Billboard‘s Ballin’ Out Podcast returns with Chicago rapper Lil Durk and New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall.
Before the release of his sophomore album Lil Durk 2x (which arrived July 22 via Def Jam), Durk stopped by Billboard HQ to discuss making songs for “the females, the streets and the clubs” before offering some hot takes on the NBA’s recent shakeups, including Derrick Rose and Joakim Noah leaving for the Knicks and Dwyane Wade joining his hometown team, the Chicago Bulls.
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“With D. Rose and Joakim leaving, I ain’t gonna lie, I was like, ‘Man, I’m not a Bulls fan no more,'” Durk said, before changing his tune with the arrival of D. Wade. “He back home. I feel good about the Bulls. They gave me a little hope … I’m back to a Bulls fan.”
New York Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall then joined the ladies of Ballin’ Out at a SoHo penthouse to discuss his “We Know Game” campaign with Champs Sports, being the muse for T.I. and Quavo’s new hype anthem “Baller Alert” and his past dreams of becoming a rapper.
“I went through that phase when I was with Denver back in 2007,” said the former Broncos star, who was drafted by Denver in 2006. “I put a studio in my house like most athletes and I just wanted to be the boss — that’s all I wanted to do. I would sit in there with a glass of wine and listen to my people just get in the booth and lay something down.” When asked if there were unreleased Brandon Marshall rap cuts in the stash, he laughed and said, “There is. I got a few bars … but those days are over, I’m on something else now.”
Marshall then discussed his current playlist favorites and recalled initially counting out Chance the Rapper. “I remember being in Chicago a couple years ago and he was at Lollapalooza and he was just bouncing around too much for me … and I was like, ‘Aww I’ll just pass on Chance,'” he said. “But I can’t stop listening to Chance right now. Coloring Book is just dope. I think he might be dethroning Drake.” He also discussed his bromance with Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and his hefty bet with Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown.
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Also on the podcast, Natalie and Adelle discuss the return of Frank Ocean, Drake versus Joe Budden, and Team USA singing Vanessa Carlton‘s 2002 hit “A Thousand Miles.” For more Ballin’ Out on the regular, subscribe on iTunes.