Three days after the pop-up...
Marcus's life was a different planet.
He woke up to 493 unread texts.
37 missed calls.
And Instagram saying "You're almost at your daily limit for DMs."
Twitter was even worse.
He clicked on his mentions and almost dropped the phone.
Trending Topics:
#BlkSoulTakeover
#DumpsterDrip
#YoungKings
#HoodieSeason
Verified accounts was tagging them now.
REAL CELEBS.
---
@TheRealLilDurk:
> "i need them BlkSoul hoodies on tour. somebody plug me wit lil bros."
@IssaRae:
> "This is the kind of Black excellence I like to see. Get it young kings."
@Sza:
> "Where can I buy??? Asking for me and my bestie."
@MeekMill:
> "They really came up out the MUD with it lol I love it."
@Druski2Funny:
> "Niggas selling hoodies next to a possum and still got rich lmaoooo respect."
Marcus stared at the screen, mouth wide open.
"Nigga," he said aloud to no one, "WE FAMOUS FAMOUS."
---
Meanwhile in the Groupchat:
Devonte:
> "Nigga SZA want a hoodie. I'M FINNA CRY."
Tamia:
> "Y'all betta get ready for all the fake ass cousins bout to hit y'all up."
Marcus:
> "I'm already duckin' calls from my 'uncle' I ain't seen since 2006."
Devonte:
> "Fuck it. I'm deleting family members like spam calls."
---
That Afternoon
Marcus's cousin Shad called — uninvited, loud as hell.
"Ayeeeee lil bro I BEEN BELIEVED IN YOU!! Y'all need a MANAGER tho! I'm tryna get you linked wit' BET! They owe me favors!"
Marcus pressed mute and looked at Devonte.
"Nigga don't trust nobody wit' a Samsung Galaxy in 2025," Devonte said solemnly.
They hung up quick.
---
Things Got Even Crazier.
Their email was FLOODED with "business offers" — most of them scammy looking.
Some random "clothing distributor" from Nigeria talking about "send $1,000 for big shipment"
A "celebrity stylist" who wanted them to send 50 hoodies for "exposure" (LOL no)
A girl talking about, "I model for Savage X Fenty, trust me y'all NEED me," but her IG had 143 followers and mad blurry pics.
Devonte said it best:
"Niggas smell a come-up like roaches smell crumbs."
---
The Good News:
The viral pop-up got them an invite to The Morning Grind ATL — the most popular Black radio show in the city.
THE show that everybody in Atlanta listened to while stuck in traffic.
It was like...
Hood Oprah + Breakfast Club energy.
Marcus damn near pissed himself when he read the email.
---
Thursday — Radio Station Studios
Marcus and Devonte pulled up looking fresh as hell.
Marcus had a new black-on-black BlkSoul hoodie.
Devonte rocked a gold chain he got from Icebox (on payment plan but still!).
Tamia tagged along too, dressed like she was finna fight a bitch or host a party — you never knew with her.
---
They walked into the studio — and boom.
There was Big Tasha.
Big Tasha was a legend.
She been hosting that station since Obama first got elected.
Loud, funny, short as hell but with that Auntie energy that made you sit up straight.
She spotted them and immediately shouted:
"LORD HAVE MERCY, LOOK AT THESE TWO LIL FINE BLACK ENTREPRENEURS. Y'ALL GOT WIVES YET OR WHAT?"
Devonte cracked up. "Shiiit, not yet Auntie! We still tryna get rich first."
Big Tasha snorted. "Priorities, baby!"
---
Live on Air
Big Tasha: "We got the young kings behind BlkSoul in the building, baby! They took the city by STORM — next thing you know, they gon' be on Netflix n shit!"
Marcus, nervous as hell, wiped his palms on his jeans under the desk.
Big Tasha grilled them:
"How y'all even start this brand? I heard it was next to a whole ass dumpster?"
Marcus laughed, finally relaxing.
"Yeah...we was broke broke. Not fake broke. Real broke. So we did what we had to."
Devonte added: "You gotta water your dreams even if it's in dirty ass soil, feel me?"
Big Tasha clapped.
The whole room clapped.
---
Then she dropped a bomb:
"Word on the streets...Netflix lookin' at y'all story for a lil docu-series..."
Marcus's mouth DROPPED.
"Stop playin'," Devonte said, eyes wide.
Big Tasha winked. "Y'all gon' need lawyers, managers, accountants...AND security, chile. Y'all too fine to be out here alone once the money start coming."
Tamia screamed from the side like she just won The Price Is Right.
---
After the Interview
They went viral AGAIN.
Clips of the interview hit TikTok.
Soundbite trending:
> "Water your dreams even if it's in dirty ass soil."
Meme pages turned it into motivational posts.
Girls started tweeting:
> "I need a BlkSoul nigga. I'm tryna be somebody's dirty soil!"
Some random dude even made a fake "BlkSoul Positivity" fan page and was charging girls to join a fake "BlkSoul Baddies Club."
Tamia was LIVID:
"Niggas monetizing y'all clout and we ain't even rich yet! I'm suing somebody!"
---
Later That Week — Things Got Even Messier
On Twitter, drama popped up.
A washed-up local rapper named Young Flexo posted:
> "BlkSoul stole they hoodie design from me back in 2019. These niggas frauds."
He attached a blurry ass pic of a random hoodie that kinda — KINDA — looked similar.
Marcus stared at it.
Devonte squinted.
"Nigga that ain't even the same font," Devonte said. "That shit look like it was made on Microsoft Paint."
The internet DRAGGED Young Flexo instantly:
> "Nigga shut up. Your shit look like a Bootleg Sesame Street hoodie."
> "Yo hoodie look like it smell like Newport shorts and EBT cards."
> "You mad you ain't think of dumpster drip first."
> "How you beefin with 2 teenagers who just got a working website last week?"
Devonte was rolling laughing.
"Aye, let 'em talk, bruh. Haters just free promo."
Marcus smiled but deep down...
The fame was starting to feel heavy.
---
Meanwhile in the DMs:
Famous Influencer Girl:
> "Heeey big head... remember me? Lol we went to middle school together!"
(she used to bully Marcus in 7th grade)
Old Coach:
> "Proud of you, son. Y'all need a sports brand manager?"
(his breath always smelled like Hot Cheetos)
Some Girl From Texas:
> "Hey daddy can I be your dirty soil?"
Marcus threw the phone across the bed again.
"HELP," he screamed.
Tamia hollered from the kitchen: "Nigga don't die now! We need you for Season 2!"