When Portland Trailblazers star Damian Lillard first announced his intentions of beginning a rap career, he initially drew comparisons to Shaq and Allen Iverson, two other NBA players who eventually transitioned into the music world, for better or worse. However, listening to his self-released debut album, The Letter O, he sounds a lot more similar to the confessional, regular-guy rap espoused by J. Cole and Drake — both of whom were allegedly decent enough ballplayers in their own right — which should be unsurprising, coming from a player who refused to use Adidas’ trademark Boost cushioning in his latest signature shoe to keep it affordable for kids and families of fewer means.
In a new interview with Slam magazine’s Drew Ruiz, Lillard, who goes by the stage name Dame D.O.L.L.A. (Different On Levels The Lord Allows) described his writing process, inspirations, and what it was like to take the stage at JBL Fest, a different sort of large-scale performance than he’s used to putting on in NBA arenas across the United States. He also addressed his Instagram #4BarFriday challenge and future plans with his own label, Front Page Music, as well as his desired to work with Kanye West.
“I think with us both doing music and him obviously being who he is and also being with Adidas and having a shoe line, I think it’d be a cold collaboration if we did music together and a shoe together. That’ll be real cool to do.”
We’ll see if a common sponsor is enough to bring the two multi-faceted artists together. Check out the rest of the interview at Slam.
