[Smells Like News] Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, Drake Team Up For LeBron Ja...

'Forever' will be featured in forthcoming documentary, 'More Than a Game.'
By Jayson Rodriguez


Drake and Lil Wayne
Photo: John Shearer/Wireimage

It takes a king to get hip-hop's biggest names on one song, and this year, NBA superstar LeBron James is that king.

Last year, T.I. recruited Jay-Z, Lil Wayne, and Kanye West to appear on his track, "Swagga Like Us," which the four performed at the 2009 Grammy Awards.

And now, Eminem, Lil Wayne, Kanye West and Drake have teamed up for a song slotted for the forthcoming LeBron James documentary, More Than a Game.

Earlier this week, Young Money president Mack Maine told MTV News about the track, titled "Forever." An early version of the song — featuring Wayne, Drake, Nut Da Kidd and produced by Boi-1da (Drake's "Best I Ever Had" and "Uptown") — has already hit the Internet, but this week, the version with some of hip-hop's hottest MC's is expected to debut.

"They re-did it, it got mixed over the weekend, now it's getting mastered," Maine said on Monday.

"Forever" will appear on as part of a collection of tracks inspired by the film (due in theaters October 2), with the soundtrack coming on September 22 on Interscope Records. Polow Da Don will executive produce the set, which will also include songs by T.I., Mary J. Blige, and Young Jeezy, according to Rich Paul, who works with James as a part of their marketing company LRMR.

Paul said that originally "Forever" was just going to be Drake and Kanye West.

"It was done, it was just Drake and Kanye, and then they went back and got two more prolific talents and it just made it even crazier, " Paul told MTV News late Tuesday. "They blessed Drake crazy."

The song came together when Gee Roberson, an executive at Atlantic Records who also manages West and helps to oversee the careers of Drake and Wayne, visited LeBron during the playoffs in May.

"He came over and played this — it was me, LeBron and Maverick [Carter, James' manager]," said Paul, who will co-executive produce the project for James' camp. "And he played the track, it was hot. It went right with the movie, it was like perfect for a moment that you want to be forever. And when he decided to put Wayne, Drake, Kanye and Eminem on it [together], it just makes is better. It's one of those songs fans will really want to hear forever. It's that type of feeling."

Lil Wayne as long expressed a desire to rap alongside Eminem on a track — and now, he's done it.

As previously reported by RapRadar.com, the track will be billed as Drake, featuring the rest of the MCs.

But Mack Maine revealed the song may be getting a last minute addition.

"There's gonna be an unexpected feature on the hook," he said. "Right now we have three different R&B singers writing the hook to see who comes up with the best one. I'mma be shocked. So I can't tell you who it's gonna be."

On the original, Drake performs double duty, rapping and singing the chorus.

And while "Swagga Like Us" was performed on the Grammys but never got a video, plans call for Drake, Wayne, West, and Em to shoot a clip for "Forever" next month in New York, Paul said, directed by Hype Williams.

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Posted By sysop to Smells Like News at 8/26/2009 10:02:00 A
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