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Google PlaySet Free Richardson’s superpower is pinpointing synergies between his many passions. While multihyphenate artistry is a relatively recent aspiration in the mainstream, Richardson has quietly been crossing cultural aisles since the ’90s.
Respected in industries spanning sports, music, and now betting, per his new partnership with DraftKings, the Bronx-born and Philly-raised Renaissance man describes his intersecting interests in poetic prose. “I always say the basketball bounces [and] the drum bounces the same way the heartbeat bounces — it’s a trinity effect,” he tells Complex.
The Compound, a Brooklyn-based agency and studio founded by Richardson, is a physical manifestation of that trifecta. Built as a space where creatives across different disciplines can come together to drive conversation, The Compound is a continuation of the work the music producer and marketing maven has done since his days blending streetball footage and underground rap songs to create AND1 mixtapes. It’s where Yasiin Bey once recorded a song and shot and edited its music video all in one night; where watch parties for NBA games evolve into barbershop-esque platforms for debate; and where hip-hop legends the likes of Jadakiss feel comfortable bouncing ideas off a room without judgment.
As someone who’s been at the center of hip-hop and basketball for years, how have you seen the relationship between the two evolve over time?
I think it’s always been there from the start. I think there’s a magnifying glass on it through media outlets and the individuality of social media. Basketball and hip-hop, or music in general, have been around since the time when players started connecting to their favorite music. I think with outlets and players being able to have a stronger voice in the world now, it’s being exposed more. But it’s great to see it continuously growing and evolving, this marriage of basketball and music — predominantly hip-hop.
Among the layers of basketball and basketball culture, there’s fashion. How do you think that aspect of the game has evolved over the years?
Look at the headband. Look at the arm sleeve. Look at the short shorts, and then Jordan came with the long shorts. All the different styles of jerseys. Fashion, like sneakers, was done [both] on the court and off the court.
Football is covered up with a helmet. Hockey is covered up. Basketball and soccer you get to see a lot more aspects of human DNA in the body and in the face. So, the fashion gets to be displayed with the personality of the player [as well]. I think basketball [players] get to show the expression of the human physical form more than anything else.
What’s the vibe like at The Compound on an NBA game night?
You might catch an artist like Dave East recording a record while the game is going on. Jadakiss might be over. Or you might catch [someone from the] fashion world. You might catch a Don C over there just chillin, or a [A$AP] Bari. Just anybody. Anybody in the culture always comes through The Compound.
I call it a gym for creativity. If you do music, basketball, you’re an artist, you’re a director, you’re an editor — it’s a place where you come to sharpen your skills.
Tune into DraftKings for more conversations around the basketball culture, and check out where they get their inspiration below.
