ESPN’s 6 p.m. ET SportsCenter will debut its “Center Stage” music series this week with performances by Wiz Khalifa (Thursday in Bristol, Conn.) and Wale (Friday in Los Angeles).
The series aims to expand the SportsCenter brand further into the world of music and follows last year’s memorable SportsCenter appearance by Lil Wayne and one by Willie Nelson.
“Want to make any sports highlight more dynamic? Just add a soundtrack. Sports and music have always had a cool connection, and we hope ‘Center Stage’ will further that relationship in a way that will resonate with our fans,” said Senior Vice President,SportsCenter and News Rob King. “To be able to kick it off with Wiz Khalifa and Wale, back-to-back, is instant confirmation of how impactful ‘Center Stage’ can be.”
Wiz Khalifa is in the midst of his of “Boys of Zummer” tour, with a date at Hartford’s Xfinity Theatre on Friday. The multi-platinum recording artist can also be found on the No.1 Furious 7: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack with the smash hit, “See You Again (feat. Charlie Puth),” which reached the No.1 spot in 30 countries around the world. TheSportsCenter appearance will mark the first time a full band has performed on SC’s year-old, state-of-the-art set in Digital Center 2.
Maybach Music Group/Atlantic Records recording artist Wale released his highly-anticipated fourth studio album, “THE ALBUM ABOUT NOTHING,” on March 31, 2015, debuting at #1 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. Wale collaborated with Jerry Seinfeld himself for the latest installment in his famed “About Nothing” mixtape trilogy, inspired by his favorite TV show, “Seinfeld.” He heads to the LA Live stage where he will perform on SportsCenter on Friday from the BET Fan Fest, in advance of Sunday’s BET Awards, where he is nominated in the Best Male Hip Hop Artist category.