The sounds of New Orleans have permeated speakers across the world for decades. However, the rapper that’s carrying the torch for the city right now is Rob49. The NOLA-born rapper has been a frontrunner for the city over the past year but it was the release of 2022’s Vulture Island that built the anticipation for his trajectory. Co-signs from Birdman and features from Kevin Gates and Lil Baby helped put a spotlight on the budding star. With the release of 4GODII, he came to make a mark on the rap game and put on for his city.
As he comes off of the album’s release, he’s now gearing up for his upcoming Vulture Island weekend in New Orleans. The two-day festival begins today (Friday, June 16) and includes a concert and a celebrity basketball game. “I just wanted to give my fans a chance to see me, you know what I mean? They ain’t seen me perform in a while. So I just wanted to give them the chance to see me, you know, have a good time. I ain’t trying to break their pockets or nothing like that. I’m charging the least I can for tickets. I just want them to come f*ck with me,” he told HotNewHipHop.
Read More: Rob49 & G Herbo Collab On “Add It Up”
Rob49 On G Herbo & Fredo Bang Basketball Skills
Although there are a small fraction of rappers who have the potential to go pro, basketball remains one of hip-hop’s greatest past time. In recent years, NBA All-Star celebrity games have included artists like Quavo showing out on the court. For Rob49’s Vulture Island Weekend, he’s drafted a handful of his close friends and collaborators to join him. Rowdy Rebel, Anti Da Menace, Doodie Lo, and FCG Heem will play alongside Rob49 as part of the New Orleans Vultures. Meanwhile, G Herbo leads the opposing team, Choppa City, which includes Gillie Da King and Fredo Bang.
“They suck, man,” he said with a laugh ahead of the game. “We gon’ win though, for sure." For Fredo Bang, this presents an excellent opportunity for him to get his lick back on the court. A video went viral several months back of Rob49 collecting a rumored $10,000 from the Baton Rouge native after a pickup game. “We beat him. Not out of $10,000, though but we beat him by a lot of money,” Rob49 said, although he did acknowledge that Fredo might return with a chip on his shoulder.
Who Will Be The MVP?
Despite the doubts he has for the opposing team, he feels as though Gillie Da King aka Damian Gillard has the potential to lead the game in a major way. Besides himself, he said that Gillie could very well leave the game as the MVP of this year’s Vulture Island weekend. “Yeah, I’m a fan of his game. He’s real good. Him and Ceedy Deuce got a chance [at MVP],” he said.
HNHH will keep you posted on the results of Vulture Island weekend. For the timebeing, check out Rob49's latest album, 4GOD II.