Videos by According2HipHop
Sports and Hip-Hop have become synonymous with each other. Rappers want to be like athletes and athletes want to be like rappers. One thing that really bridges the gap between the two, is when an artist’s song becomes a national anthem for sports. Here are four sports anthems that rang out in arenas across the country.
Kendrick Lamar – Not Like Us
In the Summer of 2024, rap stars Kendrick Lamar and Drake were engaged in one of the more heated rap feuds in recent memory. However, Kendrick Lamar was declared the winner after he dropped his hit record Not Like Us in May 2024. The track aimed at Drake became much more than a diss record. It became a cultural phenomenon. And eventually, the track would become a global sensation that would be played in sports arenas all across America. The song went mainstream when Kendrick was selected as the Super Bowl halftime performer. And of course, he performed the diss track during his performance. The irony in all of it is that in the song that starts the beef First Person Shooter, Drake declares himself “big as the Super Bowl.” However, he has never headlined the event.
Cam’ron (Feat. Juelz Santana & Jay-Z)- Welcome to New York City
Cam’ron’s Come Home With Me is the most celebrated album in his discography. The song Welcome to New York City could not have come at a better time. The track was released just months after the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center which claimed thousands of lives. The track which features Jay-Z and Juelz Santana in a sense united the city. When Juelz raps It’s the home of 9-11, the place of the lost Towers We still banging, we never lost power, tell ’em,” It’s not just a rap lyric. It’s a call to action. The song would go on to be used by several New York City area sports teams such as the New York Knicks, Brooklyn Nets, and New York Yankees.
DJ Khaled (Feat Rick Ross, T-Pain & Snoop Dogg) – All I Do Is Win
DJ Khaled is known for assembling some of the top artists in the game to create some of the world’s biggest anthems. Naturally, his song All I Do is Win off from his 2010 Victory album went platinum in sports arenas across America, particularly when teams would win the championship. Khaled taps artists Ludacris, Rick Ross, T-Pain & Snoop Dogg for a hit that would go on to become a global sensation. The track debuted at number 63 on the US Billboard Hot 100 and peaked at number 24. In 2015 Khaled’s hit record became RIAA certified triple-platinum after selling more than three million copies in the United States.
Jay-Z – Public Service Announcement
Jay-Z’s Black Album is a timeless album that features several hit records. Songs such as December 4, 99 Problems, and Allure have gone on to be timeless hits. But as far as sports arenas go Jay-Z’s Public Service Announcement became a hype song in arenas across America. The song where he drops the iconic line “Allow me to reintroduce myself,” became RIAA certified gold in 2023. Ironically one of the lines in the song was aimed at former Los Angeles Lakers guard, Smush Parker. When Hov spits the iconic line “My homie Strict told me, ‘Dude, finish your breakfast!'” it was about Parker. When he missed a dunk over streetball legend, John Strict at Rucker Park in the early 2000s. After missing the dunk Strict tells Smush to finish his breakfast.
