Most rappers want to be ball players. And most ball players want to be rappers (or some musician of sorts). So it shouldn't be surprising that NBA star Stephen Jackson is rapping and debuted his first music video this week. But I never knew "Stack Jack" rapped. I guess with the NBA on lockout, he figured now would be a good time to publicly display his other skills.
In a song titled "The Season," Jack is surprisingly good with his lyricism, flow, and delivery, unlike, say, Ron Artest. But I must say I'm disappointed that he would release this video. It contains plenty of foul language and use of the N-word, which, unfortunately is typical of many rap songs. But Jack has often talked about people misjudging or unfairly characterizing him based on some past incidents from early in his career. He would say that he's matured, grown, and become a better person. Well, he's just given the critics more ammo.
He was my second-favorite player for the Charlotte Bobcats over the past two seasons (behind Gerald Wallace) and I was sorry to see him traded to the Milwaukee Bucks over the summer. Back in December 2009, I attended a community event he sponsored as part of his efforts to get to know his new city better. I gave him props on this blog--"Stephen Jackson Does Good"--for donating sweater hats and gloves to kids that day. And he continued to do good deeds in Charlotte.
But Jack, and any other person in his prominent position, has to remember that image is everything. And I'll never respect any rapper for shouting out a gang in a song--Stack Jack, Lil Wayne, Game, none of them.
Seriousness aside, one clever, if not funny, moment from the music video comes when a voiceover of news footage from ESPN's Chris Broussard is played, referencing the lockout by saying "A lot of people feel like they really want to see how players respond when they start losing checks," while Jack is, conveniently, shown counting a large stack of money. He's making about $10 million a year so I certainly can't knock his hustle. I'd just prefer he do better.
Watch the video below (NSFW). And the song is supposedly from a soon-to-be-released mixtape titled What's A Lockout.
In a song titled "The Season," Jack is surprisingly good with his lyricism, flow, and delivery, unlike, say, Ron Artest. But I must say I'm disappointed that he would release this video. It contains plenty of foul language and use of the N-word, which, unfortunately is typical of many rap songs. But Jack has often talked about people misjudging or unfairly characterizing him based on some past incidents from early in his career. He would say that he's matured, grown, and become a better person. Well, he's just given the critics more ammo.
He was my second-favorite player for the Charlotte Bobcats over the past two seasons (behind Gerald Wallace) and I was sorry to see him traded to the Milwaukee Bucks over the summer. Back in December 2009, I attended a community event he sponsored as part of his efforts to get to know his new city better. I gave him props on this blog--"Stephen Jackson Does Good"--for donating sweater hats and gloves to kids that day. And he continued to do good deeds in Charlotte.
But Jack, and any other person in his prominent position, has to remember that image is everything. And I'll never respect any rapper for shouting out a gang in a song--Stack Jack, Lil Wayne, Game, none of them.
Seriousness aside, one clever, if not funny, moment from the music video comes when a voiceover of news footage from ESPN's Chris Broussard is played, referencing the lockout by saying "A lot of people feel like they really want to see how players respond when they start losing checks," while Jack is, conveniently, shown counting a large stack of money. He's making about $10 million a year so I certainly can't knock his hustle. I'd just prefer he do better.
Watch the video below (NSFW). And the song is supposedly from a soon-to-be-released mixtape titled What's A Lockout.
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