One of the many things I’ve learned watching sports over the years is that some star athletes just can’t get enough of the spotlight, leading to all kinds of branching out. Some choose to form management companies or clothing lines. That’s cool and all but it’s usually not that interesting.
The real fun starts when these talented sports figures try their luck at music. Based on what we’ve seen and heard through the years, there’s a reason why they have their day jobs. The latest guy to make headlines for his music is Los Angeles Lakers starter and NBA Champion Ron Artest. Ron-Ron is no newcomer to rapping and his hometown of Queensbridge, New York has been the birthplace of many rap superstars (Nas, Mobb Deep, ).
His latest song has been his most famous though, especially since he plugged it during the live postgame speech after game 7 of the NBA Finals. It immediately became a hop topic online and by the next day he released the song – appropriately called “Champions” – and it was a viral hit. Trey Kerby over at Yahoo’s Ball Don’t Lie called it the “best athlete rap song of all-time in the non-unintentional comedy division.”
After more than a few listens it’s hard to say it isn’t a good song. Artest covers all bases, using several examples of sports superiority throughout the lyrics and it’s actually missing most of the antics that earned him the nickname “Crazy Pills” among fans. It’s certainly better than his puzzling tribute to the late Michael Jackson.
Since it’s brought up the topic of rapper/athletes again, we thought we’d line up a few of the most well-known examples and let you decide. If you want to know what some of the NBA guys think, you can catch Artest’s list here or watch Amare Stoudemire and Brandon Roy break down their picks. Whether you think they are good, unintentionally funny, campy cult classics or just plain awful, enjoy.
The Good/Decent:
The Bad (yet still memorable):
The Ugly:
It seems like a recipe for some success on the mic involves the right mix of charisma (Shaq), originality (Da Bears), and a bit of craziness (Artest). It’s a delicate balance though, as we can see with overdoing the cheesiness (Deion, the Dolphins and Eagles) or just lacking any flow (Barkley was turrible). If the rumors about Delonte West and LeBron’s mom are true, I doubt he won her over with his rap lyrics. Iverson went a bit too overboard with the homophobia (safe to say John Amaechi wasn’t waiting in line to buy his CD) and Kobe just S.U.C.K.E.D.
Whether they end up being ridiculed or accepted for trying to cross over, it’s unlikely we’ll see a decrease in rapping athletes anytime soon, especially when looking at the long list of those who hit the booth.
- Will.
Will R. is a journalist/writer who covers sports, news and music for several websites. His music work can be found on www.WestCoastRydaz.com
50 Cent isn’t from Queensbridge…
I already knew before i scrolled down that Shaq was going to be good & Kobe was going to be bad(The Ugly)…….KOBE HATERS lol they never amaze me anymore.
Dana Barros wasn’t too bad.
@ Uzi, you’re right. I’m from LA so I didn’t realize the difference between Queensbridge and Southside, Jamaica, Queens. I’ll fix that now. Thanks.
@ RealTalk, most people with functioning ears can tell that Kobe’s attempt at rap was downright awful. There’s a reason why he likes to pretend it never happened. It had nothing to do with hate, unless you mean hating awful music, in which case I do hate it.
whether shaq likes it or not, his career as a rapper can be summed up for posterity in one line: “kobe, tell me how my ass taste”