Lebron’s New Album

2.18.20

Lebron James

Music is a universal language. No matter where you are, who you are, or what you are into, who does not love music? It has really made For The Soule what it is today, and has probably made some sort of in an impact on your life in one way or another. As music is such a universal thing, it has become an imperative aspect to fashion and sports as well. From music to walking down the runway, to running out of the tunnel. Many athletes have attempt to shoot their shot at making their own music, and Lebron James says he is up next, but with his own twist.

Last night Lebron James Tweeted passionately about his love for music. He suggests doing an album, but it would not be him specifically rapping on the project. He stated:

“My love for music is INSANE!!! I think I’m going to do a album. Oh no I won’t be rapping or anything like that. I’m not crazy, I know what I’m great at, but I tell you one thing I do have. So many friends that can! Thinking out loud.”

We could take this message a few different ways. It is crystal clear that Lebron is a huge fan of his music, as are we all. When a new album drops, he will drive around his car singing us the new alum on his Instagram stories. He’ll give us his gym playlists and pause to sing. We know it is real when Lebron is pausing his training to acknowledge an artist that put out a good tune. But if he wants credit like this, who are his friends he is mentioning?

Being one of the most credible basketball players of all time, he definitely has plenty of relationships with top tier talent in the NBA. As we talked about earlier, plenty of athletes had their go at creating music. Remember when Shaq tried to be a rapper? I can imagine those two having a ball in the studio. There are plenty others who have taken their turn at music quite seriously. Lebron’s old teammate, Lonzo Ball and his brother Gelo have put out albums together. I’ve heard Lance Stephenson rap, Aaron Gordon, Damian Lillard and Marvin Bagley III. There are definitely plenty others, and it could be interesting to see if Lebron would go this route. To push his teammates to create their best music, like he pushes them on the basketball court. Though, knowing Lebron, he probably wants it to be something that would instantly have more credibility.

We have watched Royce Da 5’9 go from being his own artist, to writing music, to down right producing start to finish for others. He has let us into his home and studio, where he would just watch videos and teach himself how to use certain instruments and ended up really enjoying creating different beats, and is truly running with this new talent of his. I would absolutely never put it past Lebron to say that he has really enjoyed his time listening to music, and working in the industry, and would love to continue to build his talents and credibility in the space.

In early 2019, 2 Chainz dropped Rap or Go to the League. On this album, Lebron James was listed as an executive producer, receiving A&R credit for the album. The A&R position stands for Artists and Repertoire. During the early phases of this role in the 60s and 70s, A&Rs were in charge of scouting talent and new artists whom would work well on specific tracks. This person strongly helped the artists succeed by matching them up with lyrics and songs that they felt were a great match, therefore also helping producers and management teams.

Nowadays, the role is much more in that. You have to think about the business aspect overall, and typically use data to find new talents and evaluate the pairings and what their strengths and weaknesses are. So, as some may think Lebron James just listened to the album and said “sounds good, 2 Chainz” and they slapped his name on the project, it was likely, much much more than this.

This project included a female artist from Liverpool, Ariana Grande, Kodak Black, and many others, but these three already were quite interesting pairings for me. However, these were some of the greatest hits from the project, and clearly worked out well. 2 Chainz in many interviews expressed his gratitude for Lebron’s work on the project, and explained “he’s out there trying to get a championship. He really didn’t have to do that.” 2 Chainz made sure to have Lebron properly credited on the project for the work that he had put into his album.

With that, I do think the Lebron James wants to get back into music on more of a producer level. I am sure that 2 Chainz would be open to working with Lebron again on a project like this, and I am sure that many others would be down to join in. Like a DJ Khaled album, produced by a legend, with all the hott artists present on the project, as well. I feel like Lebron would work with people like, The Game and Dave East. But, I also see him wanting to be super present in what is going on today. Like, maybe Cordae and Doja Cat, but I do not think they’re exactly friends so there would need to be some string pulling there.

Either way, I do not think the man would put out any body of work that is not A-1. I am here the musical project, and am excited to see where he decides to go with it. Lebron has been a part of the hip-hop community for quite some time now, from being a Beats By Dre ambassador, to sharing how much hip-hop inspires him, to even learning the new artists that his kids are listening to. I think hip-hop will welcome his work with open arms, as he has done vice versa.