LSU basketball star Flau’jae Johnson knows her head coach, Kim Mulkey, has struck quite a nerve to cause all this conversation.
From her eccentrically loud outfits to her sometimes hysterical sideline demeanor, Mulkey, 62, has earned her fair share of critics during her decades-long coaching career. But as Johnson, 20, prepares to enter her junior season in Baton Rouge, she scoffs at anybody who thinks they’re going to get under Mulkey’s skin.
“She’s misunderstood and she doesn’t care,” Johnson exclusively tells Us Weekly. “People have a lot of opinions. Most of them are wrong, though. I love Coach Mulkey. She’s a good person. She genuinely cares about her players. She’ll go the length of the world for you just to make sure you’re OK.”
In fact, Johnson is such a fan of her head coach that the up-and-coming rapper gave Mulkey a cameo in her new music for the song “Came Out a Beast,” featuring Lil Wayne.
“I think people think she’s this villain,” Johnson says of Mulkey. “But she just don’t care about social media. She don’t care about the media. She don’t care to clear her name. She’s kinda like Beyoncé. She just lets it flow. Whatever the opinion is, is what it is. She don’t really care to adjust it.”
This offseason, Johnson has been making moves off the court with her music career, including the aforementioned “Came Out a Beast” music video, which has racked up over 2 million views since its release in August.
Despite her success, however, Johnson is still calling out the people who refuse to give her music a shot.
“I’m irritated, you know what I’m saying?” Johnson admits. “I think irritated is a good word because people don’t want to listen. I’m just like, listen to my music. Just give me a listen. I’m just kinda at that spot where I’m irritated.”
The feedback from those who have listened has been overwhelmingly positive. “They’re like, ‘Oh, you’re taking it serious,’” Johnson says. “I think it’s just kind of hard to believe.”
Looking ahead, Johnson has been very vocal about the fact that she wants to collaborate with Adele. So, when Johnson found out the “Rolling In The Deep” singer recently announced a long hiatus on the horizon, she started scrambling.
“Bro, I was literally about to cry today,” Johnson says. “I’m trying to get some tickets to her Las Vegas residency. I gotta see how it aligns with my days off in the season. If it’s the last thing I do, I’m going to see Adele.”
The NCAA champion continues, “I love Adele. I rap on a lot of her beats, a lot of her instrumentals. I don’t know, her music just does something to me.”
Johnson’s EP Best of Both Worlds, featuring “Came Out a Beast” and collaborations with NLE Choppa and 2Rare, is available now.
