On the latest episode of People’s Party With Talib Kweli, Compton rapper The Game went into a variety of subjects, including how basketball made him want to keep rapping after ‘Born 2 Rap.’ The Uproxx interview series covered everything from his beef with 50 Cent, but one interesting moment was when the rapper revealed how Instagram — and LeBron James — gave him motivation to return to the studio.
“You know what made me want to rap again after Born 2 Rap?” The Game said. “LeBron.”
James is a huge fan of The Game, often posting videos online of him rapping along to his songs. And The Game said he’s not only seen the videos, but those videos have had a significant impact on him. The Game described watching videos of LeBron singing his songs and made it clear that a player like LeBron respecting his work that much means a lot to him.
“It’s almost like if Michael Jordan was bumping Eazy and he was filming it,” The Game said. “Bro, it’s LeBron.”
The Game pointed out James’ infamous workout videos as well, noting that it’s not just The Game’s most popular songs that he’s hearing in the background while LeBron is lifting weights.
“When he gets to the gym, to the Lakers’ training facility,” The Game said. “In there with his shirt off, memorizing the song that’s not the single. I felt like ‘I gotta do this again.’”
It’s fascinating to hear musicians talk about how people they respect enjoy their music and the impact that has on them. In LeBron’s case, it’s clear both he and The Game have a lot of respect for their respective talents. It makes for a fascinating conversation about how basketball and hip hop interact with each other, and clearly both LeBron and The Game benefit from it.