ONE COULD SAY THAT NCAA Basketball National Champion, rising rap artist, Louisiana State University student and native Savannahian Flau’jae Johnson is going places. One could also argue she has already arrived.
Much of Savannah remembers Johnson’s electrifying first performance on “America’s Got Talent” in 2018. The then 14-year-old, who already went by just “Flau’jae” in her music career, bounced onto the stage with a smile bigger than her hot pink hoop earrings, then turned serious when it was time to tell her story. “I started off because my father was a rapper. He died before I was born, so he couldn’t really fulfill his dream. So that’s what I’m here to do,” she told America.
“He was the hardest lyricist coming out of Savannah,” the now 19-year-old shares about her father, Jason “Camoflauge” Johnson. “He put us on the map in a way. In the early 2000s, he had big hits. He was really respected in the industry. And he was about to take off when he was tragically murdered in front of his recording studio in Savannah.”
It was already clear from performances around the city and on Lifetime’s “The Rap Game” that the young artist had inherited her dad’s musical talent and star power. But it was that first “America’s Got Talent” performance that let America know.
With her proud mother and manager, Kia J. Brooks, looking on tearfully, the first beats of Johnson’s anthem “Guns Down” came on, and the young girl transformed into a powerhouse with a message: “If he would have put that gun down, then he would have been here right now!” This refrain continued until Johnson’s first verse: “Do you know what it’s like to not have a father? No one to talk to when you get mad at your Momma? I know you ain’t gonna pick up the phone. I still call you. The reason that it hurts so bad — I never saw you.”
The song ended with the plea, “Everybody put your guns down.” The awed crowd and judges rose to their feet. Simon Cowell, the judge long known for his gruff persona, went backstage to hug and personally congratulate her.
“That really just shot my confidence through the roof,” Johnson says. “Having someone like Simon Cowell tell you you’re gonna be a superstar — it makes you put things in perspective on a bigger scale, like I can really do this.”
“I just learned how to be disciplined and consistent,” Johnson says. “You have to always want to learn, want to listen. Don’t be a know-it-all — always be ready to grow.”
— Flau’jae Johnson
And she’s done even more. Growing up, in addition to creating her music, Johnson was a three-sport athlete with baseball, basketball and cheerleading.
“I wanted to play football, but my mom wouldn’t let me, so I cheered instead,” she says with a laugh. But it is basketball where she truly excels.
In her senior year of high school, Johnson earned MVP honors at the Jordan Brand Classic after scoring 27 points. She also played in the McDonald’s All-American Game and was the only girl to play in the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic.
The following year, she entered LSU as its starting shooting guard — and helped them make history this past April with LSU’s first-ever National Championship in women’s basketball. “That was very cool, just knowing the impact it had on our coach,” Johnson says. “Coach Mulkey took a lot of different pieces and made them fit, and we just went in and worked hard every day like she told us to. We all had one goal. And I was just thankful to be a part of it and change the history at LSU.”
In March 2023, Johnson was also named Southeastern Conference (SEC) Freshman of the Year.
How does she do it all — while also studying for exams?
“I just learned how to be disciplined and consistent,” Johnson says. “You have to always want to learn, want to listen. Don’t be a know-it-all — always be ready to grow.”
As she grows, Johnson stays close to her roots and still gives back to Savannah. In 2019, she played a key role in the Keep Savannah Clean campaign. A rap she wrote ended with, “It’s so easy to go put it in a basket. This is my home — don’t trash it!” That final line, with Johnson’s name and drawn image, appeared on signs all over the city.
“That was a dope campaign,” Johnson reminisces. “Mr. Parker (Parker’s CEO Greg Parker) asked me to be a part of it, and I was all about it. Panhandle Slim did that artwork on it. I loved it!”
This summer marks Johnson’s first Savannah homecoming after the National Championship. On July 28, she is hosting a day of giving back and presenting a $10,000 check to the Frank Callen Boys & Girls Club, where she shot hoops as a kid. On August 24, the intersection at Abercorn Street and West Montgomery Cross Road will be dedicated as Flau’jae Johnson Intersection.
It’s not her final destination — but Savannah’s phenom has indeed arrived.
