Here’s something that the world didn’t see coming a few weeks ago: LiAngelo Ball is now a major-label rapper. If you pay even glancing attention to the NBA, then you already know about the Ball brothers, the three sons of charismatic huckster and Big Baller Brand co-founder Lavar Ball. Lonzo Ball, Lavar’s oldest son, was the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA draft. After suffering some bad injury luck earlier in his career, he’s now a productive player for the Chicago Bulls. LaMelo Ball, Lavar’s youngest, was Rookie Of The Year in 2020 and an All-Star a year later. LiAngelo Ball, the middle child, was always the underachiever, the one who didn’t make the NBA and instead had stings playing in the G League, Lithuania, and Mexico. But now, LiAngelo Ball is out here making hits — or at least one hit, anyway.

LiAngelo Ball’s debut single “Tweaker” premiered on WorldStar in early January after being previewed with the streamer n3on late last year. It’s a satisfyingly squelchy throwback banger that evokes Mannie Fresh, Boosie Badazz, and the New Orleans rap of the ’00s. The Ball family is from Southern California, but he nailed that regional sound anyway. It’s really good! “Tweaker” came out under LiAngelo’s rap name G3 Gelo and Lonzo Ball is credited as co-writer, though he tweeted “only credit I deserve is the cover art.”

The song quickly spread as an internet novelty, and then it broke containment and became a bona fide zero-irony hit and locker room anthem. It currently has nearly 8 million YouTube streams, and it’ll probably reach the Billboard Hot 100 next week. Gelo’s also on the lineup of this spring’s Rolling Loud California. Now Bleacher Report claims that LiAngelo Ball has signed to Def Jam and Universal Music Group in a deal worth between $8 and $13 million. That’s cool with me. I want more songs like “Tweaker.”