A new video came out yesterday … the long-awaited premiere of “Forever” by Drake (featuring Kanye West, Lil Wayne, and Eminem) … which apparently is the second single off the soundtrack to More than a Game, a forthcoming documentary about LeBron James.
Check out how the video starts … an awkwardly cut opening with LeBron in a limo playing online poker (on PokerStars). Can’t quite tell what stakes he’s playing for, but his screen name is “RealLebron”, and he appears to be playing a short-stacked heads-up tourney (against “Royal 00’/”). Blinds are 10/20 … the little blind calls and the NBA star smiles, seemingly ready to move all-in for 970 more with pocket 4s.
Nice!
Then you realize he must be multi-tabling, playing a 6-handed cash game, too … then, PokerStars cameo complete, the real song begins.
Wow, I don’t get this, but kinda awesome … or terrible depending on how you interpret Barry Greenstein’s rubbing on his nipples to the tune of Phil Hellmuth’s demise:
I guess you could say the “art” of poker is going a little more surreal.
Oh yeaaaaaaah. It’s about as confirmed as it’s going to be, and I’m hearing it from several sources. Nelly will be the performer at the PokerStars Party on July 9th. Thanks to NYC Rounders for giving me something to link:
Hip-Hop Star, Pimp Juice & Apple Bottom Jeans entrepreneur Nelly will be headlining the PokerStars Party at the Palms during the 2009 World Series of Poker…
The party will take place on July 9 at Rain Night Club. Doors open at 9pm. You will need a pass to get in, but I don’t know where you get them. They are not on the PokerStars Web site anymore. I am sure all qualifiers will get them at the Palms and a few will circulate through the Rio. If you don’t have a pass, general admission will start at 10 or 11pm. Not sure when.
Now I have to convince PokerStars I’m harmless ask nicely for a VIP pass so I can give it the coverage it deserves. (Anyone believe that?)
Oh yes, Nelly is here again! He is playing in the $1.5K NLHE today at the WSOP, rocking the gray hoodie again and sporting his biggest accessory – a massive bodyguard on the rail. Thus, the lack of a new photo from today’s event. Honestly, I am not prepared to be reported to security or have a “chat” with his bodyguard, so I decided to keep my legally required distance.
Snoop D-O-Double-Gizzle plays some P-O-Kizzle (not a hip translation for the word poker) in this Timati video. Good stuff, especially for hip-hop fans!
(Thanks to commenter Yoda for the heads-up on this one. I’m clearly off my usually tight hip-hop game.)
Combining the poker industry with hip hop makes Cali Jen a happy girl! Looks like PokerStars has been working on product placement with none other than hip hop star Fabolous. His new video “It’s My Time” begins with Fab and friends playing poker on a table with the PS logo right in the middle of the poker table.
Most of the poker industry are feeling the harsh realities of the recession, which is evident in fewer companies sending reporters to the WSOP, major media outlets sending less reporters and cutting wages, poker magazines cutting pages due to advertising cutbacks, and reports of various online poker sites having severe financial problems. But PokerStars, on the other hand, seems to be thriving enough to handle product placement endeavors. Getting the PS logo into a Fabolous video might not sound like a big deal to some, but Fabolous is one of THE most popular and well-respected rap stars in the biz.
Not sure what this partnership might have cost, but the audience it will reach is a target demographic that many in the poker industry seem afraid to go after but could prove to be a very lucrative one. Why was Nelly paid by PokerStars to travel to Monte Carlo, one of the most expensive locales in the world, for the EPT Grand Final? There’s a market to reach, and it seems that PokerStars is the only company with the funds to pursue it.
Side note: A song titled “It’s My Time” has a nice ring to it for any poker player, huh? As in a theme song…?
