DEF JAM SIGNS A BIG BALLER

NBA prospect and middle child of the Ball family LiAngelo Ball has inked a deal with Def Jam. Chairman/CEO Tunji Balogun and top lieutenant Tim Pithouse moved quickly to ink GELO, who dropped the extremely viral cut, “Tweaker,” two weeks ago independently. The track first cracked Spotify’s Top 200 on 1/5, before climbing to the Top 10 U.S. on 1/7. "Tweaker" is also Top 25 at Apple Music at press time.

In line with the NBA culture that is fueling the buzz, ESPN insider Shams Charania broke the news on Monday that Def Jam signed the point guard to a record deal worth $13m, which includes a JV with the Ball brothers’ Born2Ball Music Group. “Tweaker” has been on repeat in nearly every arena during pre-game warm-ups and in the players’ locker rooms. GELO is also on the bill for Rolling Loud’s L.A. fest in March, which was revealed last week.

With GELO’s debut, Def Jam now has the hottest new rap single of 2025, with “Tweaker” holding #1 at Shazam for two consecutive weeks. GELO’s brothers Lonzo and LaMelo are having noteworthy seasons as well. The former is back in the starting lineup for the Chicago Bulls and the latter is leading the league in all-star votes among guards. With the NBA All-Star break approaching, there’s no doubt GELO and the Ball family will be front and center.

Multiple rappers have endorsed GELO via social media, with Moneybagg Yo even requesting a feature for a remix. How big can “Tweaker” grow? Stay tuned

GELO was represented by Adam Zia at The Zia Firm.