Hip-hop and basketball have frequently overlapped with several athletes making their music and rappers being basketball enthusiasts. The cultural similarities and abundance of acceptance between the two have been a few of the reasons behind their meteoric rise. Recently, rapper Travis Scott was on ‘The Shop’ podcast with LeBron James where the two discussed other common grounds in the life of a hip-hop artist and a basketball player.
Travis is one of the few artists who put an actual effort into their live performances. The idea behind this is to give the thousands of fans in attendance a moment that they will never forget in this lifetime. Known for his rage on the stage, Travis said that he makes music with the primary objective of performing it on stage. LeBron found common ground in his comment because he believes in fans’ energy in an arena,
“You just add that…all the fans going crazy in there, it’s just like…it’s like a drug. It’s like when you can hear or feel the crowd rocking with you and vibing with you, even in my sport we all kind of share the same thing.”
The four-time NBA Champion said that like Travis, he also feeds off fans’ energy when he steps on the court. He added that for a rapper, it might be the lyrics that fans rap along, but for him, his “signature dunk” gets the crowd roaring. Travis agreed with what LBJ had to say and added that he believes that artists are similar to athletes.
The ‘90210’ rapper said that the similarities stem from the fact that they can step inside an arena full of thousands of people and grab the attention of all the individuals in attendance. Even though the craft is different, the hunger to be the best and outperform all the competition is where they can find common ground. Moreover, the two legends of their fields share a great bond.
LeBron James and Travis Scott have been longtime friends
King James has a genuine interest in hip-hop and is often seen promoting music from various artists on his Instagram account. With his level of fame and influence, other greats in their respective fields have formed a solid relationship with LBJ and Travis is one of them.
The superstar musician was seen at Bronny James’ 18th birthday party where he rocked the house with hits such as ‘BUTTERFLY EFFECT’ and ‘SICKO MODE’.
Apart from being a great basketball player, LeBron is also a brilliant stage performer. The Lakers superstar was once unveiled as a surprise guest alongside Travis during Drake’s 2018 tour performing ‘SICKO MODE’ together. LeBron also showcased his rapping abilities during the Carpool Karaoke segment on James Corden’s late-night show.
