The connection between Basketball and the Hip-Hop industry has been one that cannot be ignored. The love and friendship between the greats of each field has always been noted down. This is a treat for fans of both Rap music and the NBA.
Greats like Kanye West, J. Cole, Drake, Jay-Z, Travis Scott and many more amongst the top artists who have an immense amount of love for the game of basketball and normally go one to even shout out their favorite NBA stars in their songs and the love that is reciprocated by the NBA stars is no less.
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The Off-Season- J. Cole
The off-season by J. Cole was easily one of the most awaited albums of the year for many reasons. One being J. Cole is the kind of star that appears drops an album breaks records and we do not see him for years again. Two, J. Cole has always been one of those artists that has loves the game of basketball and is a great hooper himself. J. Cole also went on to play professional basketball in Africa this year right after the release of his album.
The Off-season had some amazing features and the lyrics were absolutely on point. Every song was better than the other. One of the stand outs were the bars dedicated to the world of basketball. However the reason they have been trending right now is because every player that J. Cole mentioned on the off-season are no longer a part of the playoffs.
Every player J. Cole mentioned in his latest album, from Steph Curry to LeBron James, is no longer in the playoffs.
Guess he called it ‘The Off-Season’ for a reason 🤣 pic.twitter.com/gdpYMv0J8H
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) June 5, 2021
Steph Curry
Starting off with none other than Chef Curry, J. Cole went on to shout him out on the track, “9 5 . S O U T H”, where he said
And got they O’s off, you reach, n****s uppin’ like Steph.
Russell Westbrook
On the viral track, “a m a r i” J. Cole went on to shout out the famous rock-a-baby celebration that was started by Westbrook when he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder
Kill ‘em on a song, walk up out the booth, do the Westbrook rock-a-baby.
Ja Morant
” m y . l i f e” saw Jermaine hype the young number 12 , Ja Morant for being one of the most fearless point guards who attacks the rim
Ja Morant, I’m on my Grizzly.
Damian Lillard
Dame Time, one of the most historic moments. Damian Lillard has been one of the most admired players in the NBA and J. Cole decided to sample the NBA star’s post game interview after a 61 point performance against the Dallas Mavericks on the song ” p u n c h i n’ . t h e . c l o c k.”
It ain’t nothing I want more. Ain’t nothing I want more. I ain’t c— …I told you, when I first came here, I said, ‘I ain’t come here to waste my time.’ I came here. They gave us a chance to get in, like we asked for. And that’s, that’s what we here to do. The job still ain’t done. But I, I said, “You, you know what I’m here for
LeBron James
J. Cole did not leave the Kid from Akron out and gave LeBron James a shoutout for not retiring even after playing 18 seasons on the track, “1 0 0 . m i l”
Can’t leave the game yet, I feel like LeBron.
Other Notable Mentions Of NBA Stars On Rap Songs
One of the most stand out rappers known for mentioning NBA stars on his songs is none other than the 6ix God, Drake. Aubrey might be a die hard fan to the north but his love for the NBA is far more than just one team.
One of the most memorable moments was when he mentioned Devin Booker on Sicko Mode. The mention went viral and not only put Drake and Travis Scott on the charts but also brought a smile on the face of Devin Booker. The verse went like,
see the shots that I took, wet like I’m Book’.
Devin Booker also went on to say thanks to Aubrey via his Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/p/BKCzRc1h6y6/?utm_source=ig_embed&ig_rid=fe361455-02c8-49bd-89c3-625a1ba23c71
Drake has also gone on to mention Lebron James and Steph Curry on his songs and Kevin Durant featured on his latest single, ‘Laugh Now Cry Later’ from the upcoming album Certified Lover Boy.
Kanye West has also shown his love for Dwayne Wade on the track ‘The Glory’ when he went on to say,
Class Back in Session so I upped it a grade. Two Years Dwayne Wayne became Dwayne Wade
These are just a few mentions, the relationship between rap music and the NBA is a longstanding one and will continue to remain so.
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