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Everything is hip-hop particularly when it comes to the sports industry. From J. Cole, who participated in the Slam Dunk Competition during NBA All-Star Weekend, to Jay-Z, who inked a partnership with the NFL to choose the Super Bowl Halftime Show performer each year. Sports and hip-hop have become the same. Let’s take a look at four times rappers name-dropped athletes in their lyrics.
Jay-Z – Blow The Whistle
Name Drop: LeBron James
“Ask my n***a Lebron! We’re so big we ain’t gotta respond, When you talk to a don, please have respect like you talkin’ to your mom”
LeBron James has had several rivals during his illustrious NBA career. But one of his most bitter rivals was former Washington Wizards guard, Deshaun Stevenson. Things got particularly heated between LeBron and Deshaun during the Washington Wizards and Cleveland Cavaliers playoff matchup in 2008. When Stevenson called LeBron overrated.
LeBron was asked about Stevenson’s comments to which he compared it to Soulja Boy calling out Jay-Z. That’s when Jay-Z laid a verse to Too Short’s iconic song, Blow The Whistle, and called out Stevenson.
Drake – Thank Me Now
Name Drop: Michael Jordan
“I can relate to kids going straight to the league
When they recognize that you have what it takes to succeed. And that’s around the time that your idols become your rivals. You make friends with Mike, but go to A.I. for your survival.”
It’s no secret that Drake is a huge sports fan. And he always uses sports-related references to get his point across. Drake dropped his debut album Thank Me Later in 2010. And with a Lil Wayne co-sign he was already respected by some of the goats.
On one of the songs on his album, Thank Me Now, he equates his entry into the rap game to Allen Iverson’s crossover on Michael Jordan. Much like Drake, Iverson made waves as a rookie. Especially when he hit Jordan with an insane crossover in a matchup with the Chicago Bulls. On several occasions, Iverson had alluded to Jordan being one of his influences growing up and he was now on a stage where he was competing against him.
Chief Keef – Kobe
Name Drop: Kobe Bryant
“I been ballin’ so damn hard, I swear I think that I’m Kobe. Young bull of this rap s**t, but I think that I’m Kobe. I swear I’m dunkin’ on these h**s, on these n****s, I’m free throwing. These boys, they don’t like me ’cause I think that I’m Kobe (Sos’, baby)
Watch me hit the strip club, make it rain like I’m Kobe”
Drill music has become an epidemic that nobody could have seen coming. And Chief Keef is widely considered the godfather who started the waves. Keef pays homage to former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant on his 2012, Finally Rich Mixtape. He likens him taking over the rap game as a teenager to the impact that the Lakers legend had upon his entry the the NBA when he was just 17 years old.
Pusha T – Infrared
Name Drop: Tom Brady
“Ferrari, my 40th, blew the candles out Tom Brady’d you ni**as, I had to scramble out, They be ridin’ these waves, I pulled my sandals out, Jefe Latin my Grammy, I went the Spanish route”
Pusha T is no stranger to wordplay. Every verse feels like a masterclass in lyricism. King Push’s Daytona album ruffled a lot of feathers for a lot of different reasons. But it remains one of the best projects in his solo discography. On one of the songs on the project titled Infrared, he likens separating himself from several people in his life to the way that legendary NFL quarterback Tom Brady evades defensive linemen in the pocket.
