How LiAngelo Ball’s New Song ‘Tweaker’ Moved Millions

LiAngelo Ball, the former professional basketball player turned artist, has skyrocketed in popularity among fans and fellow athletes after his hit song “Tweaker” debuted at number 29 on the Billboard Hot 100 on January 18.

The song‘s success is largely driven by its impressive streaming numbers, with 12.4 million official streams in the U.S. and 2,000 downloads sold, according to Luminate. As a result, Ball has reportedly signed a record deal with Def Jam/Universal Music Group worth up to $13 million, with $8 million guaranteed, according to ESPN’s Shams Charania.

Billboard Hot 100: #29(new) Tweaker, GELO (LiAngelo Ball).

— chart data (@chartdata) January 15, 2025

Released on January 3 under the Born to Ball Music Group, “Tweaker” quickly went viral, soundtracking nearly 30,000 clips on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. Its growing popularity also earned Ball a performance slot at Rolling Loud California, one of hip-hop’s biggest music festivals, scheduled for March 2025. The song is making waves across multiple charts, debuting at #7 on the Hot Rap Songs chart and #9 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, as reported by Luminate.

With this accomplishment, Ball joins an elite group of professional basketball players whose music has made the Billboard charts. This group includes National Basketball Association (NBA) Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal and Milwaukee Bucks superstar Damian Lillard, who records under the name ‘Dame D.O.L.L.A.’

Lillard, who cracked the Billboard Top 200 chart in 2016 with his album The Letter O, praised Ball’s song, stating, “I rock with it, man. I’ve been hearing it a lot, it gives me that 2003-2004 vibe.”

He continued, “But I rock with it, like I said, it’s a slapper. As an artist, you gotta respect other people’s artistry, and when something is going, it’s going. So, like I said, I rock with it, respect it, and always be happy for other people’s success. That’s when you have your success, when you’re happy with people. So I’m happy for him, it’s a big record, you’re hearing it everywhere.”