King James

Album: Ventura (2019)
Play Video

Songfacts®:

  • This song's title pays homage to basketball star LeBron James for his charity work within the African American community.

    And we salute King James for using his chains
    To create some equal opportunities


    Lebron's nickname is "King James" due to his status as one of the greatest NBA players of all time.
  • Anderson Paak also takes the opportunity during the funky number to acknowledge some problematic social issues in the US, including taking issue with the Trump administration's plans to build a border wall. During the second verse he praises the actions of former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick who was essentially blackballed by the NFL after taking a knee during the national anthem prior to NFL games in 2016 to protest police brutality.

Comments

Be the first to comment...

Editor's Picks

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"

Dave Alvin - "4th Of July"They're Playing My Song

When Dave recorded the first version of the song with his group the Blasters, producer Nick Lowe gave him some life-changing advice.

Incongruent Opening Acts

Incongruent Opening ActsSong Writing

Here's what happens when an opening act is really out of place with the headliner, like when Beastie Boys opened for Madonna.

Tanita Tikaram

Tanita TikaramSongwriter Interviews

When she released her first album in 1988, Tanita became a UK singing sensation at age 19. She talks about her darkly sensual voice and quirky songwriting style.

Don Dokken

Don DokkenSongwriter Interviews

Dokken frontman Don Dokken explains what broke up the band at the height of their success in the late '80s, and talks about the botched surgery that paralyzed his right arm.

Metallica

MetallicaFact or Fiction

Beef with Bon Jovi? An unfortunate Spandex period? See if you can spot the true stories in this Metallica version of Fact or Fiction.

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in Songs

Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear: Teddy Bears and Teddy Boys in SongsSong Writing

Elvis, Little Richard and Cheryl Cole have all sung about Teddy Bears, but there is also a terrifying Teddy song from 1932 and a touching trucker Teddy tune from 1976.