LeBron James Agrees To A&R Ab-Soul’s Next Album

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LeBron previously served as the A&R on 2 Chainz’s “Rap Or Go To The League.”

LeBron James will get in his A&R bag for Ab-Soul’s follow-up to Herbert.

Ab-Soul recently took to Instagram where he shared a recent link up with LeBron James at the Crypto.com Arena. Following the Lakers’ 113-104 win against the Spurs, the two chopped it up, eventually leading Ab-Soul to propose that James serves as the A&R on his next album.

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA - DECEMBER 14: Rapper Ab-Soul performs onstage during day one of the Rolling Loud Festival at Banc of California Stadium on December 14, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Scott Dudelson/Getty Images)

“You really the right of passage,” Soulo said shortly after the Lakers' win. “Top [Dawg] told me to ask you if you would A&R the next album.”

“Yeah, I could do that,” James replied. Ab-Soul went on to explain that Calamatic, the director of the Lebron James-starring House Party, previously shot videos for himself and Kendrick Lamar back in the day. Overall, it seems as though LeBron James could help bring Ab-Soul's next body of work to life.

Though James was rather nonchalant about A&Ring the next Soulo album, he’s undoubtedly a big fan of Herbert. Upon the album’s release, James tweeted, “Ab-Herbert-Soul is so COLD MAN!!!!!!!!! [Fire] project G.” Ab-Soul later asked for courtside seats to a Lakers game.

LeBron James is no stranger to the A&R role. He previously served as an executive producer of 2 Chainz’s Rap Or Go To The League. However, he took on an A&R role, as well, putting together the tracklist and helping with sequencing.

LOS ANGELES, CA - FEBRUARY 18: LeBron James (L) and 2 Chainz at the 67th NBA All-Star Game: Team LeBron Vs. Team Stephen at Staples Center on February 18, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)

“We put the unexpected together, we painted a beautiful picture together,” 2 Chainz told Vanity Fair of Lebron’s role on the album. “And that’s what we continue to do—we’re really friends. He and Maverick [Carter, LeBron’s business partner] have a wonderful blueprint of how to bring your friends up with you—share the wealth. And it was important that I brought in someone of his stature. He was a presence that I appreciated having around. I mean, let’s be real—he’s King James.”

We’ll keep you posted on the Ab-Soul’s next album.

About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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