The new 2Chainz title says it all — Rap or Go To The League. The 2Chainz collab with LeBron James describes the two most obvious crush-it options of modern urban life: 2Chainz took the first one and James took the other. (The league is, of course, the NBA.) In a video recorded to launch the album, the two said “RapOrGoTheLeague about to set the tone for the year. A&R by @kingjames”. A&R stands for Artists and Repertoire, a music business job description that varies with different artists, record labels and situations. Musiccareers.net defines A&R as “the division of a record label that is responsible for talent scouting and the artistic and commercial development of the recording artist. It also acts as a liaison between the artist and the record label. The role of A&R has three main responsibilities: 1) Finding talent 2) Overseeing the recording process 3) Assisting with marketing and promotion.
LeBron James didn’t discover 2Chainz, of course. And while he likely had input, James also probably didn’t “oversee” the recording process of Rap or Go To The League, at least not by himself. But you can bet that #3 is where LeBron is gonna rock the world for this record. Assist with marketing and promotion? Check. James is an executive producer on Rap or Go To The League. The King knows from marketing and he’s got big time influencer power to lend. He also knows about MERCH. They’re starting out with some good-humored merch too — head on over to 2chainzshop and pick up a Trappy bobblehead. Just $25 for Trappy (that’s 2Chainz dog). Trappy does have style. (See instagram post below for some Trappy action.)
