Charlotte rapper Lute brings Dreamville to Saturday’s Hornets’ halftime show
The Charlotte Hornets and J. Cole’s Dreamville Records teamed up Saturday at Spectrum Center during the team’s Retro-Remix Night.
It was a winning night all around with the Hornets leading throughout the game to best the Houston Rockets 108-99, while Charlotte native and Dreamville rapper Lute performed his new single “GED (Gettin Every Dolla)” during halftime.
The first 7,500 fans through the doors were given limited-edition, co-branded Dreamville/Hornets T-shirts with the label’s logo on the front and an old-school illustration of Hugo the Hornet wearing a Dreamville jacket on the back.
Although he’s toured heavily, it was the first time Lute (real name Luther Nicholson) has performed for local family and friends since signing to the label in 2015. Flanked by male and female dancers, he donned a glittery gold Hornets jacket over a black hoodie and an orange beanie for the performance.
“It’s crazy. I’ve been constantly thinking about it since I got the word,” Lute said Friday morning. “This is the first time where friends, family, and everybody I know is going to be there. They finally get to see what they’re seeing on TV and on blogs.”
Born in 1989 — a year after the team was founded — Lute grew up with the Hornets.
“I was always a fan of the team,” he says. “I remember my first game. My mentor and I bet on that game, and I won $100 that night. I was 10 or 11.”
Lute grew up off of Beatties Ford Road and attended Hopewell High School. He and his friends would sometimes run into a couple of players at the gas station, and Muggsy Bogues frequented the local barber shop.
He began his music career in 2012, playing hip-hop showcases at Tremont Music Hall, Evening Muse, and Neighborhood Theatre before signing with Cole. He’s featured on Dreamville’s “Revenge of the Dreamers” compilation series along with labelmates Bas, Ari Lennox, J.I.D., and Earthgang.
He collaborated with Cole and fellow Charlottean DaBaby on 2019’s “Under the Sun,” and in January, he and Elevator Jay appeared on Deniro Farrar’s single “Gon’ Be” to form a dream team of Charlotte hip-hoppers.
The success of DaBaby and other N.C. artists should draw more attention to the city’s hip-hop scene. Lute and his peers are working together to ensure that.
“We all know each other,” he says. “We all grind it out. Now we’re all coming together to see everyone win. The music scene here is about to boil over.”
Before he left the court on Saturday night, he encouraged the crowd to follow their dreams.