duncan228
07-11-2009, 10:07 AM
Hip Hop & NBA (http://silverbackgorillas.blogspot.com/2009/07/hip-hop-nba.html)
Basketball and Hip Hop go hand in hand like black people and chicken, strippers and cocaine and white women and black men (just kidding). Watch an NBA game and listen to the songs being played in the warm ups, time outs or during the games; in general they are all Hip Hop songs. With that said, yesterday I was having a quick talk with Money and started thinking about associating rappers with NBA players. So let's give it a try. As an added wrinkle, I will try to find a song from the rapper that best identifies the NBA player in question.
Michael Jordan
Rapper: The guy I wanted to put here initially was none other then the Notorious B.I.G. But I gave it some more thought and Biggie wasn't cutting it in the spot of MJ because of his tenure in the game. Where Michael was like a chain of porno movies, Big was just a sequel. Although he was great, we did not get enough of him to put him on the level of Mike. So who else we do we have? Money is a die hard Nas fan. In his mind, Nasir Jones is the best rapper that has ever graced the world. I will agree that Esco is one of the best that we have ever seen pick up a microphone, but I will respectfully disagree. The guy that makes it here for me is none other then Sean Carter. Jay has the years in the game, the album sales, the lyrics and the respect of fans and rappers alike. Think back to a few years back where we were starving for some great lyrical content because no current rapper out there was able to give it to us. The Jigga Man came back and dropped this line" I can't leave rap alone, the game needs me". That says it all. In addition, Hova and Mike kind of have similarities in their work. Short of any Reasonable Doubt, Michael came in and shocked the league and had one of the best seasons ever scoring the ball at a clip of over 35 points per game. MJ then persevered and reached the mountain top; and once tragedy struck, he left the game. Although he left, he could not stay away, he came back and had his best season ever individually and collectively in the 1995-1996 season where he led his team to an NBA record 72 wins which set The Blueprint for a dynasty.
Jay-Z track that best encompasses MJ: Encore
Kobe Bryant
Rapper: Kobe Bryant is one of the most gifted players the NBA has ever seen; and yet he is widely despised by several fans and media members because of his attitude, his actions and comments. So in this case, it was important to find a rapper that was arguably one of the best in the game but that was also a polarizing figure much like Kobe Bryant. In this case, the guy that best fits the bill is none other then Marshall Mathers. Kobe Bryant and Eminem have been in the spotlight at times for all the wrong reasons. Kobe Bryant dealt with the sexual assault case in Colorado, the break up with Shaquille O'Neal and the beef with Karl Malone because Kobe thought he hit on his wife. Eminem was in the tabloids because of his on and off again relationship with his wife Kim, his use of the word ###### in a song he composed when he was around 17 years old that Ray Benzino leaked out during his beef with Em and his addiction to pills. So despite the personal accomplishments in their respective careers, they have been cast very negatively in the media (understandably so). And yet, their peers recognize them as some of the best to have ever done it in their fields. Kobe can play a defender like a puppet at the expense of his teammates and make it look astounding just like Marshall can rap so brilliantly about swallowing Valium pills with his daughter present that we forget that it was irresponsible of him to do so as a father. Such are their fates. For all we know, between their accomplishments and failures, we might one day always associate one with the other.
Tim Duncan
Rapper: I thought about this one for a while and had to check in with Money in order to get a second opinion. But the guy that best fits with Duncan is former Deathrow member: Dr. Dre. Some might think that the comparison is completely off (hell I thought it was at initially) but the association works perfectly. The Doctor comes with no flash or publicity whatsoever; he just spends his time in the lab and whenever he decides to come out with something, it’s always a classic. The former West Coast rider has been able to achieve greatness and generate envy from his peers in an era where he competed against the likes of Jay-Z, Nas, the Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Snoop and Big Pun just to name a few. Where rappers were battling it out and trying to sell records, the Doctor did not have to try. Although he does not have many solo albums (four), he was still able to move units while the previous rappers were trying to do the same. People tend to forget that just like they tend to forget that Duncan beat out Shaq & Kobe, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd in the playoffs on his way to multiple championships.
Dre track that best encompasses Duncan: Still Dre
Shaquille O'Neal
Rapper: Several guys came to mind as a prospective rapper to represent Shaq. But few properly wore the hat (or doo-rag) like Curtis Interscope Jackson. 50 Cent fits the bill in more ways then one. He ruled the mixtape world and brought to life the careers of Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck and eventually The Game. After reigning supreme on the mixtape world, he got signed by Interscope and then all hell broke loose. Fiddy hooked up with the Dr. Dre and his G-Unit soldiers to release one of the most anticipated albums ever: Get Rich or Dye Tryin. 50's union with Dre and Em led him to an ascension that mirrored the Diesel's career after he teamed up with Phil Jackson. Nothing would ever be the same. Shaq became arguably the most dominant force ever in basketball (while he helped shape the careers of Penny, Kobe, Wade and perhaps now LeBron) and 50 became an entertainer unlike anything we had ever seen before. Fiddy changed the game and made it cool to talk about gun clapping and drug smuggling (disagree all you want, but people became more tolerant of these subjects after Fiddy came in the game). Both individuals left their imprints respectively on their brand of entertainment. In addition, Curtis and Shaq share their wild desire to publicly take jabs at whoever they wish. Whether it's 50 that's taking shots at Ja Rule ("Youz' a pop tart sweetheart, you soft in the middle,I eat for breakfast and your watch was exchanged for your necklace) or making fun of Weezy's kiss on Baby or Shaq asking an audience to ask Kobe how his ass tastes or calling Stan Van Gundy a master of panic, these high profile characters never lack the ammunition.
50 track that best encompasses Shaq: Back Down
Kevin Garnett
Rapper: This one came fairly easy to me. I needed a rapper that was highly emotional and never minced words. He had to be able to consistently get his message across regardless of the audience. If that wasn't enough, our rapper had to be able to disrespect some people flagrantly and yet be respected for doing it. Our rapper of choice, none other then Mr Heartbreak: Kanye West. Kevin Garnett has been known to be a huge trash talker and also a player that often harshly gets on his teammates (earlier this season, he made Glen "Big Baby" Davis cry on the Celtics bench after what seemed like a lyrical assault on his manhood and rhetorical questioning on the size of his cojones) to set them straight. Kanye West is just about the same. Whether it's with songs like Big Brother or Jesus Walks, 'Ye wears his emotions on his sleeves and makes sure that they are out their for the world to see (like having tantrums at awards shows). And yet, critics, fans and rappers alike all enjoy what Kanye brings to the game. His ability to bring his emotion into the booth and put them on wax is quite astounding. As far as I'm concerned these guys associate perfectly with one another. They have both reached the mountain top after years of staying on the grind in the industry; and when they showed their colors after reaching the promised land, the world embraced them.
Kanye track that best encompasses KG: Champion
LeBron James
Rapper: It's no secret that LeBron James is my favorite player. No one in the league has the total set of skills that King James possesses; he knows when to get his teammates involved and create shots for them, knows when to score, knows how to lock down on defense and shut down his player; and he even gives you a little entertainment in warm ups. I must caution though, LeBron is still at a relatively young age, so his best has yet to come. Therefore, what we are witnessing right now is his path to greatness. Like a rapper we have seen before, LeBron has captivated us with his talents as well as his charisma and ability to lead but also follow. The rapper that best fits the bill is none other then the Notorious B.I.G. Christopher Wallace spoke about his crack slinging days, the hustle he had to be part of in order to feed his daughter, the stress he dealt with when he found his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and obviously the tons of women he fornicated with. Big could never be cornered as a lyricist because he was able to come at you from multiple angles and styles and yet still be efficient in painting his picture. The same way no double team could contain LeBron James, Biggie could always improvise and get his way out of jam.
Biggie track that best encompasses LBJ: I got a story to tell
Honorable mentions:
-Dennis Rodman & Ol' Dirty Bastard: Crazy and addicted to something.
-Penny Hardaway & Ja Rule: Started out their careers big and then completely dropped off the map.
-Robert Horry & Nate Dogg: Ultimate wing men. Great performances when riding the coattails of a star.
-Ron Artest & Cam'Ron: Never sure what they're talking about.
-Kenyon Martin & Styles P: Two guys I would never mess with.
-Tony Parker & Wyclef Jean: Part of a great squad and both rap in french.
-Gilber Arenas & The Game: After getting rejected by a squad ( Team USA and G-Unit), they entertained a personal vendetta against the members of the group that rejected them.
-Carmelo Anthony & Jim Jones: Stop Snitchin' movement
-Patrick Ewing & Memphis Bleek: Every chance to step out of the shadows and achieve greatness but just couldn't.
-Shawn Kemp & Akon: Baby mamas in different area codes.
-Allen Iverson & Dame Dash: You couldn't pay these guys to shut up.
-Andrea Bargnani & Rick Ross: Both are the object of ridicule.
-Glen "Big Baby" Davis & Young Buck: One cried on the bench of a nationaly televised game and the other cried in a recorded phone conversation with 50 that hit the internet.
Basketball and Hip Hop go hand in hand like black people and chicken, strippers and cocaine and white women and black men (just kidding). Watch an NBA game and listen to the songs being played in the warm ups, time outs or during the games; in general they are all Hip Hop songs. With that said, yesterday I was having a quick talk with Money and started thinking about associating rappers with NBA players. So let's give it a try. As an added wrinkle, I will try to find a song from the rapper that best identifies the NBA player in question.
Michael Jordan
Rapper: The guy I wanted to put here initially was none other then the Notorious B.I.G. But I gave it some more thought and Biggie wasn't cutting it in the spot of MJ because of his tenure in the game. Where Michael was like a chain of porno movies, Big was just a sequel. Although he was great, we did not get enough of him to put him on the level of Mike. So who else we do we have? Money is a die hard Nas fan. In his mind, Nasir Jones is the best rapper that has ever graced the world. I will agree that Esco is one of the best that we have ever seen pick up a microphone, but I will respectfully disagree. The guy that makes it here for me is none other then Sean Carter. Jay has the years in the game, the album sales, the lyrics and the respect of fans and rappers alike. Think back to a few years back where we were starving for some great lyrical content because no current rapper out there was able to give it to us. The Jigga Man came back and dropped this line" I can't leave rap alone, the game needs me". That says it all. In addition, Hova and Mike kind of have similarities in their work. Short of any Reasonable Doubt, Michael came in and shocked the league and had one of the best seasons ever scoring the ball at a clip of over 35 points per game. MJ then persevered and reached the mountain top; and once tragedy struck, he left the game. Although he left, he could not stay away, he came back and had his best season ever individually and collectively in the 1995-1996 season where he led his team to an NBA record 72 wins which set The Blueprint for a dynasty.
Jay-Z track that best encompasses MJ: Encore
Kobe Bryant
Rapper: Kobe Bryant is one of the most gifted players the NBA has ever seen; and yet he is widely despised by several fans and media members because of his attitude, his actions and comments. So in this case, it was important to find a rapper that was arguably one of the best in the game but that was also a polarizing figure much like Kobe Bryant. In this case, the guy that best fits the bill is none other then Marshall Mathers. Kobe Bryant and Eminem have been in the spotlight at times for all the wrong reasons. Kobe Bryant dealt with the sexual assault case in Colorado, the break up with Shaquille O'Neal and the beef with Karl Malone because Kobe thought he hit on his wife. Eminem was in the tabloids because of his on and off again relationship with his wife Kim, his use of the word ###### in a song he composed when he was around 17 years old that Ray Benzino leaked out during his beef with Em and his addiction to pills. So despite the personal accomplishments in their respective careers, they have been cast very negatively in the media (understandably so). And yet, their peers recognize them as some of the best to have ever done it in their fields. Kobe can play a defender like a puppet at the expense of his teammates and make it look astounding just like Marshall can rap so brilliantly about swallowing Valium pills with his daughter present that we forget that it was irresponsible of him to do so as a father. Such are their fates. For all we know, between their accomplishments and failures, we might one day always associate one with the other.
Tim Duncan
Rapper: I thought about this one for a while and had to check in with Money in order to get a second opinion. But the guy that best fits with Duncan is former Deathrow member: Dr. Dre. Some might think that the comparison is completely off (hell I thought it was at initially) but the association works perfectly. The Doctor comes with no flash or publicity whatsoever; he just spends his time in the lab and whenever he decides to come out with something, it’s always a classic. The former West Coast rider has been able to achieve greatness and generate envy from his peers in an era where he competed against the likes of Jay-Z, Nas, the Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., Tupac, Snoop and Big Pun just to name a few. Where rappers were battling it out and trying to sell records, the Doctor did not have to try. Although he does not have many solo albums (four), he was still able to move units while the previous rappers were trying to do the same. People tend to forget that just like they tend to forget that Duncan beat out Shaq & Kobe, LeBron James, Kevin Garnett, Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash and Jason Kidd in the playoffs on his way to multiple championships.
Dre track that best encompasses Duncan: Still Dre
Shaquille O'Neal
Rapper: Several guys came to mind as a prospective rapper to represent Shaq. But few properly wore the hat (or doo-rag) like Curtis Interscope Jackson. 50 Cent fits the bill in more ways then one. He ruled the mixtape world and brought to life the careers of Lloyd Banks, Tony Yayo, Young Buck and eventually The Game. After reigning supreme on the mixtape world, he got signed by Interscope and then all hell broke loose. Fiddy hooked up with the Dr. Dre and his G-Unit soldiers to release one of the most anticipated albums ever: Get Rich or Dye Tryin. 50's union with Dre and Em led him to an ascension that mirrored the Diesel's career after he teamed up with Phil Jackson. Nothing would ever be the same. Shaq became arguably the most dominant force ever in basketball (while he helped shape the careers of Penny, Kobe, Wade and perhaps now LeBron) and 50 became an entertainer unlike anything we had ever seen before. Fiddy changed the game and made it cool to talk about gun clapping and drug smuggling (disagree all you want, but people became more tolerant of these subjects after Fiddy came in the game). Both individuals left their imprints respectively on their brand of entertainment. In addition, Curtis and Shaq share their wild desire to publicly take jabs at whoever they wish. Whether it's 50 that's taking shots at Ja Rule ("Youz' a pop tart sweetheart, you soft in the middle,I eat for breakfast and your watch was exchanged for your necklace) or making fun of Weezy's kiss on Baby or Shaq asking an audience to ask Kobe how his ass tastes or calling Stan Van Gundy a master of panic, these high profile characters never lack the ammunition.
50 track that best encompasses Shaq: Back Down
Kevin Garnett
Rapper: This one came fairly easy to me. I needed a rapper that was highly emotional and never minced words. He had to be able to consistently get his message across regardless of the audience. If that wasn't enough, our rapper had to be able to disrespect some people flagrantly and yet be respected for doing it. Our rapper of choice, none other then Mr Heartbreak: Kanye West. Kevin Garnett has been known to be a huge trash talker and also a player that often harshly gets on his teammates (earlier this season, he made Glen "Big Baby" Davis cry on the Celtics bench after what seemed like a lyrical assault on his manhood and rhetorical questioning on the size of his cojones) to set them straight. Kanye West is just about the same. Whether it's with songs like Big Brother or Jesus Walks, 'Ye wears his emotions on his sleeves and makes sure that they are out their for the world to see (like having tantrums at awards shows). And yet, critics, fans and rappers alike all enjoy what Kanye brings to the game. His ability to bring his emotion into the booth and put them on wax is quite astounding. As far as I'm concerned these guys associate perfectly with one another. They have both reached the mountain top after years of staying on the grind in the industry; and when they showed their colors after reaching the promised land, the world embraced them.
Kanye track that best encompasses KG: Champion
LeBron James
Rapper: It's no secret that LeBron James is my favorite player. No one in the league has the total set of skills that King James possesses; he knows when to get his teammates involved and create shots for them, knows when to score, knows how to lock down on defense and shut down his player; and he even gives you a little entertainment in warm ups. I must caution though, LeBron is still at a relatively young age, so his best has yet to come. Therefore, what we are witnessing right now is his path to greatness. Like a rapper we have seen before, LeBron has captivated us with his talents as well as his charisma and ability to lead but also follow. The rapper that best fits the bill is none other then the Notorious B.I.G. Christopher Wallace spoke about his crack slinging days, the hustle he had to be part of in order to feed his daughter, the stress he dealt with when he found his mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and obviously the tons of women he fornicated with. Big could never be cornered as a lyricist because he was able to come at you from multiple angles and styles and yet still be efficient in painting his picture. The same way no double team could contain LeBron James, Biggie could always improvise and get his way out of jam.
Biggie track that best encompasses LBJ: I got a story to tell
Honorable mentions:
-Dennis Rodman & Ol' Dirty Bastard: Crazy and addicted to something.
-Penny Hardaway & Ja Rule: Started out their careers big and then completely dropped off the map.
-Robert Horry & Nate Dogg: Ultimate wing men. Great performances when riding the coattails of a star.
-Ron Artest & Cam'Ron: Never sure what they're talking about.
-Kenyon Martin & Styles P: Two guys I would never mess with.
-Tony Parker & Wyclef Jean: Part of a great squad and both rap in french.
-Gilber Arenas & The Game: After getting rejected by a squad ( Team USA and G-Unit), they entertained a personal vendetta against the members of the group that rejected them.
-Carmelo Anthony & Jim Jones: Stop Snitchin' movement
-Patrick Ewing & Memphis Bleek: Every chance to step out of the shadows and achieve greatness but just couldn't.
-Shawn Kemp & Akon: Baby mamas in different area codes.
-Allen Iverson & Dame Dash: You couldn't pay these guys to shut up.
-Andrea Bargnani & Rick Ross: Both are the object of ridicule.
-Glen "Big Baby" Davis & Young Buck: One cried on the bench of a nationaly televised game and the other cried in a recorded phone conversation with 50 that hit the internet.