Huh?
Why are we talking about King Mez—who?— on SLAMonline? Why are we talking about a rapper you’ve probably never heard of on a basketball/culture/sneaker website?
Again, huh?
Well, the simple answer is, because King Mez is connected to the basketball and the sneaker game in more ways than one.
Born Morris Wayne Ricks II, in Raleigh, NC, Mez grew up a neighborhood away from John Wall, who was then just a short, braided kid who had a knack for basketball and a nose for trouble. Mez and Wall used to play ball often and went to school together until Wall transferred out in high school. They remain friendly to this day. And though Mez never got anywhere near as good as Wall, that doesn’t stop him from spitting about ball in his rhymes.
Yeah, Mez has some basketball stories to tell—and we provided him with a forum to tell them.
This past week, on the eve of the release of his new, free album My Everlasting Zeal, we had the chance to talk with Mez about the origins of his sneakerhead ways. Now, in this post, we got up with Mez to talk about growing up with the 2010 Draft’s No. 1 overall pick, John Wall. Amongst other things, Mez details playing streetball with John Wall, watching Wall work on his handles, and he talks about how Wall’s success has inspired Mez and a whole host of NC natives to chase their dreams.
Be sure to check back next week for yet another video with Mez.
