Ian references LeBron James meme while announcing the Deluxe version for 'Valedictorian'

Ian Smith's debut mixtape Valedictorian has garnered significant attention over the past week of its release, on May 17. The EP contains 9 full-length tracks with production credits to Sxprano and Tana and has a total runtime of 19 minutes.

On May 23, Smith took to Instagram to announce the Deluxe release of Valedictorian. The video finds him seated by a fireplace in a bathrobe, drinking what appears to be milk, explaining a new "idea" he came up with, to promote his debut mixtape.

"Ian Family, first of all thank you. I think we've all had ample time to ruminate over this most recent body of work... but the fun don't stop there. I had this idea, imma take two more songs, put it on the album, and call it a Deluxe... Imma see yall next week" - Smith explained in the video.

Besides the obvious Deluxe announcement, many were quick to notice the reel Smith uploaded appeared to be referencing a viral LeBron James clip from a video 2Chains had posted back in 2019.

The clip blew up on the internet because, in the video, LeBron breaks down his opinion on the best way to release a project. He explains how 2Chains should drop a Deluxe project "a week or two weeks" after the album is distributed.

With two more songs included, the album will now host 12 individual tracks for first-time listeners. The current tracklist for Valedictorian has been listed below:

1. Holiday
2. Never Stop
3. Bentayga
4. AirBnb
5. Hermes Streets
6. Omakase
7. Chauncey
8. Judgment
9. Grand Slam
10. Figure It Out

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What did Ian reference from the LeBron James clip?

Smith appeared to be recreating the comedic element of Bron explaining how people would react to receiving a deluxe album from an artist. Both clips find the speaker stating an intention to release an extended cut for a project with two added songs.

Similar to Bron's statements, the Deluxe version for Valedictorian will be uploaded to all major DSPs (Digital Streaming Platforms) via DogDog Records and Sony Music Entertainment, two weeks after its debut release.

Bron's clip originates from a tweet 2Chains posted back in 2019, in the weeks leading up to the release of his highly anticipated fifth studio album titled Rap or Go to the League. The album was released on March 1, 2019, via Gamebread and Def Jam Recordings.

"This is my each one teach one body of work, I wanna celebrate black excellence! ..... Rap Or Go To The League the album A&R by @KingJames" - @Chains tweeted.

LeBron James was featured in the video posted along with the tweet, with the All-Star dressed in a black sweatshirt with the words "More Than An Athlete" printed over it. Bron then begins to break down his thought process over coming up with the release strategy for Rap or Go to the League.

"We got 16 tracks right... Of the 16 tracks, we wanna do 14. But is there a problem with, a week or two weeks after the album drop with the 14 tracks, that we add a deluxe album and add the two songs back on?"

The video continues with LeBron and 2Chains discussing the album, vibing in the studio, listening to and discussing songs off the project, with Bron even stating Chains had nothing to worry about since Rap or Go to the League is an album teeming with "substance".

LeBron even explains how this idea of creating and releasing a "deluxe album" will spark a larger conversation about how artists should release music when he says:

"I think it'll be a conversation of, 'oh s--t, this man boutta finesse them more but he couldn't fit it into the album'... thank yall for taking on this ride with me, you know what? here go two more for yall" - LeBron explained how he believes people would react to receiving a deluxe album

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Ian also collaborated with the Hip-Hop production powerhouse Lyrical Lemonade to direct the music video for the rapper's breakout single Figure It Out. Directed by Cole Bennett, the video features dynamic cuts, interesting visuals, and a special appearance from former NFL running back Marshawn Terrell Lynch.