Baron Davis is crediting legendary producer No I.D. with helping him transition from a professional basketball player to a full-time rapper.
In an exclusive interview with ESPN, Davis reflected on his newfound journey of becoming a rapper known as Bart Oatmeal. According to B Diddy, he already had his hands in several different pots after he retired from basketball, such as directing, producing, and creating several tech apps, but he needed something to fill his “creative void.”
Rapping became the substance that filled the void for Davis, and he hasn’t looked back since. He dropped his first album, Steel Cut (Deluxe), last June to solid reviews, but all of this wouldn’t have happened with No I.D. pushing him to chase his dreams, even if he didn’t see the former basketball player’s vision at first.
Davis and No I.D. met through Common, and they bonded over sports. However, the legendary producer wasn’t sold on his friend becoming a rapper, and it took Davis running a soft campaign to get No I.D. to give him a chance. Once he understood the vision, No I.D. laced Davis up with a beat pack and that kickstarted the latter’s journey into rap.
“No I.D. has been the ultimate guide and coach,” Davis told ESPN. “He helped me transition from my former life.”
No I.D. added, “When I heard what I did with the songs, that was the first time I was like, ‘Oh, you really do rap.’ His skill level is impressive, and he’s a storyteller. [Davis] is a real artist and I’m always drawn to that more than someone’s commercial appeal. How he lives life is how he makes music and how he played the game: aggressively with a good heart.”
The connection between Davis and No I.D. has led to them collaborating and dropping a joint project sometime this year, which will serve as the former NBA player’s second full-length project.
View news Source: https://www.complex.com/sports/a/markelibert/baron-davis-credits-no-id-rap-dreams
