The Golden State Warriors are making waves by combining basketball with entertainment in a way no NBA team has before. As the first NBA franchise with its own record label, Golden State Entertainment, the Warriors are debuting the album For the Soil this week, which features top Bay Area artists like E-40, Too Short, Saweetie, GEazy, Goapele, LaRussell, and Larry June. The release coincides with the NBA All-Star Game weekend in San Francisco.
P-Lo, a Filipino-American rapper and producer who worked on the album, sees this as an innovative move. “A basketball team with a record label is unheard of until now,” he said. He also expressed his excitement about the project, highlighting the collaborative effort between Golden State Entertainment and EMPIRE, a distribution company. P-Lo, a lifelong Warriors fan, will perform at the NBA All-Star tipoff party and reflect on his role in bringing together the Bay Area’s top artists.
Warriors guard Gary Payton II is also excited about the project, calling it “kinda cool” for the team to be the first to have a music company. He’s looking forward to hearing the album, especially with so many talented local artists involved. P-Lo contributed to all nine tracks on the album, which began production last summer, working with local artists to create a balanced and exciting project.
David Kelly, an executive at the Warriors, played a crucial role in launching Golden State Entertainment in 2022. He praised P-Lo for his ability to bring together artists like family and create something authentic. Kelly had previously proposed the idea of a record label to the Warriors leadership, who embraced the concept, believing the fusion of hip-hop and basketball was a natural fit.
While other NBA teams have partnered with artists over the years, the Warriors stand out for creating their own entertainment division. Kelly hopes this groundbreaking initiative will inspire other professional sports teams to follow suit, helping showcase and celebrate the cultural connection between hip-hop and basketball on an international stage.
