NBA All-Star Anthony Edwards is getting ready to drop a slam dunk of a compilation album. Edwards is serving as co-executive producer alongside Culture Jam founder and CEO Eesean Bolden on this spring’s Culture Jam Presents: Legend In My Hood.
Following in the footsteps of Kawhi Leonard, who released his Culture Jam: Vol. 1 compilation back in 2021, Edward’s version is set to release this spring. You can expect hard-hitting beats and quotable lyrics from artists like Skilla Baby and bdifferent—Edwards’ own brother—making this a true family affair. Known for his love of hip-hop, we’ll now see if Ant Man’s confident “Believe That” slogan is as applicable to his music curation as it is to his sneakers.
Anthony Edwards is taking on ‘Culture Jam’
On February 13th, Bolden announced that he and Edwards would be teaming up for the next Culture Jam project, Culture Jam Presents: Legend In My Hood.
“We are beyond excited to partner with Anthony [Edwards], his brother AnTony, and the AE Five Enterprise team on this cultural musical compilation” Bolden told Billboard. “The story of Anthony and his brother […] exemplifies Culture Jam’s ethos of authentic and compelling storytelling at the intersection of Sports and Entertainment. This partnership is a perfect match.”
The first single from the project dropped on Valentine’s Day, titled “Late Bloomer,” featuring Edwards’ brother bdifferent and Skilla Baby.
According to HypeBeast, the album will tell the story of “two brothers — Anthony and AnTony, aka bdifferent — who have set out on their own paths as a basketball player and rapper respectively, and how they’ve overcome adversity through brotherhood.”
Bose helped Edwards celebrate the upcoming album during NBA All-Star Weekend with a giant event featuring performances from bdifferent and Don Toliver. It’s safe to say the album’s hype got even more turnt from there.
What are Edwards’ plans for the album?
In a recent interview with Hypebeast, Anthony Edwards discussed his process behind Culture Jam Presents: Legend In My Hood and what he wanted the mixtape to sound like.
“This was a project of love created with inspiration from my brother,” Edwards said. “Music is huge for us, and to get to work on this is really dope. Music has been a constant in both of our lives, so it was a natural step to take that’s been a lot of fun… I knew from the jump the artists we had to have on this mixtape. It’s going to have it all. It’s going to be everything anyone could want,” they said.
Edwards isn’t just making a mixtape—he’s making an experience.
Beyond the music, the project has allowed Edwards to shine a much-needed spotlight on his brother’s music career.
“Working with my brother is a dream come true,” Edwards said. “I always want to uplift the people who have supported me the most throughout my life, but this isn’t about putting him on, he deserves it whether he is my brother or not—his music is fire. Anyone that don’t know will know soon,” they said.
Describing the album as “heat, heat, and more heat,” Edwards is bringing that same fire he brings on the court to the music scene.
