8 minute readThree days before the WNBA Draft, I was standing on the 103rd floor of the Empire State Building on a Friday afternoon watching Fraujay Johnson film the video for his new song “Woah.” As the music starts blaring from giant JBL speakers (“Rappers and ballers, baby, it’s not the other guy/I’m a millionaire straight out of college, baby, I was working my dough”), Johnson explodes out the door onto a private outdoor observation deck and begins bouncing, dancing, and lip-syncing to the song as a drone flies around and captures everything.
It’s no exaggeration to say that Johnson is on top of the world. Known as the “Big Four” after his jersey number, the Savannah-born shooting guard started 139 of 141 games in college, leading Louisiana State to a 29-6 record in his senior season and a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament, before losing in the Sweet 16 to Duke in a buzzer-beater.
As if that wasn’t enough, Johnson was only 18 years old when he signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in 2022. Since then, she’s released three rap albums while earning a college degree, winning a championship title as a freshman, and signing deals with major brands including Puma for pioneering the NCAA’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) provisions, which allowed college athletes to earn big bucks for the first time. Now, Johnson, who is expected to be drafted into the WNBA in the first round, is also set to release a video for a new song. Wow, sure.
After filming, on his way to his dressing room for a conversation, Johnson said several times that it was a “top 10 life experience,” and was surprised: “It makes you feel different about the world. It’s like you’re on top of the world.” Read her thoughts on saying goodbye to LSU, balancing music and the WNBA, and what she’ll wear to the draft (“I want to look really good,” she teases, “You only get drafted once.”)
Shooting a music video on top of the Empire State Building just days before being drafted into the WNBA is pretty epic. What does that mean to you?
a lot. I didn’t even know what this building was. I mean, I knew it was the Empire State Building, but now I’m learning the history and looking at all the pictures of famous people who came here and did their part. I’m so excited to join such a group of people. It’s cool because not everyone can come here. That way everything will look different.
Tell us about your new song and the inspiration behind it.
It’s called “Woah” and it’s something we wanted to drop because it’s a new beginning. These are exciting times. I thought, “‘Woah’ sounds cool, and that’s how I feel right now.” This beat is certainly something that gets me excited for training camp and draft day.
And what a moment to drop it in time for the draft!
What a moment. Yesterday I thought, “Wow, I went from being ranked, unknown, unknown in the basketball world to being drafted.” It doesn’t get any better than that. That’s why I’m just living in the moment. People ask me, “How are you feeling?” and I keep saying I’m not nervous, I’m not nervous. the current. “
Looking back at your college years, what are you most proud of?
Commitment. Even if it meant staying for four years, many players wouldn’t do that right now. Transfer portal is jumping. So just strive for excellence every day. That’s why I wasn’t sad when I left LSU, because I really gave it my all. I worked hard. I was in the gym every day. In fact, I didn’t even have a social life. I was very focused on what I wanted and my goals.
I heard someone say that university is a four-year period in which you create the next 40 people, and I think that’s exactly what happened.
Yes, it was. I always tell people to use these four years to prepare for the next 40 years. That’s a blessing to us, especially when it comes to NIL. It’s huge for us to have access to that type of money and for players to have the types of opportunities they haven’t had in the past. And you also feel like you had to leave it better than you found it. For example, doing business the right way. Treat your brand right. There will be a lot of young women coming behind us, so make sure you have enough space. That means taking advantage of the opportunity. We definitely did.
What do you say to the players coming from behind?
The most important thing is to be financially smart, right? Ask someone, not just your family, to help you with your finances. Please consult an expert. And he says, “Don’t get lost in the sauce.” It’s easy to win millions of dollars and forget why you play. I have always been about the main thing. I’m thinking, “Nothing works for me without basketball. Who would want to pay me NIL money if I’m not on the court?” That was my way of thinking. That means keeping the main things main. Everything else will come. I think children need to know that.
How do you feel about leaving LSU?
It’s very exciting. It feels like the end of a book. It’s sad, but when I posted my farewell post yesterday (on Instagram), it kind of made sense. I was sad as I was writing this, oh, it’s really over. But I left a mark. Its campus has 30,000 students each year. So over the four years I was there, I mean 120,000? Even so, I was able to really leave a mark. My name will probably never be forgotten.
I read that Baton Rouge literally named April 4th after you, so I think it’s safe to say that yes, you won’t be forgotten.
Oh, that’s…amazing. It’s a great feeling when you look back and know that they hired you even though your name is forever etched in a city you’re not even from. There is no cap.
People always ask me how you balance basketball and music, and you obviously do it well. How do you plan to continue managing the two of them while in the WNBA?
You just have to rise to the occasion. When I have similar trials and tribulations in my life, I feel like I am going round and round. If there are hurdles at the same level, how do you know how high you can jump next time? It feels like you have to fall before you can say, “Okay, I know how high to jump.” And train to that level, get to that level, dominate, and then move on to a new level. And that’s how I look at life. That’s why I’m not sad that my time at LSU is coming to an end. I am grateful that I was able to go up another level to prepare for this level.
It’s going to be a new level, but I feel like it’s actually going to be better because I don’t have as many restrictions as I did in college. When you become a professional, you can move a little more freely. I don’t take classes, all that shit. I’m really glad I don’t have to do that anymore. Now that I have a lot more freedom, I’m looking forward to being able to do more things with music. Let’s say you have a game in LA. You might be able to go into the studio with a producer while you’re in LA. Access is increasing now. So I’m excited.
What are you thinking about heading into the draft? what are you wearing?
Please wait until you see the costume I planned. I haven’t decided on a specific dress yet as I’m doing the final fitting, but the options are beautiful. My stylist Elliott is super awesome. I told him I wanted to go elegant. “For this dress, act like there’s a draft at 6 p.m. and a Met Gala at 6:30 p.m. I want to be really good. You only get one draft. My charm is always on point, but that charm is going to be great. I said so.”
I’m very excited. It’s one of those moments you dream about. They’d say, “Any number you pick from LSU…” and my name would be called, like, “What?!” I’m excited, but I’m very honored. Being one of the best of the best is nothing but an honor.
When you came to LSU, you said the coaches were very supportive of your music career. Do you expect that to be the case for your team in the WNBA?
Yeah. I’ve been interviewing the team and they love it. They really like to say, “How do you balance it?” But they just accept it. Because we’re saying, “Listen, we’ve seen you make it all the way through college.” And I tell them, “I’ll do my job.” And I have a team, I literally run the company, I have about six or seven employees. So that’s what comes with me. Everyone already kind of knows that, but it’s about setting a precedent for who I am as a player and as a hard worker.
I saw you started playing basketball when you were four years old. What would that little girl think about all this?
She will be so proud. At the time, I just wanted to be better than the boys, and that’s what got me this far. I think she would be proud of my discipline and consistency. Because at one point it was just a dream, and now you’re thinking, “Wow, it’s like I really did everything to make my dream come true.” So I think my younger self would definitely be very proud.
And as I watched you shoot the music video, I couldn’t help but wonder what your dad (the rapper, her namesake, murdered six months before she was born) would think about all this, too.
I think he’s very proud because of my independence and the mindset that I have. I feel like he’s proud. And that made me proud too. Because when I first started rapping, all I wanted to do was fulfill his legacy and have people know his name through mine. And I feel like that’s how I built my own legacy. So you can kill two birds with one stone, which is great. It is a blessing and an honor to be able to carry that torch.
What do you think about the WNBA collective bargaining agreement and the new opportunities it presents for players?
I’m very excited. I always meet everyone on my Twitter (now known as X). Supermax, supermax, million dollar, million dollar. I think, “This should have happened a long time ago,” but it’s beautiful that it’s happening now and women are holding flowers. I’m sure I can become one of those women. And it’s really beautiful to be in a league where women get paid what they deserve and what they’re supposed to do. I’m grateful to be here at this time and reap the benefits, but I have to leave in better shape than I ever expected. Therefore, it is our job to increase the salaries of young people graduating from high school and junior high school so that they too can believe in this dream.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
