYE Not impossible, Kim. Weezy, as adopted by the Lord Birdman Had a softness for orphans And Drake Drizzy- Notice not a similarity in our styles? In our beats? Our confessions and samples? We are kin, he and I. He is the brother of J.Cole The twin beyond the crib. Divided, we assured one would succeed us. And so I have secured the throne Even as I move beyond it.

(The other two collapse, as he weakens) What shall the tabloids say? Mocked or adored, I die a king. Set to join Jigga man amidst the stars.

(Yeezy dies, and offstage we hear a battering ram: it is Drake)

DRAKE Yeezy! I seek parlay! Yeezy? A medic!

J.COLE There is no need He is dead.

DRAKE Betrayed! As Wale sought to do to us.

Thankfully, Meek Milly had warned us.

(Meek Mill barks twice, and Drake gives him a snack.) Aye, Meek. They underestimate your wisdom. And overlooked your nose for treachery.

J.COLE If only we had it for Pusha T.

(Kendrick enters)

KENDRICK Cruel fate! I have come to save West As my treaty has bound me Only to find myself late. We were slowed by the treacherous Wale.

    (At J.Cole) and lo! I see another traitor here, Cole and Drake, Brothers, united in deception. I have failed the king, And my life is forfeit.

    (To Drake) Slay me then,  Kinglsayer. That none may slander me a traitor.

DRAKE Rise, sir Kendrick. I am no king slayer. Yeezy was betrayed by his court. And While J.Cole betrayed Yeezy’s trust He never broke his confidence. Cole sought my allegiance to save him. Though we came too late. Pusha T betrayed the king And lies dead in his presence.

KENDRICK Pusha! I recoil at such horror.

DRAKE Noble J.Cole, Noble Kendrick, You have served with honor and valor. In the wake of such horrors Let me not commit another. I am next to rule, But I seek not to restrict my court. I ask, then, that you join me as nobility. That my kingdom my rule faithfully Through all sectors of rap.

KENDRICK I cannot accept your offer I return to the West, to think.

(Kendrick leaves)

J.COLE I accept your offer. I have no designs to rule, Seeing the horror before me.

DRAKE Very well, Cole. Funny, in this light, How we look alike. Regardless. Let us give Yeezy that which he deserves. Funny too, How something in his finery speaks to me.

(Lighting shifts; special effects)

J.COLE Look!  Yeezy has ascended J-Hova and Yeezus The father and the son. Now, may we watch the throne For the next amongst us.

(The two bow their heads together)

DRAKE So may we rule.

Curtains close, and 2 Chainz comes for the epilogue

2 CHAINZ A tale of glory and greatness Treachery and deceit undone by the same. Death gave him life, As surely as life gives us death. Yeezy, the king played the fool. Thus forgive this fool to play the king...

2 CHAINZZZZZZZZZ!

(The curtains close again)