In the second part of his interview with Jason Whitlock in the Kansas City Star, Chiefs running back Larry Johnson takes the focus off his contract and onto his personal life, including his friendship with Jay-Z. Question: Explain your relationship with rapper Jay-Z.One of the many reasons I'm a Larry Johnson fan is that he's smart enough to understand the business side of the game, and that his chosen profession is one in which he needs to set himself up for life while he's in his 20s. Surrounding himself with other young men who made a fortune at a young age and invested it wisely can only help.Johnson: "A lot of people don't know that goes beyond me just wearing his clothes. I could switch to Nike tomorrow and Jay would be completely cool with it. There are only a couple of athletes Jay-Z was cool enough to let in his little small circle of people that he calls friends. It's me, LeBron and that's about it. It's a real tight group. It goes beyond me just wearing clothes. We've become friends now. If I wanted to do Nike or Reebok or anything else, he would have input, but he would never say 'OK, I can't (mess) with you no more because of that.' He's never been that way. We just happened to hit it off."...
Question: Is Jay-Z a mentor, someone who shapes your view on how to conduct business?
Johnson: "He definitely did that. Between me and you, he definitely didn't want me to do that Fantasia video. I definitely got cussed out for that one. He told me there were a lot of things he wanted to do, but he couldn't do them. He said, 'You gotta be able to look at yourself as a business, as stock, and the less things you do, the more people will have interest in you. The more things you do, you water down your value.' "
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
6-22-2007 @ 11:03AM
Unsilent Majority said...
Nobody understands the business side of celebrity better than Jay Z. The more Larry listens the better off he'll be.
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6-22-2007 @ 11:28AM
KO said...
I wonder if Jigga knows that LJ used to model diapers for Dick Vermeil. still, probably not as bad as being in that Fantasia video.
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6-22-2007 @ 2:10PM
ben said...
Whats wrong with him being in Fantasia's video, it was a nice video?
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6-22-2007 @ 2:20PM
TJ said...
Larry Johnson and all NFL/NBA players should stay away from rappers and hip-hoppers. That's why you have a police blog full of names from both leagues. That mentallity brings on the gangster attitude and disrespect for their women and community. But that would be UNCOOL wouldn't it.haha
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6-22-2007 @ 2:44PM
sanaa said...
Ok Larry could of not shared this with the reporter.
Jay-Z is in music videos why can't Larry be in one and besides it went to number 1 on 106 and Park BET.
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6-22-2007 @ 5:34PM
Unsilent Majority said...
Fantasia is a Sony artist.
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6-22-2007 @ 7:38PM
milton thuroughgood III said...
Ladies and Gentlemen, I present you Warren Buffet 2.0
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6-22-2007 @ 8:38PM
Stinge said...
H to the izz-o, v to the izz-a is a great rapper, LJ is a great running back. It's cool that they've become friends. Plus LJ can pick up on Jay's leftovers.
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6-23-2007 @ 2:37PM
CYT said...
I am confused... why are two men who are close to millionaires, if not alresady,living together as roommates???
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6-24-2007 @ 7:24AM
yodi said...
Because Jay and Larry are lovers. Jay is gay why are two grown ass men living together...rich at that.
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6-28-2007 @ 3:12PM
vmwfreak said...
If it looks like a duck and f**ks like a duck. Plus u see those DSL's on J?
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7-06-2007 @ 5:48PM
Antonio said...
It never fails. Two successful black men are being blackballed for their celebrity, success and money. Let it go and let live. Better yet, mind your business!
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