Lou Williams continues to tap into his love for music through his independent label, Winners United. During the 2022 REVOLT Summit x AT&T, the NBA superstar opened up about his artist roster, which includes Jackson, Mississippi native Akeem Ali.

“It’s been exciting,” Williams told REVOLT. “Music has always been a passion of mine, I’ve always involved myself in the entertainment and the business side of it. “I got the pleasure of working with Akeem Ali, he’s such a talented artist. He’s gonna be somebody that springboards our label, Winners United. He’s gonna be our North Star and he’s gonna be that guy to bring other talent. That brings awareness to what we got going on. It’s been fun.”

REVOLT also caught up with Ali at the Summit. He described his first time at the event as a great time of tapping in with like-minded creatives. “There’s a lot of beautiful people out here. I’ve gained a lot of insightful stuff, learned a lot, have seen a lot and I’m out here being as handsome as I can be minding my business, drinking water, [and] staying cute.”

For Ali, his deep south upbringing is the core of his artistry. “It’s in everything that I do. The way I talk, the way I carry myself, the way I present myself to people,” said the 28-year-old. “I just want people to know that this is what Mississippi is all about. When you look at me, you need to see it, you got to feel it. You need to feel good when you’re looking at it, like, ‘Damn, I wish I was from Mississippi.'”

He also described his partnership with Williams and what it meant to be a part of his label. “If I had to explain our relationship, I would say he’s 20 percent fan, 80 percent a friend,” Ali admitted. “It’s kind of like we have a friendship before anything else and it makes it more genuine. He was a fan of my music before we met each other and it just turned into like being brothers, but we also have a business going on. It’s like little brother, big brother and I’m trying to catch game from him and stuff like that.”

Check out Akeem Ali’s announcement of his latest single, “What We Doing,” below.