The impact Hip Hop has on sports
The impact Hip Hop has on sports
Jerry Humphrey III
Hip hop has always had an impact on the sports world, and the relationship with hip hop music and sports goes hand-in-hand.
From former NFL quarterback, Michael Vick, featured in rapper T.I.’s music video, “Rubberband Man,” to professional basketball player, Lebron James, dancing on stage with artists Drake and Travis Scott, hip hop and athletes have been gravitating towards one another for years.
Late 1980s rap group, N.W.A., was known to wear Raiders and Los Angeles Kings gear at nearly every performance. In their 2015 biopic, members of the group mentioned once they got their checks, they would buy more Raiders gear.
Most people were not Raiders fans but because of the influence that N.W.A. had, people started buying Raider gear, and it eventually helped the team’s popularity and value go up. N.W.A. repping their home team opened doors for other rappers to do the same.
“I made the Yankees cap more famous than the Yankees can,” said by, rapper, Jay-Z in 2010 hit, “Empire State of Mind.” The New York Yankees are number two on the top ten most valuable teams in history, with $4 billion, according to the Forbes Releases 2018 List Of The World's Most Valuable Sports Teams.
Pop culture revolves around Hip Hop and with Music Moguls like Jay Z investing in sports franchises it brings a revenue to both industries. Jay Z opened Roc Nation Sports in 2013. Roc Nation Sports elevates athletes' careers on and off the field, including endorsement deals, philanthropic endeavors, media relations, and brand strategy.
In 2011 we witnessed how two hip-hop songs created one of the biggest hypes in Super Bowl history. Upcoming rapper Wiz Khalifa a, Pittsburgh native, blew up from his song ‘Black and Yellow.’The song was portraying his love for his city and the Pittsburgh Steelers. That same year, the Steelers were set to play the Green Bay Packers in Super Bowl XLV. Rapper Lil Wayne, a fan of the Packers, released ‘Green and Yellow’ which completely dissed the Steelers and exclaimed how the Packers will win the game. With the build up from both songs that Superbowl had a skyrocket of 111 million views, putting it number six as the most viewed tv broadcast in the United States. It was also the first Super Bowl, in history, to break 100,000 in attendance. In the end, the Packers won the game.
Today we hear sports references in particular lyrics but a new trend is starting where artists are naming songs after athletes. Rapper Lil Cray, is arguably one of the first with his song titled ‘Kyrie Irving.’ New artist, Sheck Wes is taking the game by storm with his song ‘Mo Bamba.’ The hit song is currently number 24 on the Billboard 100 list and has recently surpassed 100 million streams on Spotify. “The song was three years in the making we knew it would blow up one day,” said Orlando Magic rookie, Mohamed Bamba on MTV.
Music in a whole, has influenced sports whether it is being played during the game or before. In a survey, 50 plus athletes said that music, especially Hip Hop, helps them prepare for a game.
