Been thinking about this. It's not about hoops, but it is about a hooper.
Give Wemby and his marketing team major credit.
For three or four years now he's been saying yes. Access. Interviews. Riding the subway. Playing chess. Living with monks. Voiced geopolitical takes. Stunt-y or not, doesn't matter.
I think reporters have been starved of actual access from NBA stars for a long time. From LeBron to Jokic, you only got the few crumbs that the player and his sneaker brand and his agency wanted you to have. Then, journalists (and talkshow hosts) would have to make a meal out of crumbs. (Crumbs that often came with strings attached.)
Wemby's kind've bucked that trend. So now that he's got the biggest stage of his career, those same access-starved reporters (who also, fwiw, tend to align with his politics and disposition) have got stories, angles, and the "superhero" they've craved to cover.
Whether Wemby's genuinely that guy or just plays one really well, I don't know. But from a media and marketing standpoint, he and his team ran their long play about as well as we've seen it run in a long time.
Salute.
let's get drake's contact right because there's a lot of confusion
drake's contract worked as follow. all music pre-clb drake has copyright, publishing, and royalties. while umg owns the masters
all songs clb and after, drake owns the masters, while umg gets a percentage of merch, tours, brand deals, music, and exclusive licensing to drake's music during the duration of the contract, which drake finished
since the contract is up. umg will only have drake's masters pre-clb. drake will continue to have copyright, publishing, and royalties pre-clb. he will also own all music fully from clb to ICEMAN, meaning all earnings and use of the music is exclusively for and by him
this insane for any artist to have. the rights he has and money he still earns from his old catalog is crazy. and he gets 100% earnings and complete control of his new catalog, which broke records and is projected to go platinum soon. he hasn't even dropped post contract music yet or gone on tour
this isn't even drake's peak. he's just getting started
Jay Z just 2 months ago:
“I don’t know if battling needs to be apart of the culture anymore”
Drake really got Jay Z going against his beliefs after getting violated on Iceman 😭
Jay-Z’s actions tonight should show everyone that the public’s suspicions about Roc Nation’s animosity toward Drake aren’t just a “conspiracy theory.”
All the nonsense Jay-Z said in his GQ interview about not being personally invested in the rap battle was clearly disingenuous.
The nigga said he’ll cry when Hov dies and shed a tear for every single thing he taught us, and he’s at the graveyard with ONE FROZEN teardrop on his face
DIABOLICAL 👿
GENIUS 🤯
I think you really cracked this shit 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 oh I meant cracced 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭
🚨 Joe Budden says Drake mastered the “Back to Back strategy” again on ICEMAN by mixing massive hooks with direct disses throughout the verses
Joe says Drake intentionally structured the songs so even people who tried avoiding his music the last 2 years would still hear the records everywhere outside
the pod argues Drake basically forced himself back into clubs, cars, hookah lounges & public spaces through undeniable hooks
“I’m gonna make this in a way where you GOTTA hear this.”