5 perfect moments from Miles Bridges' rap career
Let’s make one thing clear: Miles Bridges is a rapper who just so happens to play in the NBA.
Let’s make one thing clear: Miles Bridges is a rapper who just so happens to play in the NBA.
His songs are littered with curse words, threats of violence… you know, typical rapper stuff. If that’s not your scene, or you’re currently reading at work, it might be best to circle back around and watch these clips another time.
But for those in the clear… Holy crap, man. Bridges (stage name RTB MB) has been explosive on the court and the mic these past few seasons.
Much has been made of Damian Lillard’s rapping highlights: a super smooth freestyle on Sway in the Morning, four albums, and several Lil Wayne features. He’s really good — the best in a long line of NBA players who rap (Lou Williams deserves a shoutout here, too).
Miles Bridges is a straight up rapper. Listening to him isn’t a novelty, like it would be for Marvin Bagley III. RTB MB songs deserve to be in your gym playlist or at max volume in the car — just like every other great artist.
Today, we’re looking at five perfect moments that have come from Bridges’ rap career.
Counting masks in the car like money
Bridges burst onto the rap scene in late 2020 with “Steph McGrady”, a laundry list of questionable lyrics and indictments on his life outside of the NBA.
“I ain’t throwing ones in the strip (club), I got Cash App”
“I just popped a bean in the club and I can’t move”
“I got shooters in the D like I’m Dwane Casey”
All of that is fine and dandy. It’s entertaining to hear an NBA player say all of the things NBA players shouldn’t say in a two minute song. Dame D.O.L.L.A and NBA hip-hoppers of the past would never lean this far into being a rapper.
We have to remember that Bridges is from Flint, Michigan — where the rappers only take certain types of beats, and rely on humor and punchlines before anything else. With that, we get this gem at 0:33 in the Steph McGrady music video:
We know he doesn’t carry ones, but it’s still time to flex — so he grabs the pile of mask out of the center console and spreads them out like a stack of cash.
Actions speak louder than words, so we know Bridges has been safe during the pandemic, all masked up. A true role model.
The first minute of the “Intro” music video
“Intro” is Bridges’ most popular song on Apple Music — swift and simple production, baseless lyrics, some humor thrown in here and there. The music video is even better, and the first minute? Sensational.
We set the scene with a few ladies walking up to the mansion and knocking on the door. You know, famous rapper stuff. From there, he matches the video to his lyrics — a girl telling him he only wants to get physical with her, him agreeing, and then calling her boyfriend on the phone and telling him, “Damn bro, that’s life.”
Around the :39 mark, Terry Rozier drops in for a cameo, and we quickly shift to a nerdy white kid punching numbers on a calculator, and then back to Rozier swinging a pool cue around like a gun. We weave in and out of scenes of Bridges on the balcony and sitting around a table. His eyes are really red and he looks tired. Must be allergy season.
Imagining David Stern’s reaction to the gun-centric lyrics on “ESPN”
Every team should be required to have two players who can rap and get on songs together. Write it into the next collective bargaining agreement.
Bridges teams up with Rozier (who is, umm, not the best NBA rapper we’ve ever heard) on a track over the NBA on ESPN theme music, and it is wild. David Stern would have suspended these two longer than Ron Artest if this happened just a decade ago.
From the very first lyric, we know exactly how this song is going to go.
“Stephen A., I got my Smith with me”
A few lines later:
“Gilbert Arenas, I’m in the locker room, my blick with me”
These two bars add to our original thesis: Bridges’ NBA career and the knowledge that comes with it adds intrigue to his rap career — not the other way around. A normal rapper who drops these lines is just being funny. When Miles Bridges does it, the thought of “Wait, is he serious?” creeps into our minds for just a split second.
No, he is not serious. Gilbert Arenas and Javaris Crittenton brought guns into the Wizards locker room in late 2009 and hardly had careers after that. Bridges is smart enough to use clever lyrics in his songs — he’s not actually going to bring a gun into the locker room.
Still, let’s imagine former NBA commissioner David Stern, who once instilled an NBA dress code because he felt his players were too “hip-hop,” watching this video with steam coming out of his ears.
LeBron bumping one of his songs in the car
Professional athletes always give the same advice: “Work in silence, don’t post your workouts, don’t get too caught up in social media.” LeBron James has never, ever followed that. This clip from 2017 was extra-revealing — Why does LeBron, one of the most athletic people in the history of the universe, need to post clips of him shirtless dancing around mid-workout to Tee Grizzley?
Because he’s LeBron frickin’ James, that’s why. LeBron really cares about music, and a post on his Instagram story of him jamming to your song is as good of an organic advertisement an artist can get. Plus, he never forgets to tag the artist. That’s huge.
Now we know RTB MB is in LeBron’s playlist, as this clip of him bumping “AF1” in the backseat further adds to the legend.
Bridges, featured on a completely different song, dropped this lyric:
“Play against ‘Bron, and sell some work where the Lakers play”
He’s also a Klutch client, due for a massive pay-day this summer. Klutch recently partnered with United Talent Agency (like Klutch, but for artists and on-screen talent). Do you see what we’re fishing for here?
And even though it’s virtually impossible for the Lakers to make any serious moves, it is guaranteed that we see an article this summer titled, “Could Miles Bridges join the Lakers?”
Wait: Mason Plumlee is a rapper, too?
We’ve covered Miles Bridges, we’ve dealt with Terry Rozier, but can you imagine the surprise to find out that Hornets center Mason Plumlee has rapping in his past, too?
If the NBA had their own version of the NFL’s Hard Knocks, we would’ve begged for the Hornets to be the featured team this season. The world needs to see a locker room cypher with Miles Bridges, Terry Rozier, LaMelo Ball, and Mason Plumlee.
It may have already happened, as far as we know:
