Michigan hip-hop artist P.L. punches ticket to Super Bowl LIII
Kory Woods
A vast majority of the world will be tuned in to Super Bowl LIII this Sunday as the New England Patriots face the Los Angeles Rams in a rematch from Super Bowl XXXVI. Many from the state of Michigan will be tuning in to see whether former Michigan quarterback Tom Brady will obtain his 6th ring with the Patriots, or whether former Detroit Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh will get his first ring with the Rams. While the two famed athletes have ties to Michigan, they are not the only ones with Michigan ties that will be a part of the big game this year.Photo Credit: Terry Fox (P.L.)
Michigan based hip-hop artist P.L. will have his music open up the Super Bowl recap show on the NFL Network immediately following the game. The song that will be played is specifically tailored to either the Patriots or the Rams, as he recorded a song for each. For those who may not know, this isn’t his first time working with the NFL. The relationship started two years around when they reached out to him.
“I have an associate who works there now and he’s from Michigan”, said P.L. “And he reached and said ‘Yo we are working on this segment for Thursday Night Football and we would like to see if you could do a song or two; score some music for us’ and ironically I had just bought all the equipment for a studio in my house”. While his associate did not make any promises of what would come from the trial relationship, the NFL Network loved what he did so much that he was offered the opportunity to create music for them for the entire season.
“Man they were so impressed that it turned into me doing training camp, side gigs, pre-season, flag football, and the playoffs to now doing the Super Bowl.”, said P.L. For those who watch “Gameday Prime” on the NFL Network after the games have aired, P.L.’s music also opens that show as well. As mentioned earlier, P.L.’s song will open the Super Bowl recap show with his song specifically tailored to the winner. The song will feature lyrics regarding how it feels to be a champion, ties to the city, career achievements, and etc. For P.L. though, being a part of the world’s biggest event has him feeling like a winner himself.
“It’s kind of surreal man. I didn’t even anticipate things going in this direction”, said P.L. “Super Bowl is huge and everybody knows about it. From the commercials to the preparation to the music to the actual game itself. So it’s a blessing for me to have that on my resume and without a doubt, I know that is going to turn into something else moving forward. I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
Photo Credit: Terry Fox (P.L.)
For the Ann Arbor native, this is a full circle moment, as he is no stranger to the music scene. Several years ago, P.L. was consistently heard on Metro Detroit airwaves with songs such as “Fresher Den You” or “I’m Single” featuring Jwan. For P.L. though, that was not the success that he wanted for himself. In his own words was fed up with “kinda” winning. “I got fed up with being on the radio and not getting signed or being on BET’s ‘106 & Park [competing] and losing my 5th week or doing shows, but not the big shows,” said P.L. “I just got sick of getting to the door but not being able to open it.”
With his back faced against the wall, P.L. decided to become more serious with his craft. Faced with a choice of which direction he was going to head in with his career, P.L. made a life-altering revelation. “I just had to find another approach and understand that my gift lies in what I love, rather than what I wanted other people to love,” said P.L. From that moment on, he decided to fuse his love of music and sports together. To this day, it has led to many doors opening as he has worked with the Detroit Pistons, the University of Michigan, and currently has several other projects in the works.
While Sunday will feature one of P.L. tracks opening the Super Bowl recap, he does have a preference in which track we will hear as he is pulling for the Patriots. “Michigan in there all day and you know you got Tom Brady in there so I’m going for the Pats!”, said P.L.
Be sure to keep up with P.L. and follow him on Instagram @plofficial, as he has stated that new music on the horizon this year.
