Ron Artest Releases His Single "Champion"

Christopher Victorio/OC Weekly

Ron Artest at the Honda Center last year

​As the Laker masses descend upon the city of Los Angeles today for the huge NBA championship celebratory parade and rally, forward Ron Artest has released a new rap single fit for the occasion. In one of the most memorable post game interviews in NBA Finals history, the always eccentric basketball player emotionally plugged the release of his new rap single "Champions" after the Lakers triumphed over the hated Boston Celtics in Game 7 last Thursday. With a ring now to go with the rhyme, the song found its way onto the Internet this weekend.   

Much like Artest's three-point shots during the Lakers' playoff run, his attempts at making hip-hop music are usually hit or miss. At first listen, however, "Champion" swishes like the hesitation free triple from downtown that Artest launched with a little more than a minute to go in the final game of the season to help secure the Lakers' most important victory of the year. Destined to be even more popular than the oddly intriguing "Workout," the Laker forward's new song will be the summer jam of 2010--at least for the fans and until the euphoria wears off.  

As Artest noted in the often replayed post-game interview, "Champion" was recorded a year ago. Many of the lyrics delivered in the defensive specialist's adequate hard edged flow prove prophetic: "I love Game 7/ Bring on the competition/ Cuz in my heart nobody do it better/ Can't slow me down/ Won't stop me never!" Indeed, as much of the Lakers struggled, most notably the Black Mamba, Artest's steady play through game 7 against the Boston Celtics allowed for the team's fourth quarter comeback to take place.   

The best part of "Champions" is the infectious hook. Bringing back the West Coast vibe that former Laker rapper Shaquille O'Neal captured in his tracks with DJ Quick back in the day, Artest knows to tailor the beat to soundtrack of Los Angeles. Question: After "Champion," does anybody still miss Trevor Ariza?  

Moment of silence for the Champion!