Lonzo Ball has been nursing a knee injury, but he will be back soon. It does not mean, however, that he hasn't kept himself busy or not made headlines. The Point Guard is talented at basketball, but one of his other hobbies/passions is music.
A couple of days ago, Ball Dropped his debut rap album labeled "Born 2 Ball," which has had fans intrigued and others turning their heads. It already has faced some harsh criticism, but he's used to that.
The details
Lonzo Ball, who raps under the name Zo, announced the arrival of the mixtape about a week ago.
The tape is available on multiple platforms including Apple Music and SoundCloud. The cover features an ode to a younger Ball with his father Lavar, who has had his fare of criticism for trying to sabotage the Lakers and exploit his sons. LaVar has been making headlines with his constant comments about the Lakers and his son.
This photo was found via an article on Complex by writer Tara Mahadevan.
The project contains seventeen tracks clocking in at fifty-four minutes long. Lonzo Ball has released singles that are on the tape such as, "BBB," "Get Off," "Zo2," and "Super Saiyan."
Information about the tape and statistics below were found via an article on Highsnobiety by Kyle Hodge. The project does not have any well-known artists, it features Kenneth Paige, who is on a bunch of songs.
Performance on the season
Like his music, the rookie guard has been criticized for his season turnout, "averaging 10.2 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game, and angering Twitter with his wild Nas Illmatic hoodie." His overall field goal percentage has been less than stellar, but he has shown flashes of brilliance in his game in terms of dishing out assists and rebounding the ball well for a rookie.
Lonzo Ball has been sidelined due to a sprained MCL, but he should be back soon. We will have to see whether the guard can continue to improve on the floor with his shooting and being more aggressive. I still believe that Lonzo Ball is going to be a special player. He also needs time to develop as a player. He will not win rookie of the year because others, like Ben Simmons and Donovan Mitchell, have played better.
The Los Angeles Lakers are in a good spot, with a bunch of young talent. They drafted well, getting players like Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart, and second-year player Brandon Ingram. It is clear to see that Lonzo Ball is the face of the L.A. Lakers now and for the future.
Mixed reception
"Born 2 Ball," has had mixed reception on Twitter for the most part from fans liking the tape as a collective whole or criticizing it for being terrible. Some of the responses on Twitter are hilarious.
— ♥amanda♥ (@mndabish) February 16, 2018
— wolf of wallstreet (@DrewJuarez) February 16, 2018
Born 2 Ball is a classic project bro. Definitely push for some of these songs to be featured on 2K19 BBB
— Corey Posley (@CHI_BIZZZ) February 18, 2018
Album is fire everybody want the fame but don’t want to put in the work
— ThekidTobi (@Thekidtobi) February 17, 2018
My opinion
It's nice to see that he has another passion for something though.
After all, he is not the first basketball player to rap on the side as other players such as Damian Lillard, Iman Shumpert, and Victor Oladipo make music.
The best songs to me on the tape are "Puttin in Work," "Check," "Freestyle," "Gotta Get It," and closer "LaVar." The last song "LaVar," is the most interesting as Lonzo reflects on what his father means to him and the rest of his family.
In my opinion, the tape is just decent, nothing more, nothing less. After listening, it shows that Ball has some potential, but for now, he should just stick to basketball. Nothing on it signals to me that he is going to get signed by a label yet. His delivery and tone are decent. The production on the tape is not bad either, the lyrics though could be better.
The tape tends to fall into too much repetition about the Big Baller Brand and on playing basketball. And the choruses can be better. However, for a full-time basketball player, it is not bad. Lonzo Ball has a bright future ahead and we will see if he can attract top free-agents in the offseason and rise to greatness on the floor.