Metta World Peace

Alex Kramers

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.

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&amp;B singer who is wronged by her love interest, then-Lakers guard Shannon Brown.

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Hip-Hop Royalty - Page 2

Since the early 1990s, dozens of NBA players have crossed over into the hip-hop industry, from releasing their own full-length albums to making cameos in chart-topping rap artists’ music videos.

Most notably, Kings Minority Owner Shaquille O’Neal dropped multiple certified gold and platinum albums – as well as notoriously freestyled on numerous occasions – while Jason Kidd, Cedric Ceballos, Brian Shaw and Dana Barros are among the emcees on 1994's legendary compilation album, "B-Ball’s Best Kept Secret." Last year, a teaser video promoted the forthcoming “Full Court Press Vol. 1” – an apparently real album featuring rap collaborations from the likes of Juwan Howard, Carlos Boozer and Glen "Big Baby" Davis with Rick Ross, Snoop Dogg and T-Pain – but while it promised a fall 2014 release date, the official website only states the highly-anticipated record is 'coming soon.'

Numerous Kings legends – including Chris Webber and Walt Williams – have showcased their rapping prowess in recording studios over the years, while several other Sacramento hip-hop junkies have delved into the genre by making brief music-video appearances.

In the midst of his first season in The River City in 1999, the five-time All-Star released his debut rap album, 2 Much Drama, under the moniker of C. Webb. The 21-track, independent-label record features Kurupt on the top-10 single "Gangsta, Gangsta (How U Do It)” – which is accompanied by an outstanding video loaded with clichéd choreographed dances and shiny suits – as well as a guest appearance from Redman on “Nuttin' ta Do.”

The current TNT and NBA TV analyst also has production and writing credits on several hip-hop songs, including Nas’ 2007 hit single “Surviving the Times.” The Detroit native’s rap aspirations trace back as far as 1994, when during an appearance on BET’s “Rap City,” Webber revealed he was forming his own record label with Naughty by Nature’s DJ Kay Gee.