Days after Lil Wayne collaboration, Flau'jae Johnson reveals biggest turning point of her life 

LSU Tigers star Flau'jae Johnson is having a busy college basketball offseason, attending prestigious events and finally releasing her album. The album titled 'Came Out A Beast' involves features with renowned musicians like NLE Choppa and Lil Wayne.

During an episode of the Nichtcap Summer Sessions with sports analyst Shannon Sharpe, Johnson revealed the moment that completely changed her life (58:00).

"I was on America's Got Talent when I was about 14 and I got the Golden Buzzer. Sal Macal came to the back and he was like, 'One day, you could be a superstar', and I'm like, 'That's Sal Macal, he don't even like singers', and that just gave me the confidence that I could do it," Johnson said.

How Sue Bird connected Flau'jae Johnson to Lil Wayne

LSU Tigers superstar Flau'jae Johnson rode a wave of popularity after leading the team to an unexpected national championship win in 2023 over Caitlin Clark's Iowa Hawkeyes.

During an ESPN alt-cast, the ever-supportive WNBA legend Sue Bird pointedly asked Lil Wayne whether he would collaborate with Johnson. This was after it was revealed that she was an accomplished rapper, which started the chain of events that led to their partnership.

"People that I look up to in the industry are telling me that I have the ability to be something. That’s the biggest co-sign you could get, from the GOAT (Lil Wayne). Shoutout to the OG, Sue Bird,” Johnson said in an interview with Rolling Stone, “She threw the alley-oop.”

Flau'jae Johnson balances rap and basketball

Flau'jae Johnson has managed to keep both of her careers ticking over and successful despite the pressures that come with being both a high-level student-athlete and a visible musician.

Johnson has signed a highly publicized deal with Jay Z's Roc Nation. But it is an independent distribution deal that enables her to keep most of her management team, including her mother Kia Brooks, and even hold the rights to her masters.

During an interview with Rolling Stone, she revealed how she manages both careers and how they feed into each other.

“This is me trying to show that I am the one that can do both,” Johnson said.” I just want to shut people up, like — boom, get it? This is the new norm, this is the new precedent. I do two things. I really have the best of both worlds: basketball and music.

“Basketball has made me have a certain discipline in my life that helps me demolish the music side,” she said.

Next season, Flau'jae Johnson will get even more responsibility as one of the leaders of coach Kim Mulkey's LSU Tigers. This will be after the departure of Angel Reese adding to an already full plate being juggled by the popular rapper.