Lance Stephenson is a professional basketball player. And a rapper. Stop us if you've heard this one.
The Charlotte Hornets have been playing their guard's "Hot N---a" remix track before games, and it's not bad, but it doesn't exactly preempt a future full of platinum records for Nasty Lance (just throwing out a moniker suggestion).
Check out the song before we go any further:
Stephenson, a former NYC prep phenom, left Indiana this summer for Charlotte, presumably for basketball reasons. But North Carolina does seem like a better fit hip-hop wise, too.
The 24-year-old recently sat down with Grantland to discuss his burgeoning hip-hop career. Here was the rap-related exchange:
The Hornets play your rap song during pregame. Did you ask them to do that?
It's just a great thing they're doing. I just hope they keep doing it. It gets me hyped before the game.
Any other songs in the works?
Coming soon, coming soon. Yeah.
So you've written them?
They're already done. I'm just waiting for the right time to pull it out.
You talk in the song a lot about "bottles," and the video is basically guys partying. You're young, with lots of money now. Is it hard to balance work and fun? Do you have rules during the season — like you can't stay out past a certain hour the day before a game?
I have a lot of fun, but I don't even drink.
Not at all?
No. I just said all that in the song to be cool, and to relate the environment I'm in a lot now. I don't drink or smoke — none of that.
Not even in the offseason?
No. Not at all. I just like to party and have fun with my friends, and just be out a lot. That's why I said that in my song.
Whoa. Lance has much work to do if he truly wants to spread his rap wings. First off: the honesty level is dangerously low. If you're going to say you pop bottles in the club, YOU BETTER POP BOTTLES IN THE CLUB.
Follow through, man. And just to be safe: don't quit your day job.
