Did Lebron & Kevin Durant Really Record A Hip Hop Song Together?

Right now, arguably the most entertaining thing on television (though maybe not to some, due to the results of the first 2 games, get your shit together Cleveland) to watch is the NBA Finals. A rivalry years in the making, and the first time in NBA history that 2 teams have faced off against each other in the Finals for 3 years in a row. With what seems like perfect timing (almost suspect timing), something surfaced online by way of a hip hop producer from Cleveland.

Yesterday (June 5th), somebody from Cleveland recording studio Spider Studios released a snippet of what appears to be a Lebron James & Kevin Durant song, apparently recorded during the 2011 lockout season of the NBA. With Kevin Durant (supposedly) producing the beat and both NBA superstars giving vocals to the track, Complex reached out to the owner of Spider Studios, Ben Schigel, to get more information about the track.

What do you remember about the night LeBron James and Kevin Durant recorded a rap song together?
"They came into my studio Spider Studios in Cleveland, Ohio. I have a buddy that was recording, and I guess he knows LeBron’s manager [Maverick Carter] and a few of LeBron’s buddies. When the NBA had the lockout, I think Durant was working out with LeBron, and my buddy said they wanted to record. He didn’t say Kevin Durant. He said LeBron, so I was only expecting LeBron. And then they both came in and I was like, 'Oh, this is kind of cool.'"

Was it just LeBron and KD?
"They came in with a bunch of their buddies, and we recorded from like 10 o’clock until four in the morning. We did a bunch of songs. Well, we didn’t do a bunch of songs. We did two or three."

Oh wait, so there’s more than just the one song that everybody is talking about right now?
"They did that song and then they did one other song. But the second song doesn’t have KD on it. It was just LeBron and a couple of his buddies."

Do you know if the song with LeBron and KD has an official title?
"I don’t think the song has a name."

What was the vibe like in the studio when LeBron and KD started recording?
"The vibe was cool. Those guys came—they probably had like 15 or 20 of their buddies show up with them—and they just kind of hung out and wrote as they were there. There was one moment I remember laughing because I was working on the Pro Tools rig and I looked and Kevin Durant was sitting on my floor. I was like, 'Dude, you’re worth $20 million or whatever, somebody can get you a chair.' [Laughs.] 'You shouldn’t be sitting on the floor.'"

The ESPN story about the song LeBron and KD recorded said that KD may have produced it. I’m guessing that if he was hanging out on the floor, that part of the story probably isn’t true. Did he play any role in the production?
"I can’t remember where the beat came from. I don’t think it was KD. I’ve been trying to figure that out."

Do you know why they picked that night to come to the studio to record music?
"I think it was just real spontaneous. I don’t think they really knew what was going to happen. I don’t even know if they were planning on anything happening. It’s kind of like if you were to go to the movies or something. I think they were just like, 'Let’s go into the studio and make a couple tracks because we’re bored.'"

Did it seem like they were going to do anything with the song they put together?
"I don’t know what their plans were because I never really talked to them after that day. I think they were just trying to have a good time."

After they were finished recording the song, what did you do with it?
"It just kind of lived on a hard drive in the studio. I’ve had it for six or seven years, and I’ve never really played it for anybody. I’ve kept it a secret. But when I started to hear the news about the song yesterday, I laughed because I knew I had it."

Why did you decide to put out a snippet of the song after holding onto it for all these years?
"I put it out there just to let people know it does exist. I also wouldn’t mind maybe trying to find an avenue to do something with it. With LeBron and KD's blessings of course."

Have you heard from either of their camps since releasing the snippet?
"I talked to LeBron’s manager for a little bit today. He was cool with me putting the snippet out."

So the most important question: Are you actually going to make everyone wait until you hit a million retweets to release the song, or will you put it out before then?
"We’ll see, you know? [Laughs.] It’s tough to get to a million."

You can check out a snippet of the track in the link below, via Spider Studios' twitter.

https://twitter.com/SpiderStudiosOH/status/871876840079732736

What do you guys think of the snippet?  Better or worse than everything else rap being put out right now?  Well... No, I shouldn't go there.  


















  

Sorry For My Tardiness: Boogie

He got some shine last year, but it'd be unfair to say that Boogie's 2015 was even a good year (scratch that, not a good year, but it'd be wrong to say that Boogie had hit his peak in 2015). 2015 seemed like a warm up for the Long Beach, CA native (though born in Compton), getting shine from practically every hip hop blog on the net after the release of his critically acclaimed second mix tape The Reach on June 24, 2015 (exactly one year after the release of his debut mix tape, Thirst 48). In August of 2015, Boogie signed a deal with Interscope Records; I guess real recognizes real (or major labels recognize talent).



After a fair amount of listens to Boogie's second mix tape The Reach, I can truly say that a rapper with an interesting story to tell (which isn't always the case) is on the come up. The musical appeal is there based on Boogie's great use of singing melodies (featuring a not-so-terrible singing voice in which you can hear the pain of lost loved ones, and some angelic hooks from collaborator D'anna Stewart), he's got some great punch lines that will make the real rap heads' ears perk up, and great story-telling bars that keep you interested throughout an entire album, let alone a single song.

With both The Reach and Thirst 48, (which Boogie explains the meaning of both mix tape titles in the interview with Complex below) Boogie makes a story that everyone has heard so often sound interesting again. Boogie's got the "juice", and he's pretty close to drinking the rest of it. His sort of real, raw story is the type that people want and need to hear, and the kind that can inspire the next up and comer to push through the worst to become the best (and it seems that Boogie is well on his way to become one of the best in the game). Check out the interview below to learn more about Boogie, including how he got shot in his foot.


  (*I do not own these videos, songs, or the rights to them*) 




      





       

The Return Of The Fresh Prince: What I (And Maybe You) Want From Will Smith's Comeback Album

Will Smith, The Fresh Prince, is coming back to rap. Just let that sink in for a moment. I know I already posted about this several months ago, but seeing more news and rumors of Will Smith's comeback has really got me thinking about the possibilities. Now when you think of Will Smith and rap, you may think of his and Jazzy Jeff's "Summertime", you may think of "Welcome To Miami", or you may even think of "Gettin Jiggy With It", but based on some minor rumors buzzing about social media, we may be getting a different kind of Will Smith rap album. I'd like to detail what I'd like to see (and maybe what you'd like to see as well) from Will Smith's comeback album by expressing my thoughts, including some facts, and definitely some opinions on how Will Smith could make the most out of his planned comeback.

Now besides laughing at Meek Mill memes (which I think we've all been doing a lot of lately), Will Smith has been quite a social guy lately. He showed up to Drake's OVO Fest a couple of days ago and was very comfortable and close with Drake and Kanye backstage. What the three were talking about (besides Meek Mill) remains to be seen, but rumors on Twitter have surfaced that say Will Smith has not only been in the studio working on new music with Kanye, but with Drake as well!  Can't wait to see what these guys cook up. Now there are very few details about how Will's studio sessions with them have gone, but Will confirms working on new music below.

Will Smith also spoke about his album back in July on Jaden Smith's Beats 1 radio station, MSFTS Frequency, and also spoke about his recent studio time with Kanye West. Some quotes can be heard below from Complex.

                                         (*I do not own these videos or the rights to them*)

Interesting right?  Now one last thing I have to say that would be absolutely explosive, and only fitting for Will Smith's comeback rap album would be a DJ Jazzy Jeff collaboration (oh yes, that's right, Jazzy Jeff is still producing). Or even a couple of them would be nice!  Imagine DJ Jazzy Jeff and The Fresh Prince reuniting; it's only proper for Will's return!  Plus DJ Jazzy Jeff's recent work with Philly rapper Dayne Jordan could make for a pretty cool Philadelphia inspired collaboration on Will's album. Imagine Will and Dayne trading verses, paying homage to the city of brotherly love; it'd be one for the ages. I know how far fetched all of this sounds, but I can dream, can't I?

Hearing about Will Smith wanting to get in the studio and plan a rap comeback is a dream. Many people hate the clean rap that Will usually serves up, but NOONE has hate for Will Smith. I mean, how can you hate Will Smith?  Honestly... I'll wait. You can't hate the man!  He's an entertainer's entertainer!  It will definitely be interesting to see what Will and Drake and Kanye cook up. Hopefully Kanye doesn't try to change up Will's musical style (knowing how much Kanye changes his up), but Will rapping over some Kanye beats would be magical, almost fitting. Without knowing anything about Will and Drake's possible collaboration you'd probably think that it would be the first single (knowing Drake's feature verse power), but we'll just have to wait and see what happens. The return of the Fresh Prince is coming!