LiAngelo Ball is now a platinum recording artist. TMZ reported that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) announced Ball’s success on Monday that his record had sold one million digital units.
The former professional basketball player stepped into a new era after releasing his song “Tweaker” in January, which debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100. A week after the song’s release, the video had 5.6 million views on YouTube.
Ball, whose artist name is “Gelo,” is one of the only hip hop and R&B artists to have a platinum single released this year, joining the company of Drake, Lil Tecca, BigXthaPlug, and Mariah The Scientist.
After he dropped “Tweaker,” Ball signed a contract with Def Jam, indicating his new path in music was for real. The single got respect from many seasoned rappers, including Lil Wayne, who featured on the remix.
In July, Ball dropped his debut album “League of My Own,” with 13 tracks, including his hit single.
LiAngelo announced he officially retired from basketball this summer after playing in the NBA’s G-League. He played overseas in Lithuania and Mexico, as well as the NBA G League and summer league. He spoke about why he quit the sport on the “Bagfuel” podcast and said that ultimately, music paid more.
“I was in the G League, that’s 3k a month. That sh– wasn’t holding nothing,” he said. “When I got paid for music, it wasn’t a hard decision.”
Ball is the middle brother of Lonzo Ball, who plays for the Cleveland Cavaliers, and LaMelo Ball, who plays for the Charlotte Hornets. The brothers are both featured in the “Tweaker” video.
His father, LaVar Ball, founded Big Baller Brand and the former Junior Basketball Association.
