LeBron James and Kevin Durant’s 2011 rap song finally was released, and here’s a review
Both are extremely candid about their journey, but one is a better rapper than the other.
Basketball and music often go hand in hand, and nothing makes that more true than the song Kevin Durant and LeBron James recorded years ago, which just hit airwaves Friday afternoon.
In a VICE NOISEY interview with former Machine Gun Kelly producer and engineer Franky Wahoo, it was only supposed to be Durant who walked into the Spider Studios in Cleveland during the 2011 NBA lockout season.
“But then LeBron James ended up showing up and then Kevin Durant had instrumentals that he’d already written on,” Wahoo said. “At this point, I was just kinda there like ‘oh shit.’”
The track, titled It Ain’t Easy, is a candid take by two of the best basketball players on the face of the Earth, as they detail the highs and lows of making it to the top of the NBA food chain. It was published on Soundcloud, Wahoo says, because “the worst thing that could happen is that [James’ agent] Paul would take it down.”
The track, according to Wahoo, was also almost background music for NBA 2K19, but “after months of back and forth, nothing regarding the track materialized.”
Here are the lyrics to the song, with the opening verse from Durant and the second and final verse from James
Durant
“I cut me, I bleed out, dedication
Hard work, sacrifice, meditation
I meditate up on the goal that I’m tryna reach
Grinding all the way to the top, and I ain’t tryna sleep
Come and get me, come and get me, I’m an animal
Cutting through your brain like I’m —————
Now I’m grown up, I got a couple dollars on me
Spent a semester in school, I ain’t no scholar, homie
Who with me? Who with me? [Bleep] dudes with me
Shoot with me, place you on you [bleep] like Jamaal Tinsley
I’m a [unclear], twice before he get around
Relaxin’ in the seats to this Benz is how I get around
I got the money, but that’s the root of all evil
I stayed the same, but it’s changing all the wrong people
Yeah, and every hater all the same
I’m feelin’ like the world is Skip Bayless and I’m LeBron James
Look, now I got a body full of tattoos
Everybody say that I’m changin’, that is not true
Same dude that you met a couple years ago
Talk to the heart and you can see past the visual
Look, stickin’ to the game and I ain’t out of bounds
Maryland on my back, and I can carry it when I’m out of town
I said Maryland on my back and I can carry it when I’m out of town
Instant reaction: Well, this isn’t terrible. KD’s from the DMV, and he kind of has that flow to him.
Favorite bar: “I got the money, but that’s the root of all evil/I stayed the same, but it’s changing all the wrong people”
DeMar DeRozan recently said he wished everyone in the world was rich so they would realize money isn’t everything. Durant adds another layer to that sentiment, scratching the surface of how his money has changed those around him, and probably not in a good way.
Grade: B+
I’m no rap genius, nor do I act like one, but K.D.’s verse ain’t that bad, man. He’s candid, from talking about his one semester at the University of Texas to the Benz he drives to the meditation that helped him get to where he is today. And he kinda stayed on beat, right?
I’ll take it.
James
It ain’t easy on the path I’m on
But put the world on my back ‘cause I’m that strong
Long journey I been on from the very start
No way I die off, with this iron heart
No chance to make it out, that’s what they said
But look at me I’m here, [ball, set and spread?]
From 602 to 747s
I miss you grandma Frieda, R.I.P. in heaven
Say what you want ‘bout me, but leave the family alone
Or call the goons up and have ‘em freshen up the chromes
I love the goons, they up in my heart
‘Cause they been down with King James from the very start
Single parent, just moms, dad gone
It’s all good pops, you made the kid strong
Ain’t no way you can stop this kid
Mama mama knew I was a star from the baby bed
I had to make it out, no other option
Now ain’t nothing in the world that I ain’t coppin’
Yo y’all already know what it is
Now lemme just spread my wings
While y’all listen to the voice in this hook sing:
Instant reaction: LeBron James strikes me as the kind of guy who could have been successful at whatever he decided to do in life. Except rap. It’s not that the lyrics are trash — they’re not trashhhhhh. His voice is just so damn deep, it sounds a little off.
Favorite bar: Say what you want ‘bout me, but leave the family alone/Or call the goons up and have ‘em freshen up the chromes
Wooo, talk about keeping that same energy. Remember when LaVar Ball tried to say LeBron James Jr. was gonna be trash? LeBron shut that down with the quickness. Family is clearly what means more to James than anything else.
Grade: C+
There were a few times where James fell off the beat, and that “iron heart” bar really put him in the negative early on. But LeBron was just as candid as Durant was. From talking about growing up with an absent father to his salute to his late grandmother, you can really only appreciate when guys are honest on these tracks.
Hook
You think that it’s easy? No, no, no
What I go through. What I go through.
You think that it’s easy? Easy? No. No.
What I go through. What I go through
Grade: A
The vocals on this hook are really freaking good, and it’s a simple message. It ain’t easy being the best in the world at anything, especially not basketball. [Note: If you know who the singer on this hook is, please let us know.]
Rappers want to be basketball players and, for some reason, basketball players want to be rappers. It wasn’t Durant’s first time behind the mic, either. He also had a freestyle over a popular Jay-Z/Kanye West track, “What You Need.”
We see it every year with the celebrity all-star game, and every year, it seems a NBA star is dropping a mixtape. It’s a beautiful part of the culture we live in, and it’s fun we get to see some of the greats of all-time open up.
But damn, LeBron, iron heart? I get what you’re trying to say, but I got some bars for you next time, fam.