In just three days, former NBA basketball player LiAngelo Ball released a song that garnered three million streams on YouTube (it’s also been the top trending song on the site). The middle brother of NBA stars Lonzo and LaMelo is the current star of the moment thanks to his viral new single, “Tweaker,” under his moniker G3.
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Let’s dive into the backstory of both LiAngelo and his basketball family as well as the origin and meaning of the popular new track.
[RELATED: 3 Songs From Current NBA Stars for All the Hoops Heads Out There]
Who is LiAngelo Ball?
Born on November 24, 1998, the 26-year-old Anaheim, California-born LiAngelo Ball is the middle brothers of NBA stars Lonzo and LaMelo. Of the three brothers, LiAngelo is the one who never quite stuck in the NBA, despite signing a brief contract with the Detroit Pistons.
But now he’s one of the hottest musicians of the moment. Many fans of the Ball family and LiAngelo, in particular, likely didn’t know he was even a songwriter and performer to begin with. In fact, his brother Lonzo is the better-known artist amongst the trio of brothers. And it’s Lonzo, who goes by ZO, who has garnered writing credit on the song, which turns out to be a collaboration between at least two of the bros.
For the athlete-turned-artist, the fame is much more than he enjoyed as a basketball player on the pro level. Today, he’s being quoted on news weather reports and played in NFL and NBA locker rooms. From relative obscurity to becoming the emcee of the moment!
What is the Song About?
Combing AfroBeat with a twanging Southern rap style in the vein of Bubba Sparxxx or Nelly, LiAngelo’s performance is not only unique and memorable, but it is unexpected for someone who seemed out of the public eye.
Lyrically, the song is a classic trash talker. He boasts about having money, the ability to go wild and the ability to keep himself together despite it all. LiAngelo talks about never taking a loss, how he’s unbothered by drama and he will persevere through whatever comes his way. He also gives a big shoutout to his father, LaVar Ball, the brash architect of the successful Ball family.
On the song’s chorus, LiAngelo raps,
I might swerve, bend that corner, woah
B*tch, hold on tight ’cause I tweak in this b*tch start lettin’ sh*t go
And I heard that she wanna show
Me who she be, I’m kinda f*ckin’ with it, show me some mo’
B*tch, we tatted head to toe, could give a f*ck, the story wrote
You wanna tweak it up with me, then I’ma show you how that go
Like the money in my pockets blow
They havin’ convos about me, these p*ssy n*ggas don’t know
Why Is It So Popular?
Many are saying that the song is reminiscent of the 2000s rap styles, with fans joking that they want to burn the track to a CD-Rom and listen to it that way. Ah, sweet nostalgia. That and the lyricism and delivery are on point, no matter what decade the song sounds like or was released it.
Lastly, it is just remarkable that the Ball brothers are in the news again. And in perhaps the most unexpected of ways. It legit got us tweakin’!
(Photo by Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for GBK Brand Bar)
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