As LeBron James neared the unprecedented 50,000-point milestone in the NBA, musician Vincent Jordan, known as OkaySpade, felt compelled to create something special. The idea of a tribute song for this historic achievement had already been brewing in his mind. Searching on YouTube, he found a beat posted almost two years prior that struck him as the perfect foundation for the track he envisioned.
After listening twice, Jordan knew he had found the right sound. He commented under the YouTube video of the beat, expressing his immediate intention: “`Finna make a LeBron James tribute [right now],`” he wrote.
Recording the song took Jordan just slightly over 10 minutes. The catchy chorus, `LeBron, LeBron, LeBron James,` was perfected in merely two takes. He added harmonies and a falsetto layer singing `LeBron James` to establish the melody. Jordan deliberately kept the editing minimal, aiming for a raw feel suitable for 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,” Jordan explained, appreciating the song`s straightforward, homemade quality.
Once James officially set the NBA scoring record on March 4th against the New Orleans Pelicans, Jordan shared his creation, aptly titled `Reigning in LA (LeBron James Anthem),` with his friends. Bolstered by their positive feedback, he posted a 35-second snippet on TikTok and continued with his day.
At the time of posting the clip, Jordan only had about 100 followers. He was astonished to wake up the next morning to find thousands of notifications, indicating the song was quickly going viral.
Among the many reactions, Philadelphia 76ers guard Jared McCain, a popular figure on TikTok, commented under the post: “This fire.”
Following the song`s rapid popularity on TikTok, Jordan decided to release a longer, one-minute and thirty-five-second version on streaming platforms. As March progressed, other TikTok creators began contributing to the trend, crafting their own LeBron James songs by remixing popular R&B hits with lyrics celebrating the Lakers star.
This creative wave solidified into a notable TikTok trend. Since its initial post, Jordan`s song has garnered over 7 million views and 800,000 likes, significantly boosting his TikTok following by over 6,000.
`Reigning in LA` continued to spread across social media, eventually catching the attention of the record label Fyrehouse. The label flew Jordan to Los Angeles for business discussions and even sent him to his first Lakers game. He ultimately signed a deal to record six songs for them.
“Dreams do come true,” he shared.
Music has always been a fundamental part of Jordan`s life, deeply influenced by his parents` involvement in the entertainment industry, particularly R&B. His mother performed breakup songs, while his father sang love songs and is also an actor at the Black Ensemble Theater in Chicago.
“I can`t imagine my life without music,” Jordan stated.
However, Jordan previously doubted his ability to build a sustainable career in music.
“I just didn`t believe there was a chance,” Jordan admitted. “Because in my head, everybody wants to do music, so what makes me different from everybody else?”
Beyond his musical background, Jordan`s inspiration also stemmed from his fandom of the Los Angeles Lakers star. The 24-year-old became a devoted fan of James after witnessing him lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to their remarkable 3-1 comeback victory over the Golden State Warriors in the 2016 NBA Finals.
“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 recalled with admiration.
Jordan could never have predicted that his simple TikTok creation would become a source of inspiration for others.
TikTok creator Cortez Miles had a musical upbringing, singing and playing instruments in church before his talents were recognized by his father and friends. Despite this, his earlier music posts on TikTok didn`t gain much traction – until the LeBron James trend emerged.
“I started [to] hear some of them, like at first, it was a joke because I do music — I do R&B music,” Miles said. But his musical instincts soon prompted him to participate.
Miles aimed to avoid remixing overly “trendy” or “poppy” songs. Instead, he sought to create something unique and unconventional, hoping to evoke the feeling of what he calls the era of “good R&B.”
He decided to test the waters to see how his audience would react. His first LeBron James remix adapted Drake`s `Girls Love Beyoncé.` Miles freestyled lyrics about the 21-time NBA All-Star, attempting to match the original song`s flow.
“I did the template of the actual song of whatever the flow was and just redid it with LeBron`s accolades,” Miles explained. He maintained the original flow so listeners familiar with the base song would recognize it even without the music. “I just go off of what I know and what I`ve seen. Clearly, he`s the GOAT,” he added.
Laughing, he admitted, “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 delved into the neo-soul genre for further remixes, including adaptations of Charlie Wilson`s `Charlie, Last Name Wilson` (reimagined as `LeBron last name James`) and Jon B.`s `They Don`t Know.` His `LeMix` of Chris Brown`s `Residuals` also garnered significant engagement on TikTok.
As Miles posted new versions, users began requesting specific songs in the comments. One user suggested remixing T-Pain`s `Buy U a Drank` and titling it `Le`Get You a Ring.` He created it, and it became highly popular.
“I wasn`t expecting none of them to go crazy,” Miles told ESPN. “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 retitled `Le`Shawty.`
“We know he is the greatest of them all, yeah I`m talking about LeBron James,” Miles sang in that version. That single rendition has accumulated over 46,000 likes and continues to grow.
After the Lakers` 104-98 win over the Houston Rockets on March 31st, reporters asked James about his awareness of the trend. LeBron confirmed he had heard many of the songs.
“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,” James commented after his 16-point performance.
Miles wondered if one of his `LeMixes` was among those James had heard, but he didn`t dwell on it.
“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,” Miles said. “The fact that it ended up getting to him is cool. That`s good for anybody who was on the trend.”
However, LeBron James wasn`t the only NBA superstar inspiring TikTok songs.
Just days after Jordan released `Reigning in LA,` another TikTok user named Trynden unveiled his own original 40-second R&B song dedicated to Stephen Curry.
At that point, other viral LeBron James songs hadn`t yet emerged widely. Trynden explained that he didn`t want to simply copy Jordan`s concept but felt a strong intuition that a song about Curry would also become popular on the platform.
“I just did it for fun and kind of thought it could get big,” Trynden shared.
The lyrics of his song went: “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.”
“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,” he reflected on the song`s success.
Trynden does not currently plan to create any further songs about Curry. Meanwhile, Miles and Jordan have stated they intend to continue making songs as long as James remains active in the league and pursues his goal of a fifth NBA championship.
