Andre Drummond continues to build his brand off-the-court, this time taking stage at a Las Vegas nightclub and rapping.
Las Vegas is a prime tourist city for many reasons but imagine stumbling into a club and finding a 6-foot-11 man on stage, thinking he looks familiar, and then realizing it is Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond.
That’s what happened in the Sin City earlier this week, despite Summer League being over. TMZ reported that Drummond took center stage at On the Record Speakeasy and Club at the Park MGM and rapped five songs.
The 25-year-old center has showcased an interest in rap, debuting an EP entitled “FYI” 11 months ago. Drummxnd, his label name, released a new single in May called “Listen.”
Detroit’s 97.1 The Ticket labeled “Listen” as a song “you’ve got to hear.” The song can be downloaded on the iTunes store.
Pistons beat writer Rod Beard reviewed “FYI” for the Detroit News saying “it’s worth some attention.” Among Beard’s highlights were Drummxnd’s authentic lyrics, the use of auto-tune making his tracks fit with today’s club music and not trying to be bigger than he is, noting it’s obvious that it’s a side hobby for now.
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"“It’s not rap calculus, but it’s not meant to be,” Beard wrote. “It’s Drummond, with his NBA fame and wealth, rapping about what he knows about. It’s a sincere attempt to express himself in music, without the make-believe swag attached.“There are Drummonds references to his millions of dollars, but at least in his case, he does the big bank to back it up — and they’re not just empty boasts.“That’s where “FYI” fits: It’s not that empty feeling of someone trying to sell rap albums to make money. Drummond clearly doesn’t need the money and funds his own musical venture. The cynics will bemoan that Drummond could be working on his free throws or something else basketball-related instead of wasting his time on music.”"
After basketball, Drummond can focus on his rap career. In TMZ’s 42-second video from Thursday night, it appears he has good stage presence and interacts with the crowd.
But it will be awhile before Drummond fully embraces Drummxnd. The basketball player is entering the final year of his contract with the Pistons, unless he opts-in to a $28 million year for the 2020-21 season.
Coming off a playoff run last season, the Pistons will look to improve upon a 41-41 season. They could push for 50 wins based on a number of close games last year.
How about a new All-Star challenge that pits Drummxnd up against Portland Trailblazers star Damian LIllard, who also raps. We’d settle for a rap battle between Drummxnd and our own Nick Henkel, who dropped some work of his own this week.