It all began with a post on Twitter. It was 2020, the peak of the pandemic, and LaDarrion Williams was reflecting on the dearth of diversity within the fantasy genre. He suggested, “What if Harry Potter went to an HBCU in the South?”

“Growing up, I watched Twilight, The Hunger Games, Divergent and Percy Jackson, which is certainly one of my favorite books. I didn’t see myself in those stories and I didn’t feel seen by them,” Williams said. He is a self-taught playwright, director and screenwriter.

The post went viral and sparked a dialogue online, leading Williams a protracted solution to bringing his idea to life. However, he’s the primary to confess that this process was not a fairy tale.

Williams’ “Blood at the Root,” the primary of three books, hits stores Tuesday. Jalyn Hall (“Till,” “All American”) recorded the audio version. The book tells the story of Malik, a 17-year-old with magical powers who’s accepted into Caiman University, an HBCU with a “Blackgical culture” and magic program.

Williams spoke to the Associated Press about how his tweet became a novel and the inspiration for “Blood at the Root.”

Responses have been edited for clarity and brevity.

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AP: You posted this… and got plenty of response. And then what happened?

WILLIAMS: I wrote it as a TV pilot. I didn’t plan for it to be a novel. I shared (the method) online and folks sent me money using CashApp and Venmo from the US, Canada and even New Zealand. They said, “Go make it a short film.” It was October 2020. Everything was closed. You couldn’t buy hand sanitizer. I asked some friends and we shot this magical short film within the Los Angeles area. We slipped onto the UCLA campus. Sorry, UCLA, but we desired to shoot on an actual college campus. That’s when I spotted this story was special.

I assumed I had the whole lot. I assumed I had a viral tweet short movieI had a script, I had an idea. I assumed Hollywood would make me a multi-million dollar offer. I quickly became humbled by this. No calls got here. I had difficulty getting meetings with various production firms, showrunners and studios. Nobody wanted to fulfill me. I used to be really confused and fell right into a deep depression.

AP: Is that when you made the decision to change gears and write a book?

WILLIAMS: I felt very sad. There were days I could not even get away from bed. I felt like I had let down my friends who were risking their health. I felt like I let down the individuals who supported her on social media. It was a bit embarrassing. A friend of mine said someday, “Why don’t you turn it into a book?” Considering the whole lot that was happening on the earth and in America, corresponding to civil unrest, I didn’t think the publishing house would want it.

They didn’t do it at first. I used to be getting rejections left and right saying, “We can’t connect to this. It is not suitable for sale.” One of my biggest rejections happened on my birthday, December 3, 2022. In late January 2023, I used to be driving for Uber and I got a call from my agent who said we had a three-book deal.

AP: Were you screaming? Cry?

WILLIAMS: No. I turned off the Uber app and drove home in silence. I went to Ralphs, sat within the parking zone and said, “I sold a book. I didn’t just sell one book, I sold three.” Then I began screaming and calling everyone.

AP: Let’s talk in regards to the essential character Malik.

WILLIAMS: I desired to create a black boy from Helena, Alabama, where I’m from, who has cool magical powers. It’s a coming-of-age story a couple of 17-year-old boy who attends this really cool school. Is funny. Makes friends. Friendship, especially in adolescence, may be very necessary. They form of set you up for all times. Malik also connects together with his family and background. He had childhood trauma and difficulties and he’ll make mistakes, but they are going to not cost him his life. I would like people to know him. The way he talks, the way in which he thinks. I wanted him to be sensitive and delicate. He passes on the love he did not have as a toddler to his adoptive brother. I desired to create all of it through the lens of magic.

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AP: You also laid out in great detail what the quilt should appear to be.

WILLIAMS: The only time I’ve ever seen myself on book covers was “The Watsons Go to Birmingham – 1963” and “Bud Not Buddy” by Christopher Paul Curtis. This was non-negotiable with my publishers. I assumed, “I would like a black boy on the quilt. I do not care how we do it. That’s what I would like.” I used to be slightly brave, however it’s okay. I also wanted him in a hoodie on the quilt, because, you already know, black boys in hoodies often get punished. I got what I wanted.

AP: Do you continue to see this story as a TV series?

WILLIAMS: There are ongoing conversations about that. I remember watching Twilight as a 6-foot-3 black kid in Alabama. It was a extremely cool time, having the ability to go to the flicks, be on this fandom, and meet people you’ll never otherwise meet. I would like to recreate that moment when “Black Panther” got here out and everybody was buzzing about it. I would like to do it for TV. This is what I would like for black kids.

Earlier this 12 months, Universal Music Group (UMG) removed music from its artist roster from the favored TikTok platform due to a disagreement over the usage of artificial intelligence (AI) and compensation. Recently announced that the 2 entities have reached an agreement that enables music from Drake, SZA, Taylor Swift and many others to be reused on TikTok.

The deal is a new “multi-dimensional licensing agreement” that offers the platform access to “a global family of artists, songwriters and labels and will enable the return of their music” to TikTok.

In a written statement, Universal Music Group chairman and CEO Sir Lucian Grainge said: “This new chapter in our relationship with TikTok focuses on the value of music, the primacy of human artistry and the well-being of the creative community. We look forward to working with the TikTok team to support the interests of our artists and songwriters and innovate fan engagement while increasing the monetization of social music.”

The two firms clashed over compensation when UMG said TikTok’s proposal included a “fraction” of typical payouts, chiding the platform for wanting to unfairly cash in on music.

“Music is an integral part of the TikTok ecosystem and we are pleased to have found a path forward with Universal Music Group,” said Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok. “We are committed to working together to increase the value, discovery and promotion of all the incredible artists and songwriters at UMG and deepen their ability to grow, connect and engage with the TikTok community.”

announced that there was an agreement designed providing higher remuneration to songwriters and artists operating under the UMG patronage. This includes new opportunities for promotion and engagement of recorded songs and industry-leading generative artificial intelligence safeguards.

The feud between Kendrick Lamar and Drake is getting heated, but New Ho King, a small Chinese restaurant in Toronto, got here out on top when it caught the homeless man on Kendrick’s diss track “Euphoria.”

On April 30 at 8:24 a.m. PT, Kendrick Lamar dropped “Euphoria,” geared toward Drake and crammed with over six minutes of statements from multiple writers criticizing all the pieces from the Canadian rapper’s parenting and cosmetic surgery allegations to his questionable relationships with younger ladies and his right to saying the N word

Kendrick Lamar spared nobody during his tirade. Drake’s Toronto accent, in addition to his cat Crodie, were also mocked.

The Compton legend rapped:

Don’t discuss the family, Crodie
This can cut deep into a family, Crodie
Are you talking about me and my family, Crodie?
Someone’s going to bleed in your loved ones, Crodie
I’m at New Ho King, eating fried rice with dipping sauce and rattling it, Crodie

For 50 years, the New Ho King restaurant has been a popular late-night spot in Toronto’s Chinatown. Dropping the fried rice name resulted in Google reviews receiving 5 stars.

“One of the best restaurants in Canada! had to check it out, Kendrick said it was good, did not disappoint friendly staff and great atmosphere, highly recommended, if you are nearby visit!” read certainly one of 1,200 guest reviews. “Feeling euphoric after fried rice,” raved one other.

The next review was far more comical. “I was a terrible father and never raised my son well. Today, as I was passing by this authentic Chinese restaurant, a thought suddenly came to my mind. As I ate fried rice with dipping sauce and a bun, I was inspired to come home, wake him up every morning, tell him to pray, and give him the tools to go through life one day at a time. New Ho King food taught me morality, honesty and discipline. Thank you, crodie!”

Could the “To Pimp a Butterfly” rapper have the “Keith Lee Effect”? Many fans appear to think so, comparing Lamar to a former MMA fighter who can change the fortunes of an obscure mom and pop restaurant with one TikTok video.

One one who seems to think so is Johnny Lu, the owner of New Ho King, whose phone is currently dying.

When the Toronto network City news caught up with the delighted restaurant owner and he said, “I had a lot of people texting me this morning saying this is your restaurant? I said yes.’ They say, “Look at the song.”

“He said good food and fried rice. Get more and more rice. The chef will be busy!” Lu was delighted. “Kendrick is a good guy, oh my God.” In the war between the two rappers, Lamar has won at the least one other person to his side.

“I’m trying to learn how to sing this song now,” Lu added as he scrolled through the rave reviews, mentioning, “Kendrick sent me.”

“I came all the way from Markham just to see this fried rice,” one fan said. “Kendrick Lamar, man. Man, you gotta show respect to K. Dot. Ever since he dropped this diss track, I’ve been like, “I need to visit this place.”

Fans online couldn’t help but laugh at the Compton, Toronto rapper’s influence, finding it hilarious.

“This Canadian Chinese guy just said we love Kenny here. I can’t speak for the other Canadian. I’m terrible,” he said one user X.

– Damn, Crodie. Opp helps small businesses in your hometown, Crodie,” reads one other comment.

While K.Dot’s six-minute diss track “Euphoria” has a lot to unravel, the New Ho King reference may have a deeper meaning than a playful jab at Drake’s accent. Some speculate that the line is a subtle reference to Drake’s 2009 armed robbery after he and a woman left an unnamed Toronto restaurant.

As an eagle-eyed fan he pointed to X: :

“I don’t think many people caught that beat on Kendrick’s record. “Drake was allegedly robbed by rapper Sizzlac in 2010,” notes user X. “Sizzlac escaped (immersed) with the gun (guilty) he used to rob Drake.”

User X also posted a screenshot from Sizzlac’s “Realest in the 6” music video, in which he raps in front of the New Ho King restaurant.

“Kendrick turned the restaurant where Drake was robbed into one of Toronto’s top attractions” – User X he joked.

Drake talked about the 2010 robbery with GQcalling it “setting”. The robbers allegedly “shot the automobile window with a gun and opened the door,” demanding a total of $4,000 in money and a latest chain given to him by Lil Wayne.

“I knew it was a set up because I was wearing a sweater and a jacket. But as they were banging the gun on the car window and opening the door, the first thing he said was, ‘Hey, run that chain,'” Drake said during the interview. “They didn’t rob (my date) and her purse was sitting there. So I thought, “OK, yeah, you set it all up.”

Drake, who reportedly cooperated with law enforcement during the investigation, has been accused by rap fans of “snitching” on Sizzlac, a claim that has long been debated given his lack of street ties.

In an unrelated incident, Sizzlac was found shot to death in the Malton neighborhood of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada in April 2016. He was 29 years old.

The rift between Drake and Kendrick has been a slow-burner since 2013, when Lamar boasted during an appearance at the BET Awards that his skills “put the sensitive rapper back in his pajamas.”

The final shots were fired when Lamar turned down J. Cole and Drake’s request to affix the “Big Three” on “First Person Shooter” and as a substitute called himself the lone king on “Like That” alongside Future and Metro Boomin.

Later that month, Drake released the first of two diss tracks, “Push Ups”, wherein he mocked Lamar’s height and his collaborations with Maroon 5 and Taylor Swift. This was followed by “Taylor Made Freestyle”, wherein he used artificial intelligence enhancements to introduce Tupac and Snoop Dogg and called Lamar a coward for not responding in a timely manner.

They say there’s more beef to return. Hip-hop fans are excited.