Playboi Carti may have surpassed Frank Ocean as the most unpredictable mainstream artist. He pulls back and goes silent just when it feels like there’s momentum and consistent engagement. It’s truly a confounding phenomenon. That said, Playboi Carti came out of hiding on October 22. The rapper had seemingly tuned in to the season opener for the Los Angeles Lakers, because he hopped on Instagram with a request. Carti tagged Lakers newcomer Bronny James and requested he be sent some merch.
Playboi Carti posted photos of Bronny James and a group of fans rocking Bronny’s jersey. He then tagged the famous progeny and stated that he wanted a jersey as well. “Send me ah jersey,” he wrote. Carti’s request may seem odd, but there may be a deeper meaning behind his request. Bronny James has stated, on multiple occasions, that he wears number nine as a tribute to the late rapper Juice WRLD. “Juice has just been a big part of me keeping calm in situations that I’ve been through,” James said in his first press conference. “Just paying homage to him, especially because he passed. It’s a really important thing for me.”
Playboi Carti Has A Strange History With NBA Jerseys
Playboi Carti was close with Juice WRLD throughout the latter’s career. They collaborated on multiple songs. Playboi Carti even reflected on Juice’s passing during a resurfaced interview. He dubbed the late rapper to be a G.O.A.T. and teared up when thinking about what could have been. Carti also admitted that he could have spent more time with Juice WRLD while he was alive. “He was really a G.O.A.T.,” he stated. “Even if we wasn’t seen together like that, we was close.” Beyond the Juice WRLD connection, Carti has an interesting history with the NBA and jerseys, in particular.
The rapper rocked a series of NBA jerseys throughout September, and fans began to theorize that they had something to do with the rollout for his upcoming album. The speculation reached such a fever pitch that NBA franchises began to pressure Playboi Carti to drop the album. The Atlanta Falcons, the Brooklyn Nets and the Orlando Magic Instagram pages left comments on Carti’s page whenever he posted photos rocking their jerseys. It didn’t lead to any new music, and it’s unlikely the Bronny James jersey will either.
About The Author
Elias Andrews is a music and entertainment writer for HotNewHipHop. He joined HNHH in 2024 as the lead night shift contributor, which means he covers new music releases on a weekly basis.
In the year since joining, Elias has covered some of the biggest and most turbulent stories in the world of music. He covered the Drake and Kendrick Lamar battle, and the release of the disses “Family Matters” and “Meet the Grahams,” in particular, in real time. He has also detailed the ongoing list of allegations and criminal charges made against Diddy.
Elias’ favorite artists are Andre 3000, MF Doom, pre-808s Kanye West and Tyler, The Creator. He loves L.A. hip-hop but not L.A. sports teams. The first album he ever bought was Big Willie Style by Will Smith, which he maintains is still a pretty good listen.
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