“First Rap Hit of the Year” – The New York Times
“LiAngelo Ball Is the First Big Rap Story of 2025…the year’s first genuine heater.” – GQ
“…buzziest rap song in America.” – Vulture
“‘Tweaker’ is probably not going anywhere anytime soon” – Complex
“‘Tweaker’ is the rap nostalgia we’re missing” – FADER

30 JANUARY 2025 (TORONTO, ON) – After igniting social media, buzzing rapper GELO (LiAngelo Ball) has unveiled the anxiously awaited official music video for his breakout single “Tweaker.” It notably marks his debut song with Def Jam Recordings. Increasing anticipation for the video’s arrival, the song has already soared as the First Breakout Hit of 2025, #1 Debut Single of 2025, and #1 Rap Song of 2025. Watch BELOW.

Shot in his hometown of Los Angeles as well as Chicago, GELO is joined by his brothers Lonzo Ball [Chicago Bulls] and LaMelo Ball [Charlotte Hornets] for the high-energy visual. Never taking his foot off the gas, the visual concludes with a tease of a new song “Can You Please?” With all eyes on the future, he shows no signs of stopping or slowing down now.

“Tweaker” continues to surge with unmatched impact. It has garnered millions of streams in addition to catapulting to #1 on Spotify Viral US and Worldwide, #1 on the Apple Music Hip-Hop Chart, #1 on the iTunes Top Hip-Hop/Rap Songs Chart, and #1 on the US Shazam Chart. Not to mention, he captured #3 on the Billboard Emerging Artists Chart and #4 on the Spotify Overall US Chart. This success led to a Top 30 breakthrough on the Billboard Hot 100, while “Tweaker” remains #1 “Most Added” at Overall Radio on track for Top 15 at Urban and Rhythm. It exploded as the #2 most viral song on TikTok and emerged as the #3 trending song on Instagram Reels.

Def Jam Recordings Chairman and CEO Tunji Balogun welcomed him to the label, saying, “GELO is an old soul bringing a refreshing style of music that feels reminiscent of my favourite era of hip-hop. Beyond being a member of one of America’s most prominent and inspiring Black families, he is a true artist with a bright future ahead of him. Standing at the intersection of sports, music, and youth culture, he’s caught lightning in a bottle with ‘Tweaker’ but I’m more excited for people to hear the rest of the songs he has in the stash.”

GELO added, “It means a lot to sign to Def Jam. When I was a kid my dad always listened to DMX, and we had the video game Def Jam: Fight for NY. We met everybody, and I played them a bunch of songs. They wanted to hear it all. I really love their energy and excitement about everything I’m doing.”

ABOUT GELO:

When GELO gets on the microphone, his hunger is practically audible. The Southern California native-born LiAngelo Ball raps with an unmatched level of drive and ambition fuelled by his lifelong passion for music. Over the years, he has quietly filled dozens of notebooks with rhymes, spent countless hours freestyling, and recorded hundreds of songs. This under-the-radar grind has prepared him for his moment. As a kid, he developed a deep appreciation for music. Upon hearing 50 Cent’s Get Rich Or Die Tryin’, he decided to grab a pen and write raps of his own. At 18-years-old, he recorded in a studio for the first time. Simultaneously, he excelled on the court, playing basketball internationally, earning a contract with the Detroit Pistons, and shining on the Greensboro Swarm. At the top of 2025, he entered the world-famous Paramount Recording Studios in Hollywood and left with “albums’ worth of material.” The breakout “Tweaker” would just be the first one to pop. Beyond debuting in the Top 30 of the Billboard Hot 100 and amassing millions of streams, it catapulted to #1 on the TikTok Top 50 Viral Chart, #1 on the Apple Music Hip-Hop Chart, #1 on the iTunes Hip-Hop/Rap Songs Chart, #1 on Genius, and #1 on US Shazam. It’s no wonder GQ hailed it as “the year’s first genuine heater,” and Complex predicted, “‘Tweaker’ is probably not going anywhere anytime soon.” Now, he introduces himself with a deluge of new material and his forthcoming debut project with Def Jam Recordings.