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Once upon a time, NBA Hall of Famer Allen Iverson attempted to try his hand as a rapper in the early 2000s, but he eventually scrapped plans for his debut album amid backlash, and couldn’t help but feel embarrassed when looking back on his brief time rapping.
AI joined Joe & Jada earlier this week, where he recalled feeling humiliated when meeting the late NBA commissioner David Stern, who read explicit lyrics aloud from Iverson’s “40 Bars” single.
“When I did that bulls—t-a— rap album,” he began. “I was so embarrassed when I hear that s—t now. But we don’t spend no time on that. The most embarrassing s—t was when I did the album, I had to come here to meet with [David Stern].”
For context, Iverson rapped under the alias Jewelz, and sparked controversy with his “40 Bars” single in 2000, which some believed contained sexist and homophobic lyrics.
The Philadelphia 76ers icon met with Stern to discuss his budding rap career and the backlash surrounding his upcoming Misunderstood album, which was originally titled Non-Fiction and was scrapped by late 2001.
“I’m sitting there looking like, ‘Yo, f—k is he doing?’ The man start reading the lyrics,” AI recounted. “Man, I wanted to crawl up under the table. I was so embarrassed, man. The curse words, everything. That s—t was so embarrassing.”
As if the weight of the 76ers franchise and city of Philly wasn’t enough, Iverson was often butting heads with Stern. The NBA even implemented an official dress code in 2005, which was seemingly instituted to put an end to Iverson’s streetwear style.
While his rap career is in the rear-view, Iverson has done plenty of reminiscing in October. The NBA legend released his Misunderstood memoir and Allen Iv3rson documentary on Amazon Prime Video earlier this month.
Watch a clip from the interview below:
