Trying to stay relevant: Antonio Brown is making use of his downtime in the studio

BY RYAN MERARD

Antonio Brown, seven-time Pro Bowler and former wide receiver for the New England Patriots, had himself a chaotic 2019. Forcing his way out of the Pittsburgh Steelers, who drafted and developed him, he was traded to the Oakland Raiders. However, Brown continued to stir up more drama for something as little as his helmet. Knowing that he was not willing to cooperate, the Raiders had no choice but to release him. 

He then shocks the league by signing with the Patriots, shortly before catching two sexual misconduct allegations. 

With all of the tension between Brown and the National Football League (NFL), his career in the NFL has been put on pause. Entering 2020, Brown decided to try something new and trade in sports for art. Brown, now known as “AB”, has dropped three songs, along with music videos for each one.

Since the beginning of December 2019, AB teased “No White Woman 2020,” an album he is planning to release in the upcoming year. First, he put out the music video for his song “Whole Lotta Money.” All throughout the two-minute video, Brown is flaunting his money inside of a mansion and bragging about his wealth. From multiple ski-masked women to Brown’s dreadful lyrics, it’s hard to believe that the free agent will get any better at rapping. 

A few days after the dislikes and hate for his debut song, he dropped another music video that showcases behind-the-scenes footage of his workout with the New Orleans Saints. The song, “60 minutes” is labeled as a freestyle in the title. Even if AB did not put “freestyle” in the title it would still be just as easy to tell that the song was not written. The first 90 seconds of the song are just random noises and phrases, sounding like he forgot to turn the mic off while working out. The part Brown claims he was “just warming up” in was almost two minutes before he actually starts rapping. 

His most recent song, “Home from the N.O,” which features YDtheBest, is actually tolerable. For the first time, AB raps on beat and has a listenable hook where he raps about the aftermath of his workout with the Saints. 

Brown is not afraid to let the NFL coaches know what he thinks about not having a job through his music. Ending off the music video for “Home from the N.O,” he blatantly states that  “This s**t is all a lie,” referencing the Saints’ workout. He also calls out coach Sean Payton for not giving him what he wants and being hesitant to sign him. 

One of the main reasons teams are still giving AB chances in the league with workouts and meetings is because they want to see his state of mind. With all the drama he was involved with last year regarding sexual misconduct allegations, the teams want to know if Brown is past all of the chaos, or if he will continue to be an issue for coaches. 

Anytime you click on one of his music videos, understand that it’s about two minutes you’ll never get back. 

By taking shots at the NFL and showing off his luxuries online, teams may only become even more hesitant to sign him because he still presents himself as a distraction. It was Brown’s behavior that got him tossed out the NFL and there will have to be a change for him to return. 

Brown has taken to rapping as he waits for a new opportunity in the NFL after being released. Just like his time with the New England Patriots, he probably won’t be in the rap game for long. The only thing good about all this is how consistent he is putting out music, but some may have wished that he was bad at that and not his actual music. Anytime you click on one of his music videos, understand that it’s about two minutes you’ll never get back. 

Photo courtesy of NBC News