LeBron's Hip-Hop History: The Road to Becoming an A&R

Before LeBron A&R’d 2 Chainz' new album 'Rap or Go to the League,' he's had a long history with hip-hop. Here's his road to becoming an A&R.

Off the court, the only thing greater than LeBron James’ love affair with wine is his obsession with all things hip-hop. With all due respect to LeBron the Wine Connoisseur, LeBron the Hip-Hop Ambassador is far more powerful, as he’s spent his NBA career running in the same circles as the rap game’s elite.

While transforming into one of the greatest basketball players of all time over the past two decades, King James has cemented his status as the NBA’s leading tastemaster for rap music. Making friends with the best rappers alive, appearing in music videos, gracing the covers of hip-hop magazines, and previewing unreleased tracks or co-signing new artists on his Instagram story, LeBron has displayed his potential as a future hip-hop mogul.

In light of the recent announcement that LeBron A&R’d 2 Chainz new album Rap or Go to the League, it’s time to look back at James’ history with rap, from 2003 until now. This is LeBron's road to becoming an A&R.

July 2003: LeBron gets interviewed on JAY-Z’s tour bus during Roc the Mic tour

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Ever since JAY-Z sat courtside and watched the St. Vincent-St. Mary prodigy put on a dazzling show in the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Game, the pair of icons have maintained a long-running friendship. A few months after their first encounter, the Best Rapper Alive co-signed the young king on an even bigger stage: MTV.

At the time, Jigga’s “Roc the Mic” tour was passing through Ohio, which gave him a chance to link up with LeBron, who was days away from playing in his first NBA game. In an MTV News clip hosted by Sway, the hip-hop correspondent gives viewers a taste of what life on the road is like, as JAY shows him and an 18-year-old LeBron around his tour bus.


The two-minute clip is dripping with early-aughts vibes: JAY is wearing what looks like, but can’t be, a green Von Dutch trucker hat; LeBron has on a multi-colored flat brim fitted hat, quarter-sized diamond stud earrings, an XXXL white tee under an even bigger Alex English Denver Nuggets throwback jersey, and a flashy jesus piece that damn near touches his belly button. Don’t you miss the 2000s?

April 2008: JAY-Z records diss track in defense of LeBron

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In 2008, basketball fans witnessed the most lopsided beef in NBA history: LeBron James vs. professional irritant Deshawn Stevenson. Despite his Wizards getting ousted by LeBron’s Cavs in the previous two postseasons, Stevensos—in the lead-up to the Cavs-Wizards first round matchup in ‘08—referred to James as “overrated,” to which the King had this response: “With DeShawn Stevenson, it’s kind of funny. It’s almost like JAY-Z [responding to a negative comment] made by Soulja Boy. It doesn’t make sense.”

Quick aside: It’s fair to argue that comparing Stevenson to Soulja Boy is actually a compliment; at least Soulja had one hit. Meanwhile, Stevenson, in 2008, was a solid role player—at best.

After Soulja Boy came to Stevenson’s rescue—sitting courtside for game one in Washington, rocking his jersey—JAY-Z delivered the knock-out punch, recording a freestyle subliminally dissing Stevenson over Too $hort’s “Blow the Whistle.” Forget the beef, this was the moment LeBron flexed his muscle off the court, and his hip-hop legacy was born.

February 2009: LeBron attends Drake’s 'So Far Gone' release party

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June 2009: JAY-Z taps LeBron for “D.O.A.” music video

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In the spring of 1992, Michael Jordan, the best basketball player alive at the time, joined forces with Michael Jackson, the biggest artist in the world, for the music video to his song “Jam.” Jordan’s appearance in the visual was iconic, resulting in a timeless snapshot that’s burned in our minds forever: MJ vs. MJ squared-up in a game of one-on-one.

Seventeen years later, LeBron James, the best basketball player on the planet, collaborated with JAY-Z, the most accomplished rapper of all time, for the music video for “D.O.A.,” the first single off his forthcoming 11th studio album, The Blueprint 3. And while the video featured an endless array of A-list stars, LeBron was the headliner, as him and Jigga re-created “Jam”’s game of one-on-one; a worthy tribute considering the pair serve as the MJ’s of their generation.

August 2009: LeBron makes cameo in “Forever” music video

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Six years into his career, LeBron had already lived up to his King James moniker. Two years after making his first trip to the NBA Finals, the 24-year-old superstar cemented his status as one of the best players alive with his first MVP award. That summer, with his forthcoming documentary, More Than a Game, slotted to drop that fall, LeBron assembled the biggest names in hip-hop for the soundtrack’s first single, “Forever.”

Even on a song with verses from Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and Drake, LeBron was the star of its music video. He only appears in the opening frame—a shot of him playing poker on his Beats by Dre laptop in the back of a luxury car—but the entire video serves as an unofficial King James tribute, highlighted by footage of him laying waste to opponents during his high school days at St. Vincent-St. Mary’s.

April 2014: LeBron freestyles over JAY-Z’s “FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt”

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After spending the first ten years of his career running in the same circles as hip-hop’s elite, it was only a matter of time before LeBron finally stepped up and laid down a verse. While many basketball players have proven to be more proficient on the microphone than James—Shaq, Dame, Shump, C-Webb, and Stephen Jackson, to name a few—the king didn’t disappoint with his first verse on wax.

In a video that surfaced on April Fool’s Day 2014, fittingly, fans got their first chance to hear LeBron drop bars. Recorded during a studio session with Sian Cotton (his high school teammate) James kicked a freestyle over the beat to JAY-Z's "FuckWithMeYouKnowIGotIt." The end result? Not bad or, according to Game, "better than 88% of rappers rapping right now."

March 2016: LeBron prompts TDE to release Kendrick Lamar’s 'untitled unmastered.'

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How is this not mentioned in the LeBron vs. Jordan GOAT debate? You think it would be, given that MJ stans pull the Space Jam card like it’s actually a good movie—I already can’t wait for the internet to passionately debate Space Jam vs. Space Jam 2 like it’s The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.

Possessing the power to convince the greatest rapper of his generation’s label to release a new album from said rapper, is a pure flex. Of course, that’s what LeBron did three years ago. After Kendrick began performing unreleased tracks at shows—specifically, the Grammys—King James tweeted at the CEO of Top Dawg Entertainment, asking the record label to officially release Kendrick Lamar’s “untitled” tracks. Less than two weeks later, TDE granted his request, releasing untitled unmastered, on March 3, 2016.

April 2017: LeBron previews new albums from Kendrick Lamar, Meek Mill, and Nipsey Hussle

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After leading the charge for Kendrick’s label to release the previous year’s untitled unmastered, LeBron gave fans an early preview of K-Dot’s third studio album, DAMN., by posting several snippets on his Instagram the morning before it dropped. He also made a point to tell fans that he received the LP a couple weeks before its release, when asked for his opinion about the album after Game 3 of the first round of the Eastern Conference playoffs. Don’t worry, we see you LeBron.

Earlier that same month, LeBron teased Meek Mill’s forthcoming album Wins & Losses, by sharing the self-titled intro on Instagram. Then, even more impressive, he previewed “Blue Laces 2,” off Nipsey Hussle’s Victory Lap, nearly a full year before it would arrive in February 2018.

June 2017: LeBron cosigns Tee Grizzley on Instagram

December 2017: LeBron leaks snippets of Big Sean and Metro Boomin's 'Double or Nothing'

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A few months after he received an early copy of the best hip-hop album of the year, Kendrick’s DAMN., LeBron made sure to end 2017 by reminding hip-hop heads where to go should they be looking to get a taste of new music: King James’ Instagram. While he’d previewed DAMN., Wins & Losses, and Victory Lap earlier that year, LeBron’s final tease of 2017 was playing several unreleased cuts off the soon-to-be released Big Sean and Metro Boomin joint album, Double or Nothing.

October 2018: Drake brings LeBron out to perform “Sicko Mode” with Travis Scott in L.A.

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By now, LeBron’s a veteran when it comes to jumping on stage with the biggest rappers on the planet and becoming their unofficial hype man. His greatest stage “performances” entering 2018: rapping “Forever” with Drake, 2010 All-Star Weekend; joining 2 Chainz and Lil Wayne on stage in Miami to rap along to “Bandz A Make Her Dance” in 2012; performing “Move That Dope,” with Future at a 2015 ESPYs after-party; and, finally, hopping on stage with Drake in 2016 to dance along to “Pop Style” during the 6 God’s Summer Sixteen show in Columbus.

LeBron saved his best for last. This past October, fresh off signing with the Lakers, LeBron was brought out by Drake to perform “Sicko Mode” with Travis Scott. Hopping around the Staples Center stage with two of hip-hop’s biggest names, LeBron showed more energy than he has over his first 60 games with the Lakers.

October 2018: LeBron sits down with Drake for an exclusive conversation on 'The Shop'

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After Drake took the biggest L of his career, rap fans spent the summer wondering whether he would ever open up and candidly discuss his beef with Pusha T (and rift with Kanye) or if the subliminal-soaked Scorpion would be all we’d ever hear on the subject.

Then, four and a half months after Push called him out for hiding a child, Drake gave us his side of the story on the second episode of The Shop, HBO Sports’ talk show with LeBron James and Maverick Carter. For LeBron, getting a guest like Drake doesn’t seem like such a big deal on the surface, but it is considering the rapper is very careful with his public persona. I mean, when’s the last time he’s opened up to the media, let alone agreed to do a sit-down? As such, the moment marked LeBron’s transformation from the biggest athlete in the world to a potential power-player in media.

February 2019: 2 Chainz gets LeBron to A&R his new album

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Sixteen years after LeBron introduced himself to JAY-Z, courtside, at the 2003 McDonald’s All-American Game, he’s the A&R on one of the biggest rap releases of the year thus far, from one of the ten or so most popular rappers in the game. All of the aforementioned milestones—the friendships, magazine covers, stage appearances, album previews, and music videos—have made this moment possible. And while you can’t overstate its significance, it feels like it’s only the beginning of LeBron’s second act: King James, Hip-Hop Mogul.

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