“She can’t do both” doesn’t quite work when it comes to Flau’jae Johnson. The 22-year-old is not just dominating on the basketball court but also dropping bars like a seasoned pro. While she’s out here leading LSU in points and delivering banger after banger, you’ve got to wonder- where does this fire, this love for rapping, come from? Well, it’s in her blood. 

The spark behind her passion? Her late father, Jason “Camoflauge” Johnson. Can you imagine devoting your life so much to someone you’ve never even met? Truly said, blood bonds run deep. And the LSU junior is living it after her father was tragically taken from this world just six months before she was even born. 

Yet, she carries his legacy like she’s known him her whole life. Turns out, she’s got that “X” factor, the same one he had when it came to rapping.

Camoflauge was a Georgia-born rapper who was a popular name in the early 2000s. Famous for hits like “Cut Friends” and “Laying My Stunt Down,” he dropped three albums during his career. But it wasn’t just his music that left a mark, it was his presence in Savannah, Georgia, his hometown. He was a community icon.

Every holiday season, he’d show up in housing projects dressed as “Camo Claus,” handing out gifts in a Santa suit. “He watched out for the community, not just himself,” Diane Bryan, a local fan, said back in the day. “He didn’t kick us to the curb. He was trying to get Savannah on the map.” 

And he was doing just that—until tragedy struck. At just 21 years old, Johnson’s life was taken in the most devastating way. On May 19, 2003, while standing outside Pure Pain Records in Savannah with his young son, Jason was fatally shot. Though rushed to the hospital, he didn’t survive. His son, thankfully, was unharmed, but the incident shook everyone. And to this day, the case remains unsolved.

For Flau’jae, who never got to meet him, Jason wasn’t just the hardest lyricist to come out of Savannah, as many describe him. He was and still is her biggest inspiration. Now, her family includes her mother, Kia Brooks, who is her manager and the backbone of her career. 

Running her own company, TFNA Entertainment & Sports Management, Kia ensures Flau’jae stays on track. Then there’s her stepdad, Ameen Brooks, who refuses to call himself a “stepdad.” As he puts it, he’s just filling the gap left by Jason.

And her brothers. Among the three is Trayron Milton, who’s followed his own musical path under the stage name Tray Milz. While he’s made headlines for less favorable reasons, like storming the court during an SEC championship, the family remains supportive.

Meanwhile,  Camoflauge is not here but “Big 4” keeps him alive through her music. Songs like “Guns Down,” which she performed on America’s Got Talent in 2018, talk about how her father would still be here if the shooter had put the gun down, and the impact of not having her father around.

“It’s my duty to finish what he started” Flau’jae Johnson continues to honor her father’s legacy

At 21, the same age her father was when he passed, Flau’jae channels her emotions into her craft. “I feel like his legacy was cut short,” she told an outlet. “It was taken from him. That’s why I sometimes feel like it’s my duty to finish what he started.”

Flau’jae’s rap journey started young. At just eight years old, she performed at a birthday party for her late father, decked out in camo pants and a Georgia Bulldogs vest. By 11, she was already killing it, and now, she’s signed to Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. How proud her father would have been! 

And since then, she’s dropped her 2023 album 4 My Fans, along with several EPs and singles. She’s also been co-signed by legends like Lil Wayne, who featured her on “Came Out a Beast” and even brought her out to perform at Lil Weezyana Fest. She is indeed unstoppable. 

And not to forget, she is doing it all while also balancing an amazing basketball career. 

Through it all, the LSU guard keeps her father’s memory alive in countless ways. One of the most touching? A custom diamond necklace with a circular frame holding a picture of Camoflauge. She’s also shared clips from her stints on The Rap Game and America’s Got Talent, where she often alludes to her father’s influence.

And along with being emotional, she is fiercely protective of her father’s legacy. So, when South Carolina’s DJ T.O. played Camoflauge’s song “F-k Friends” after the Gamecocks defeated LSU, the hooper didn’t hold back. 

Calling the move “nasty behavior” on social media, she made it clear that her father’s work wasn’t something to be used to mock her. Good thing, the DJ later apologized publicly.

And as painful as it must be to carry this legacy, Flau’jae Johnson is doing it head-on. Whether it’s through her music, her fierce game on the court, or her love for her family, she’s on a mission to complete what her father started. And from the looks of it, she’s doing just that.