Hip-hop icon Lil Wayne is the most unlikely new panelist on the new-look Undisputed alongside Skip Bayless this fall. And many have taken Bayless recruiting Wayne as a sign of desperation. On Thursday’s episode of It Is What It Is, host and hip-hop legend Cam’Ron called out Bayless for “reaching” for new viewers by dipping into rap.
“Skip is ****ing reaching, bro. No disrespect to Yella Beezy or none of that, but … I’m going to pat ourselves on the back,” Cam’Ron said. “[People] like us came into this space and started shaking **** up and then Stephen A. is still number one on First Take as far as ratings is concerned. And Skip in the back of his brain is like, ‘That’s my ****ing show.'”
Undisputed went on hiatus over the summer after Shannon Sharpe departed and Bayless struggled to find a new cohost. Since returning with a rotating panel, viewership for the FS1 debate show has floundered.
“Shannon ended up leaving Skip, so now Skip is trying to figure out, who can I get?” Cam’Ron posited. “And all season when he wasn’t working he’s like, I’m getting Richard Sherman or I got Michael Irvin or I got this person. Or matter of fact, every Friday, Lil Wayne is coming on.
“I think Skip is in such a panic that he’s like ‘who’s hot? What’s going on? Yella Beezy? Period.'”
Reading between the lines of Cam’Ron’s comments, he clearly believes Bayless sees IIWII as a threat. The Underdog Fantasy-sponsored, foul-mouthed show hosted by Cam’Ron and Ma$e is rising quickly. Traditional network shows can hardly keep up with the longform, intimate digital behemoth.
Beyond that, Cam’Ron is highlighting how IIWII attracts different viewers than FS1 or ESPN. The two celebrity rappers and their charismatic young host have more YouTube subscribers than Smith or Bayless. The IIWII comments section features thousands of viewers shouting out the hosts for their unique perspectives and authenticity.
Partnering with Wayne (his friend and filmmaking partner) may have been Bayless’ counter to IIWII. But he can’t match it. Cam’Ron knows that. And he wants to make it clear how much he and Ma$e have disrupted the sports talk landscape in less than a year.
About Brendon Kleen
Brendon is a Media Commentary staff writer at Awful Announcing. He has also covered basketball and sports business at Front Office Sports, SB Nation, Uproxx and more.