In desperate search of panelists to join him on Undisputed following the summer departure of former co-host Shannon Sharpe, the mercurial Skip Bayless has seemingly turned to a record label for sports analysis.
Multiple times this season, two rappers from Young Money Entertainment have joined Bayless on Undisputed to cycle through the sports headlines. They are Yella Beezy—who boasts 1.9 million Instagram followers and a single that charted at 56 on the Hot 100 in 2017—and Allan Cubas, who has just 38,000 Instagram followers, has not released a major label record yet, and does not have a single song on Spotify with more than 31,000 listens.
Undisputed viewers on Wednesday got to hear Cubas hate on the Cowboys and Yella Beezy (with atrocious audio and full Cowboys regalia) explain why Dak Prescott is great while Bayless nodded and mumbled along.
.@YellaBeezy214 likes what he saw from Dak Prescott vs. Chargers:
“Dak made plays, his mobility gives the Cowboys offense another gear. The sky is the limit.” pic.twitter.com/06HXkL1Q2H
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) October 18, 2023
.@AllanCubasMusic is not sold on the Cowboys despite their win vs. Chargers:
“You guys like to call me a Cowboys hater, I’m a Cowboys realist. They’re at best a Wild Card, Divisional Round team.” pic.twitter.com/7WdQSYGX58
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) October 18, 2023
In August, Fox announced Lil Wayne, the founder of Young Money, had recorded a new intro song for Undisputed and would join the show regularly throughout the year. There was no mention of any additional collaboration with Wayne’s company.
Clearly whatever deal Wayne and Bayless struck includes much more than has been revealed. Otherwise, it’s hard to imagine Cubas or Yella Beezy would sniff a sports debate show, even one as surreal as Undisputed.
The show’s YouTube channel is hardly promoting the appearances. Most Undisputed segments are cut into YouTube clips, but just one Cubas/Beezy video is up on the channel.
Bayless had to leave air for weeks this summer to book a new panel to join him on Undisputed. But this signals another level of desperation—or perhaps unbelievable loyalty to his friend, Lil Wayne.
Young Money recently expanded into sports representation. Appearances on Fox’s sports lineup theoretically help that side of the business. But it’s a stretch.
No matter what led here, it’s pretty bad television, even by Undisputed‘s recent standards.
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.