Gordon Hayward and Miles Bridges, the rap duo for a better America

If you thought Run the Jewels’ RTJ3 slapped, just wait until a new interracial rap duo from North Carolina releases their debut project. They don’t have a name yet, but for now let’s just call them “A Couple of Forwards for the Hornets.”

Miles Bridges is a 22-year-old rising star in Charlotte. He’s an exciting dunker who also shot 40 percent from the 3-point line during the 2020-21. When he’s not dropping bombs from behind the arc or on opponents’ heads at the rim, he’s dropping bars as his rap alter ego, RTB MB.

The video from his 2020 single, “Steph McGrady,” currently has 569,000 views on YouTube, and 30 seconds in has one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen in a music video. Bridges is in the backseat of a car, flipping through disposable masks the way Quavo would flip through money. Pitchfork’s review of Bridges’ debut mixtape is headlined, “NBA star Miles Bridges put out a Mixtape — and it’s Actually not Embarrassing.” In the NBA world, that might as well be a five-mic review, because its players have put out a fair amount of embarrassing rap performances in the last 40 years.

If Bridges was to ever collab with another NBA player, a logical choice would be Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard, a.k.a Dame D.O.L.L.A. However, Bridges might want to stay local and go with a teammate. In the first half of the Hornets season opener against the Indiana Pacers, their local broadcast team said they asked Bridges who is the second best rapper on the Hornets. He told them it’s Gordon Hayward.

That’s right, Hayward — the Brownsburg, Ind., legend, 6-foot-7, hair swooped to the side, one-time NBA All-Star. Of course, a sample-size of 15 NBA players isn’t exactly the “Most Necessary” Spotify playlist, but it’s still high praise from someone whose album was described as “not embarrassing” by a reputable music outlet.

Normally I would start a Twitter campaign, take out radio station ads, whatever is necessary to get these two work on a track and film a music video. However, a questionable political contribution from Hayward’s wife, Robyn, has me a bit hesitant about what old Education Reform 20’s lyrical content might be.

Screw it, I’m still all-in. This is hip-hop and I’d love to see these two swagging out on stage like Gata and Lil’ Dicky in the DAVE finale. I can see it all now.

Show your face in our lane we’ll teach you a lesson disrespectfully/ You gonna get a quick education both sides represented equally