It seems that we could have our very first openly gay Hip Hop artist. Former NBA player Will Sheridan has come out of the closet and has signed a record deal with Royal Advisor Records. Having already recorded his first EP, NGOMA, albeit only four tracks, this out and proud former sports star is gaining little attention for his first single / music video Welcome To The Jungle.
It may be that in the macho Hip-Hop world that this signifies changing times and attitudes, though that remains to be seen. The speed at which Sheridan quit the NBA, signed a record deal and came out publicly all came a little to close together to avoid the suggestion of a story bubbling under the surface.
Enough about that, let’s talk about the single Welcome To The Jungle. Sheridan cites Missy Elliott and Denis Rodman as his biggest influences (I know, I’m worried too). The beat to Welcome To The Jungle is quite catchy and will have you dancing; it’s very similar to Missy Elliott’s Get Ur Freak On or 4 My People on the Miss E… So Addictive album. Unfortunately that’s the only good thing I can say about the song. The vocals are terrible and using a Swahili chorus, while different, just does not work.
That is all without even mentioning that the music video itself is extremely lazy and unfortunately fits the stereotype of a little known record company in a cut throat business.
While barriers may be broken by this artist, it is going to require a major label and wizard-like A&R if this NBA star is going to make any meaningful breakthrough into the Hip-Hop world.
