How Hip-Hop & The NBA Have Influenced Each Other
In any rap song nowadays if you listen to the lyrics you are most likely going to hear a lot of NBA references thrown in like a 3 in the last quarter. In the last few decades, both Hip Hop and the NBA have been household names and they have both evolved to become huge pop culture influences on each other. We wanted to take a look at how the rise of both Hip Hop and the NBA and how they have helped mould each other.
If there is one pivotal thing that blends both the Hip Hop Culture and NBA into one it is the youth of today. Regardless of where you are or whether you even play basketball or not you see youth everywhere wearing their NBA Singlets that are all too often worn by Rappers representing their team or their area. Not just the youth of America but youth all over the world are heavily influenced by Hip Hop and NBA culture. Throughout decades one common theme in a lot of songs is rappers proclaiming they have " made it out" meaning despite how they were brought up or where they were brought up they have discovered a way to make their dream come true and change their future. Tracks like this heavily inspire youth everywhere and it is now more often than not we see these dreams come true for Basketball Players. Both Basketball and Music are the "American Dream" for some youth of today and both the positive actions by your favourite player on the court or your favourite artist on the microphone and how they have worked to make their dream come true inspire thousands across the globe. Basketball has become just as much of a platform to discover something new in life as music.
One of raps biggest stars Drake has been a massive ambassador for the game and he has even had his music become involved with the passion that goes along with his favourite team. In 2019 Drake's hometown team the Toronto Raptors had a history-making season when they took out the NBA title. Drake was the front seat of every game he could be at and his passion and energy for his side was covered by media outlets around the world with the Raptors even landing some fines because of Drake. Drake would go on to celebrate the Raptors winning the NBA title by even dropping two new tracks unexpectedly on the day they became champions.
In 2004 Jay Z invested $1 million in the Nets which was a big cross for the two future cultures that were about to see an even bigger rise in popularity. Jay Z would sell his share in 2013 but he still holds a share in the Barclays Center where the Nets play their home games. While Jay Z no longer owns any part of the Nets as such, his company Roc Nation Sports currently represents a lot of athletes along with current NBA superstars Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant to name a few.
One name that rains around the world of pop culture is Michael Jordan. Jordan's shoe brand is one of the most popular sneaker brands in the World. His basketball sneakers have not only dominated the streetwear world but they are one of the most represented and talked about brands in Hip Hop. A lot of Hip Hop Artists these days are looked at more for the way they dress and how they indulge in their fashion and represent themselves and this is also a massive part of the NBA with how the stars dress and represent themselves before chucking their team jersey on. More often than not when you are watching NBA Pre games you see your favourite NBA Stars wearing high end branded streetwear and flexing their own style, likewise, there is not a lot of difference from watching your favourite rapper about to hit the stage in the same fashion.
Times have changed a lot throughout both music and sport in general, it is a lot more influenced both by the money and lifestyle that come with both the professions and both these creative outlets carry a dream for so many people about making something for themselves and being bigger than life and leaving their mark on millions.
Written by: Aidan Treston