Ever wonder what tunes the stars of the MLS are jamming out to? Curious what music’s being played in the locker room before a game?
Jon Langford, bassist in The Chevin, finds out the musical tastes of Major League Soccer’s biggest stars.
This week’s deejay is Seattle Sounders and USMNT striker Eddie Johnson.
MLSsoccer.com: Do you remember what the first album you ever bought was?
Johnson: I do. The first album I ever bought was the TRU double-disc album Da Crime Family, back in the day. That’s a throwback album, man.
MLSsoccer.com: What was the first concert you ever went to?
Johnson: The Summer Jam concert in Dallas. It had all my favorite artists, which was mainly southern rappers. It was a big deal for me at the time.
MLSsoccer.com: Who was on the bill?
Johnson: It had all the Cash Money Records artists on: Lil Wayne, Juvenile, B.G., Lil Turk. There was also Slim Thug, Paul Wall. And I think Ludacris was there too.
MLSsoccer.com: Who is your favorite band or artist of all time?
Johnson: Tupac. I like R&B too, so my favorite band would probably be Boyz II Men. (Laughs.) That’s showing my sensitive, caring side.
MLSsoccer.com: There’s no need to ask you what your guilty musical pleasure is now then.
Johnson: (Laughs.) Yeah, I think Boyz II Men have got that covered.
MLSsoccer.com: Is there a particular track you like to listen to when you want to get pumped up before a big game?
Johnson: Yeah. There’s a song on T.I.’s new album Trouble Man called “Go Get It.” For me this is saying every time I go out on the field, I gotta go out there and get it, gotta grind, gotta do whatever I gotta do to win the game and be successful. I play that a lot on repeat before games.
MLSsoccer.com: If you could hang out with any musician, dead or alive, who would it be and why?
Johnson: Tupac. I think as much as people perceived him to be a certain way, to inner-city kids like myself, growing up he influenced me in a positive way. He taught me to stand up for what I believe in. If I was gonna hang with someone who’s alive today, it’d be Lil Wayne. Again, he’s an inner city kid like me, coming from nothing to something. He’s now the CEO of his own record company, that’s really powerful and influential.
MLSsoccer.com: If the MLS cup final had a halftime show like the Super Bowl, which artist would you like to see perform?
Johnson: I’ve got a thing for Rhianna lately, so I’d love to see her perform.
MLSsoccer.com: Finally, which song should be used in a montage of your game? In other words: What’s your Rocky theme tune?)
Johnson: Meek Mill’s got a song called “Ima Boss.” (Eddie starts singing...) “I play the shots, I call the costs, it’s goin’ down!” I think that’d be a good fit for my game.
