Ben McLemore
No. 23’s hip-hop aspirations arose when the then-Kansas freshman began penning lyrics in his college dorm room, soon recording eight tracks under the moniker Young Sav.
“I’m a laid-back dude, so I’d just chill in my room, and one day I just got my phone, went in my notes, started listening to that Future beat and just started writing to it,” said McLemore in July 2013. “That’s how I started rapping and started writing stuff.”
Earlier this month, the Kings guard released his debut video, “Intro,” a two-minute ode that paints a deep, personal picture of his tumultuous upbringing over a smooth, jazzy instrumental. The St. Louis native – donning a red Cardinals baseball cap atop his head – receives a collect phone call from his incarcerated brother, and goes on to shine light on a myriad of childhood obstacles, from fighting poverty to watching his older brother be arrested.
Metta World Peace (Ron Artest)
World Peace released his debut album, My World, under his own label, Tru Warier – which he justifiably once shaved into his hair for promotion – early during his Sacramento stint in 2006. The record includes guest appearances from popular rappers P. Diddy, Juvenile and Mike Jones.
Since then, the All-Star forward worked with hip-hop legend Dr. Dre on the single “Champions” – which was actually written a year before World Peace won a title with the Lakers.
The Queensbridge native has also made cameos in several music videos, including a blink-and-you-missed-it appearance in Nas’ “Nas Is Like” (1:25 mark) and Toni Braxton’s “Yesterday,” in which he comforts the R&B singer who is wronged by her love interest, then-Lakers guard Shannon Brown.