Hip-Hop and the NBA are the Same
Peanut butter and jelly is one of the most iconic combinations ever. It just seemingly works together, even though it - in theory - shouldn’t work. However, what makes sense is Hip-Hop and basketball. Even though they had very different beginnings, they have gelled together and created a powerful marriage that has stood the test of time. We’ve discussed this in a previous article, aptly titled Basketball and Hip-Hop: A Love Affair, but I want to go further than what that article said. Partly because the topic is fun, partly because it’s the NBA’s 75th anniversary. I want to show you that some rappers and professional basketball players mirror each other.
One of the first examples that I could give is Jay Z. The artist casually known as Hov has arguably been one of the most consistent artists of an entire generation. The beginning of his career was stellar, with Reasonable Doubt and In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 . Even though he hasn’t finished his career yet, his last few years have produced all-time great performances and projects, see Watch the Throne and 4:44. All of this being done in relative quiet. Keeping his life private until he was forced to let it out for marrying one of the biggest pop stars of all-time in Beyoncé. The removal of any Hip-Hop reference and Queen Bey could present to you a simple mirror image of Tim Duncan. Tim Duncan won five championships in his nineteen-year career: the first one in 1999 and the last one in 2014. He even won two MVP awards, in 2002 and 2003, ironically being the same years that the previously mentioned Mr. Carter released The Blueprint 2: The Gift and the Curse and The Black Album respectively. Tim Duncan was a sturdy leader who presented the fundamental elements of the sport, just as Jay Z did with Roc-A-Fella. The mirroring here is good, but it only gets better.
One man and two numbers, there aren’t many who were as important to the game of basketball as the late-great Kobe Bryant. Through his twenty years of work with the Los Angeles Lakers, Bryant was the Black Mamba; someone who struck with pinpoint accuracy. Bryant was the most skilled athlete, and the only true weakness was playmaking, but through it all, he represented the entire city of Los Angeles. Kobe won five championships due to a mentality to always improve and do better. And Kobe wasn’t perfect - he shot the ball a lot and maybe wasn’t the greatest teammate - but his greatness was never in question. The only person in Hip-Hop who had two careers in the same way as Kobe is Eminem. Marshall Mathers compares to Kobe in a number of ways, namely the passion that they both had for their respective artforms. Their skillset and work ethic are unmatched. Eminem is known to break down rhymes like a puzzle. Records? Got em. Success? Had it. Connection to NWA? Yeah. Eminem’s retirement in 2005 eventually brought us to the second career of Eminem, with Recovery, The Marshall Mathers LP 2 arguably some of the best music of his career. Or at least, this is something that both fanbases can debate. Is 1998 - 2005 Eminem better or is it Post-2008? Is number 8 or number 24 better? It’s only for us to debate.
The final mirror is seen through runs of dominance that have never been seen before and will probably never be seen again. Both of them were relative prodigy’s, having started out their careers in other fields and eventually entering the lane that would bring them to fame. Both have been criticized for the way that they formed their teams and groups. Both paved their own way out of dismal situations to be able to live out their dreams. We are currently referring to none other than Drake and LeBron James. In the past ten years, it’s been impressive to see both of them become cultural icons. They’ve shouldered their city on their backs through stormy weather and sunshine galore. In a fitting reality, Drake released the song “Forever” with Kanye West, Lil Wayne and Eminem for Lebron’s More than a Game documentary. And in what could’ve been Drake shoeing in the entire Nike witness campaign or him foretelling the future, he says “Everyone who doubted me is asking for forgiveness / If you ain't been a part of it, at least you got to witness”. We’ve all been a witness to the sheer dominance that these two men have had in their respective fields. Drake stayed in the Hot 100 for 431 consecutive weeks, a total of eight years and some change, while LeBron attended eight straight NBA Finals, winning three of them. Mirror much?
In all, the NBA and the rap game are so similar because they work together. We create narratives in Hip-Hop the same way that we create narratives in basketball. The artwork speaks, whether it be from a dunk at the free throw-line or what’s written on the pen and paper. They’re so similar; integral parts of the black experience in America. Maybe we shouldn’t forget that, at the core, that these are activities that were enjoyed by people who didn’t have a lot, but who had the courage to become great.