Someone better see what the Quad City DJs are doing. LeBron James, 33, announced on Sept. 19 that the long-rumored Space Jam sequel is happening. While the original movie was a worldwide hit, its soundtrack — featuring some of the biggest names in R&B and hip-hop — was just as huge. Someone who is already blowing up LeBron’s phone about getting on the soundtrack is his friend (and sometime troll) Drake, 31. “LeBron is really excited to finally get Space Jam off the ground. It’s been a long time coming,” a source close to both LeBron and Drake EXCLUSIVELY tells HollywoodLife.com. “He also wants to curate an incredible soundtrack.”
“He is already hearing from hip-hop artists that want to be a part of that and also to be a part of the film in some way, shape or form,” the source tells HollywoodLife.com. “And with Drake’s acting past, music prowess and love of basketball, he wants to be an important part of this sequel. Drake thinks it would be a great opportunity to be a part of a film that is going to be so memorable to kids as the first one was to so many kids of the past.” It’s true – the Space Jam sequel had a massive impact on pop culture.
In addition to Quad City DJs’ title track, the soundtrack included: Monica’s version of “For You I Will”; “Hit Em High, featuring B-Real, Busta Rhymes, Coolio, Method Man, and LL Cool J; and R. Kelly’s “I Believe I can Fly.” While that last song has become problematic – to put it lightly – with the continued allegations of sex cult and incest against R. Kelly, it’s hard to understate just how much it and the Space Jam soundtrack affected pop culture. “Today, it sounds like the quintessential ’90s time capsule: an instant reminder of how smoldering, slick, and fun hip-hop and RnB was back then,” Douglas Greenwood said when writing for High Snobiety.
So, needless to say, the next Space Jam soundtrack has a lot to live up to and it will be the album that every rapper and R&B star wants to be on. No wonder Drake blew up LeBron’s phone when he heard the news, and lucky for Drizzy, LeBron “is listening” to Drake’s ideas. “[LeBron] wants to make this film amazing and any friends he can add to the film, the better,” the insider tells us. “Sure, they troll each other on the court when Drake watches LeBron but there is so much respect between the two that working together on Space Jam is almost a no brainer.”