As LeBron James neared 50,000 career points, a milestone no other NBA player had reached, Vincent Jordan, known as OkaySpade, felt it was time to act.
He had already been thinking about creating a song to mark the occasion. He searched YouTube for a suitable beat and found one posted almost two years prior that seemed perfect for his intended track.
Jordan listened twice and made his decision.
Under the YouTube video of the beat, Jordan commented, “Finna make a LeBron James tribute [right now].”
It took Jordan only about 10 minutes to record the song. The chorus, “LeBron, LeBron, LeBron James,” was completed in just two takes. He added harmonies matching the E-flat chords and a falsetto layer of “LeBron James” to build the melody.
Jordan explained, “I didn’t do too much editing. I still wanted it to be raw because it’s a comedic song. I really could’ve put more into it, but I didn’t. And I’m kind of glad that I didn’t, because at the end of the day, it kind of has a feeling of something I made at home. … [It’s] something that’s real simple, and I like it. It’s not complex.”
Once James broke the NBA scoring record against the New Orleans Pelicans on March 4, Jordan shared his song, aptly titled `Reigning in LA (LeBron James Anthem),` with friends. Encouraged by them, he posted it on TikTok and moved on with his day.
When Jordan posted the 35-second song snippet, he had only 100 followers. The next morning, he awoke to thousands of notifications.
Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain, a well-known influencer on the platform, commented under the post: “This fire.”
Following the viral success on TikTok, Jordan released a longer, one-minute, thirty-five-second version on streaming platforms. Throughout March, other TikTok creators started making their own LeBron James songs, often remixing popular R&B hits with lyrics about the Lakers star.
This sparked a trend.
Jordan’s song has since accumulated over 7 million views, 800,000 likes, and gained him more than 6,000 followers on TikTok.
As `Reigning in LA` continued to circulate, it caught the attention of Fyrehouse, a record label. They flew Jordan to Los Angeles to discuss business and sent him to his first Lakers game. He signed a deal to record six songs for the label.
He told a reporter, “Dreams do come true.”
Music has always been significant in Jordan’s life. His parents, involved in the entertainment industry, particularly R&B, immersed him in music. His mother performed breakup R&B songs, and his father sang love songs and is an actor at the Black Ensemble Theater in downtown Chicago.
Jordan stated, “I can’t imagine my life without music.”
However, Jordan hadn`t thought a music career was possible.
Jordan admitted, “I just didn’t believe there was a chance. Because in my head, everybody wants to do music, so what makes me different from everybody else?”
Jordan`s inspiration stemmed not just from his musical background but also from being a fan of the Lakers star. The 24-year-old became a James fan after the veteran helped the Cleveland Cavaliers achieve their iconic 3-1 comeback against the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
Jordan smiled and said, “The situation shows him at odds and them coming through and fully beating one of the best teams ever assembled in basketball at a disadvantage.”
Jordan could never have foreseen his TikTok creation becoming an inspiration for others.
LeBron James has heard at least a few of the `LeMixes.`
TikToker Cortez Miles grew up singing and playing instruments in church before his father and friends recognized his musical talent. He didn`t often post music to TikTok, and what he did post didn`t attract much attention until the LeBron James trend appeared.
Miles said, “I started [to] hear some of them, like at first, it was a joke because I do music — I do R&B music.” But his musical intuition prompted him to participate.
Miles aimed to create something distinctive, not just a `trendy` or `poppy` remix, hoping to remind listeners of the era of what he called `good R&B.`
He decided to see how his audience would react. His first LeBron James remix used Drake’s `Girls Love Beyoncé.` Miles freestyled lyrics about the 21-time NBA All-Star, attempting to match the original song`s flow.
Miles explained, “I did the template of the actual song of whatever the flow was and just redid it with LeBron`s accolades. I kept the same flow of whatever the original was to when you hear the song without the beat and if you just heard the flow of what I was saying, you know, it`s this song. … I just go off of what I know and what I`ve seen. Clearly, he`s the GOAT.”
He added with a laugh, “If I had to perform these songs, I couldn`t probably even do it because I don`t even know my own lyrics after posting it.”
Miles explored the neo-soul R&B style with remixes of Charlie Wilson’s `Charlie, Last Name Wilson` (retitled `LeBron last name James`) and Jon B.’s `They Don’t Know.` His `LeMix` of Chris Brown’s `Residuals` received more engagement than usual on TikTok.
As Miles posted remixes, users commented with requests for new ones. One user suggested remixing T-Pain’s `Buy U a Drank` and naming it `Le’Get You a Ring` – he did, and it became popular.
Miles told a reporter, “I wasn’t expecting none of them to go crazy. So once they did, people were suggesting, `Hey, do this song,` and if I thought it would [sound] all right, I`d do it right then and there and post it. Like, it takes seconds.”
Miles achieved his greatest success with his remix of Plies featuring T-Pain`s `Shawty,` which he rebranded as `Le’Shawty.`
“We know he is the greatest of them all, yeah I`m talking about LeBron James,” Miles sang.
This version alone has garnered over 46,000 likes and continues to grow.
Following the Lakers’ win against the Houston Rockets on March 31, reporters asked James about the trend. LeBron confirmed he had heard many of the songs.
After his 16-point performance, James stated, “It`s almost impossible [to not see them]. My younger son, Bryce, actually showed me one … we got a good laugh out of it. There`s quite a few out there.”
Miles wondered if one of his `LeMixes` was among those James had heard, but he didn`t dwell on it.
Miles commented, “If he`s seen it, he`s seen it, but I more so like the interaction with other people and being able to connect and just enjoy the trend. The fact that it ended up getting to him is cool. That`s good for anybody who was on the trend.”
`Reigning in LA` inspired another viral song, this time about Steph Curry.
However, James wasn`t the only NBA superstar to inspire a TikTok song.
Days after Jordan released `Reigning in LA,` TikTok user Trynden posted his own 40-second R&B song about Stephen Curry.
At the time, no other LeBron James songs had gone viral. Trynden told a reporter that he didn`t want to simply copy Jordan`s idea but had a strong feeling that a Curry song would become popular.
Trynden said, “I just did it for fun and kind of thought it could get big.”
The song`s lyrics were: “Oh Stephen Curry, oh No. 30; when he shoots the ball, he`s gonna turn around; don`t gotta see. It`s going in, all you hear is green.”
He added, “I was really happy when it went viral, and it was just kind of surreal. I thought it could happen, but when it really did, I was kind of taken aback.”
Trynden doesn`t currently plan to create more Curry songs. However, Miles and Jordan stated they will continue producing music as long as James remains in the league and pursues his fifth NBA championship.