Cause my father was a rapper: LSU star Flau’jae Johnson gets real about “experiencing fame on different levels”

LSU Tigers guard Flau’jae Johnson

Before she was Flau’jae Johnson of the LSU Tigers and NCAA champion, the guard was known for her music career as a rapper. Johnson first gained national fame after competing on America’s Got Talent at 14.

She auditioned with her original song, Guns Down, where she freestyled deep introspective lyrics about the death of her father to gun violence.

“They killed my daddy while my mama was pregnant/ how I’m supposed to feel?” she rapped.

Talking about her early fame during an appearance on Ebro in the Morning, Johnson said:

“I tell people all the time (that) I feel like I experience fame on different levels ever since I was young though. Since I was young in my city, everybody kind of knew me cause my father was a rapper and so growing up, I went on a rap game on national TV, then I went on America’s Got Talent. So I’ve always felt like I’ve been kind of like in the limelight and had to carry myself as such.”

Flau’jae Johnson’s father, Camouflage, was an American rapper known for his songs, Cut Friends and Laying My Stunt Down. He was killed in a gunfire on May 19, 2003, in Savannah Georgia, six months before his daughter’s birth.

Flau’jae Johnson on balancing music and basketball

The LSU Tigers became national champions during her freshman season and Flau’jae Johnson helped the Tigers defend the title this year.

Amid all her on-court achievements, Johnson has also worked on her music and has released 17 songs on Spotify. Some include collaborations with other rappers like NLE Choppa and Wyclef Jean.

Balancing music and basketball is not new to Johnson, as she revealed in an interview with the New York Times:

“I’ve been rapping and playing basketball my whole life. Now that they see me on different stages, they always ask, ‘How do you do it?’ But it’s like, I’ve been doing it. Turn up in the summer, play basketball during basketball season and then go on about my day.”

The guard’s off-campus apartment doubles as her recording studio and is fully equipped with speakers, a microphone and monitors. In between her games and flights, Johnson is working on her lyrics and new beats, making full use of her limited free time.

What do you think of Flau’jae Johnson and her double career as a musician and basketball player? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.