‘I love Bay Area teams’: E-40 drops new music video ahead of Kings-Warriors Game 3
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If there was any uncertainty whatsoever as to where rapper Earl “E-40” Stevens’ sports loyalties lie, he made his fan allegiances about as clear as humanly possible Thursday by releasing a music video for his new track, “Front Row 40.”
The hip-hop artist found himself involved in some controversy this past week, being ejected Saturday from his courtside seat at Golden 1 Center by venue security during the fourth quarter of Game 1 between the Kings and Golden State Warriors in Game 1 of the teams’ first-round NBA playoff series.
Stevens in an initial statement blamed his ejection on racial bias, but he and the Kings organization in a joint statement Wednesday said the incident resulted from “a miscommunication regarding the circumstances.”
With the beef now squashed, E-40 dropped a music video Thursday morning for a track celebrating his love for Bay Area sports teams and bragging of his premium seats – hours before Game 3 of the Kings-Warriors series, which Sacramento leads 2-0.
The 2-minute music video, directed by Jae Synth, blends new footage with TV broadcast clips from over the years showing the Vallejo-born rapper rooting for the Warriors, San Francisco Giants and 49ers from … well, the front row.
Stevens was seen seated near the Warriors bench Thursday evening at Chase Center, decked out in blue and gold, and got a standing ovation when he appeared on the jumbotron in the second half.
The new music video didn’t appear to include any digs at the Kings or references to the recent incident in Sacramento.
It instead showcased Stevens dapping up Warriors stars Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson; sounding the 49ers’ foghorn at Levi’s Stadium; and sitting behind home plate during the Giants’ 2014 World Series victory over the Kansas City Royals.
“I love Bay Area teams / I’m a superfan. / I’m sort of like Spike (Lee) / and Jack Nicholson,” E-40 rapped. “You can catch me at a hockey game, behind the glass / Or on the field with the Niners, walking on the grass.”
For the Warriors, the love is mutual.
“He sits right next to our bench,” Warriors coach Steve Kerr said in Thursday’s pregame news conference. “We see him all the time and he’s a huge supporter. The guys love him and he’s always got a big smile on his face. It’s fun. What’s happened here over the last decade has been really special and it’s fun to share it with our fans and everybody who’s supporting our team.”
Both the Kings and Warriors played some E-40 during shootaround practices before Game 2.
This story was originally published April 20, 2023 at 7:24 PM.
