From baller to singer, NBA player James Harden faux-attempt at an R&B career might be better than half of the musical offerings from NBA players.
James Harden can ball, he can rock the most charismatic beard in the NBA, and he can . . . sing? Well, maybe… I will let you be the judge of that. In this new spot from BBDO New York for Foot Locker, the Houston Rockets star hits the recording studio to drop his debut R&B single, “Harden Soul” (say it out loud), and it sounds, well, exactly like what you might think a James Harden R&B single would sound like.
It’s a funny commercial, but even funnier is the fact that this campaign is twofold. In addition to the snippet of Harden’s tone-deaf warbling that you hear in the 30-second spot, there’s also a full version of the song available as a lyric video on YouTube (highlight: “I work so Harden to be with you / I share my Harden soul with only you”) and even as a $0.99 download on iTunes.
Despite lyrics by BBDO New York’s creative team, and direction from Jim Jenkins (who previously directed Martin Scorsese in his AT&T spot a few years back), the video for “Harden Soul” is probably not destined to displace “All The Single Ladies” as the best video of all time, but at least we can use this as a reminder the next time an NBA star attempts an ill-conceived musical endeavor.
Check out the video below, and tell me what you think.
