Flau’jae Johnson is quickly rising to stardom, making waves both on the basketball court and in the music industry. This summer, she released her “Best Of Both Worlds” EP, which included the highly anticipated collaboration with rap legend Lil Wayne on the track “Came Out a Beast.” Earlier this week, after unveiling the music video for the song, Flau’jae shared the exciting and unexpected story of how the collaboration came to be.
In an interview with Genius, the LSU basketball star and emerging rapper recounted the moment when Lil Wayne first expressed interest in working with her. The connection was sparked during a live ESPN broadcast, where Sue Bird, the legendary WNBA player, brought up Flau’jae’s name in a conversation with Wayne.
“Sue Bird was talking to Wayne on ESPN,” Flau’jae recalled. “She asked him, ‘When are you going to do a song with Flau’jae?’ It was like she threw me the perfect alley-oop right there on live TV.”
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Wayne didn’t hesitate in his response, immediately expressing his interest in collaborating with Flau’jae. True to his word, he reached out to her shortly after the broadcast.
“He ended up contacting me,” Flau’jae shared. “A couple of weeks later, he sent over his verse. It was classic Wayne, just like I imagined.”
Flau’jae also shared the surreal experience of receiving a FaceTime call from Lil Wayne, describing her disbelief and excitement at the moment.
“When he FaceTimed me, I was like, ‘Oh my God, this is really Lil Wayne,’” she said, laughing. “I was freaking out. I asked, ‘Is my grandma here?’ because I wanted everyone to witness this moment. Wayne was super chill—he told me he just finished the verse and wanted to know what I thought about it.”
But for Flau’jae, just hearing Wayne mention her name in the song was enough to send her into a frenzy.
“When he said, ‘Big 4, Flau’jae,’ I didn’t even hear the rest of the verse,” she admitted. “I was just stuck on the fact that Lil Wayne, one of my rap idols, mentioned me in his lyrics. It was surreal.”
As Flau’jae prepares for the upcoming basketball season, she’s not just focusing on dominating the court—she’s also heating up the music charts. On Friday, she celebrated a major milestone, announcing on X (formerly Twitter) that the “Came Out a Beast” music video had hit 1 million views in just three days.
“This is only the beginning,” she wrote, signaling that there’s much more to come from this talented multihyphenate. As she continues to balance her dual careers in basketball and music, Flau’jae is proving that she’s a force to be reckoned with in both worlds.
