FLAU’JAE Johnson is making a name for herself in more ways than one.
A star guard for the reigning National champion LSU Tigers, the 20-year-old is renowned not just for her work on the court, but also in the music world.
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Signed to Jay Z‘s label ROC Nation, Johnson is an up-and-coming rapper with an immense social media profile.
However, despite her relatively newfound fame, she has remained grounded.
Speaking ahead of her return to March Madness, Johnson credited her mom Kia Brooks, who also works as her manager, for helping make her who she is today, as per an interview with the New York Post.
Reflecting on her upbringing in Savannah, Georgia, she explained, “The whole city is like a dog eat dog.
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“You gotta be one of the ones to come out of there and really make something of yourself.
“My mom really just took care of me and my brothers and did her best for us to make it out of there and she did an amazing job and was blessed to have it.”
Johnson’s upbringing was far from easy, having grown up without a father.
Her dad Jason was also a rapper, who went by the name Camouflage.
Tragically, he died in an unsolved shooting just five months after her birth in 2004, according to Forbes.
Johnson eventually made her way to Sprayberry High School, where in 2022, she was named a McDonald’s All-American.
A four-star guard coming out of high school, as per ESPN, she committed to LSU and went on to be named the SEC Freshman of the Year in 2023.
Johnson has made the most of her growing public profile, profiting off of lucrative Name, Image, and Likeness deals with sponsorships including Puma, Experian, JBL, TurboTax, and more.
All in all, this has earned her an estimated annual value of $1.1 million, per On3.
She even appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for Powerade alongside USC star Isaiah Collier.
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Meanwhile, Johnson has continued to pursue a successful rapping career.
With 195,000 YouTube subscribers, her latest track, Love Is Blind, has amassed over 155,000 views in just two weeks.
She also utilizes other platforms to promote both her musical content and sponsorship deals, with 1.7 million Instagram followers 1.4 million on TikTok, and over 104,000 on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Such fame, especially at such a young age, could easily get to anyone’s head.
But not Johnson’s.
“I mean, with that stuff, you deal with it internally with the team,” she explained to the Post.
“You really can’t listen too much to what social media says because everybody’s gonna have an opinion … you just look at the good.
“It’s kinda like you see what you wanna see. So, that’s why I don’t really be on social media like that in a way.
“I just focus on what I have going on.”
And everything Johnson has “going on” is remarkable, something she is clearly well aware of, describing it as “a blessing.”
“I think coming from the city that I come from and just beating the odds, I just try to stay humble,” she said.
“Anything materialistic, that doesn’t really matter.
“But when you do something where you can inspire people and you can change people’s perception and then they wanna follow you – I think that’s the difference-maker in everything …
“When people see me and they love me and they wanna support anything that I do, I think it’s because I inspired them and changed the perception.
“So I think things that are really, really important for me are just being who I am, coming from where I come from, and being able to change people’s lives and inspire them in a different way.”
Now looking to win her second National Championship in as many years, Johnson admitted that this time around, it feels different.
“Just having the experience in the tournament, knowing what to do, knowing how to take care of my body, know what to say to my teammates, just [having been] there before you kind of just get a feel for it,” she said, via a local NBC affiliate.
“You’re not as nervous.”
No.3 LSU kicked off their title defense on Friday, March 22 with a 70-60 win against No. 14 Rice.
Johnson finished the game with 14 points, four assists, and three rebounds.
They will now prepare to face No. 11 Middle Tennessee in the Second Round on Sunday.
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