The 30-year History Of Hip-Hop Culture and the NBA

To anybody that knows me even remotely, I am the music guy. I’m a multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, sideman, and an avid vinyl enthusiast and collector. But like most young American men, I grew up in athletic competition, specifically basketball. I loved basketball for all eight years that I played it. I started in 1st grade as a chubby kid with no handle, and had my last season in 8th grade where I was the starting point guard for our district champion. And in hindsight, whenever I think about my short basketball career, I think of the highs, not the lows.

But despite that, do you know the most common phrase I heard adults say when I used to beat myself up over a missed free throw, or when I played a bad game on defense?

“Adam, It’s Just A Game”

I could not disagree more. For me it was an outlet to channel my competitive edge, which was something I sorely needed at the time. It instilled confidence in me and boosted my self-esteem. It taught me discipline, as well as working with other people towards a common goal: to get a win.

And for most people in the AAU circuit, basketball means survival. It’s a way of getting out, a path to success and financial freedom. The best example is Lebron James, a fatherless kid from Akron, Ohio who became the greatest athlete in the world. And this mentality applies to countless NBA players that came out of the American school system.

People that know us well, or our “closest fans” per se, tend to know us for our secondary and tertiary hobbies as well as our main passions. I’m the music guy, but the people that I see and talk to on a consistent basis know how much of a basketball fan I am. They know that I’m a seasoned lifter and enjoy going to the gym five days a week, and that I am learning more and more recipes to cook for myself and my friends.

Despite what you might see on the court, NBA players are real people too. And most of these players have become semi-famous for their own secondary passions as well, which exploded during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to a shortened season and an elongated period of time after the NBA Bubble, a lot of players took to social media and various online platforms to share their pastimes with their fans, who were also to “shelter in place” until “to be determined”.

Current and former players such as JJ Redick, Paul George, Draymond Green, Gilbert Arenas and Jeff Teague would gain a massive following on their podcasting channels. Twitch streamers such as Devin Booker, Ben Simmons, Terrence Ross and Alex Caruso would have thousands of more views on their videos than before. Even Serge Ibaka has a cooking channel.

Despite the massive impact this had on the NBA community, none of it has stuck around as long, or have had quite as big of an impact, on the NBA scene as Hip Hop Music.

The Big Three

Shaquille O’Neal

Shaq. Superman. Shaq Fu. Shaq Diesel. The Big Shamrock. The Big Aristotle (this one is personally my favorite).

Shaquille O’Neal has claimed the right to a whole slew of nicknames and rightfully so. A 4x NBA Champion, 3x Finals MVP, 15x All-Star and a 2x Scoring Champion. O’Neal has solidified his legacy as the most dominant center of all time for a while now. And if you were to sit down with a Shaq enthusiast like myself for more than an hour, you’d eventually get to talking about his artistic endeavors as well. Most NBA fans know that from the moment Shaq was drafted by the Orlando Magic in 1992, he wanted to be a movie-star. And his wish came true as he eventually appeared on the big screen as early as his rookie year. Now this is just my opinion, but I actually think Shaq’s movies are worth watching simply because of how horrendous they are. But there is no doubt that they had an impact on his playing career, specifically with 1993’s Blue Chips where he first met his future co-star Anfernee “Penny” Hardaway.

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When we think of Shaq’s music career on the other hand, most of the highs typically went unnoticed, which I find very interesting for someone who’s debut album went platinum. Most people will consider O’Neal’s stint in Hip Hop as a joke but there is no doubt in my mind that he is the most important, and rightfully most well-known, NBA rapper ever.

He was the first to do it, and the first to do it successfully. In the 90s and early 2000s he collaborated with the most legendary names in music. Two contenders for the G.O.A.T. of hip hop, The Notorious B.I.G. and Jay-Z, both made an appearance on Shaq’s third album. Multiple members of Wu-Tang Clan had a hand in Shaq Fu: Da Return as both featured artists and producers. He even makes an appearance on Michael Jackson’s HIStory album and Quincy Jones’ Q’s Jook Joint.

On top of collaborating with the biggest names in Hip Hop, Shaq also made the effort to do the same with the biggest names in the NBA, which really set the foundation for Hip Hop’s future influence on the league. This came from a 1994 compilation album, poetically titled “B-Ball’s Best Kept Secret”, where Shaq fronted an eclectic mix of NBA players including Gary Payton, Jason Kidd and Dennis Scott, on top of respected hip hop figures at the time such as Cedric Ceballos and Warren G.

What’s Up Doc? (Can We Rock) is probably Shaq’s most well known song. It appears on his first studio album Shaq Diesel, which went platinum and made a top 10 appearance on Billboard’s Top R&B and Hip Hop Albums, and features Fu-Schnickens. This song perfectly his place in 90’s hip hop with a fun, party atmosphere featuring a cocky yet self-aware Shaq that constantly winks at his audience.

In this regard, Shaq ran the 1990s. That is until the man who would change the image of the league was drafted to the Philadelphia 76ers.

Allen Iverson

From the moment he shaked NBA Commissioner David Stern’s hand after getting drafted 1st overall to the Sixers, Allen Iverson (a.k.a. AI, The Answer, Jewels, etc.) made himself known as the predominant force for change in NBA culture. In the 90’s, every pro hooper aspired to be “like Mike”. But starting in the 2000’s, it was Allen Iverson that everyone tried to copy. And although his career resume was not nearly as full as O’Neal’s when all was said and done, he still retired with numerous accolades attached to his name, including an MVP, 11 All-Star Selections, 4 Scoring Titles, the NBA’s Leader in Steals three times, and an NBA Finals appearance against Shaq himself.

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That was all on the court. When he was off the court, Iverson drew media attention for showing up to pregame in cornrows, baggy pants and diamond chains, as opposed to a suit and tie as was customary. Whether or not you want to refer to this as “Hip Hop” culture or just Black American Culture is up to you, but regardless it’s safe to say that the NBA as an institution hated this. David Stern even put in place a dress code because this was not what he wanted the league to represent and Iverson’s demeanor was massively influential. Even Kobe wanted to be like AI in this regard.

What is not as well known among the NBA fan base was that Iverson was a pretty skilled rapper himself. He even attempted to release an album under the pseudonym “Jewels”. The rollout was immediately halted after Iverson released a single from the album entitled “40 Bars”. The song embodies what was typical at the time for “gangsta rap” with the hardcore edge you would hear from the likes of 50 Cent and expletive out the wazoo. And despite Iverson’s delivery of some very witty rhymes and double entendres throughout the song, it was not viewed very kindly across the league.

In fact it was David Stern himself who vetoed the rollout of the rest of the album. He hated this track and after hearing critical reception threatened to sue AI if he went ahead with the album release. Quite a shame considering the high-ceiling of a potential Allen Iverson, or Jewels, hip hop career.

Nonetheless, this did not stop AI from shaping the league in his image. More and more NBA players would show up to their respective pregame in baggy pants, baseball caps, diamond chains and braids. Everyone wanted to be like AI. And after Iverson’s retirement, players such as Russell Westbrook, Kyle Kuzma, Nick Young and PJ Tucker would become known for their eclectic and esoteric wardrobe.

Almost nobody wears a suit to pregame anymore. After all, “you wear suits to funerals” according to Iverson.

Damian Lillard

Fast forward to the modern NBA and you will see that the association is littered with rappers including Aaron Gordon, Kevin Durant, Iman Shumpert, Javale McGee, Lonzo Ball, Dwight Howard, and Marvin Bagley III. And with the abundance of NBA rappers in the modern day, Damian Lillard, a.k.a. Dame DOLLA, is considered the man among boys.

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For the sake of comparison we can refer to Damian Lillard as the Bernie Williams of basketball and that is for two main reasons among many. First being that he has loads of passions that his fans know him for, which include basketball and rapping, but also acting and boxing. He made an appearance on the Space Jam sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, and he took up boxing for self defense but refuses to compete professionally out of respect for the sport.

The second, and more important reason, is because Dame makes music for the sake of the music. He made this clear to Shirley Ju of REVOLT, stating “I’m not a basketball player that raps, I’m a rapper”

Dame practices and his music is a reflection of that. Each of his albums build on top of eachother. His latest body of work “Don D.O.L.L.A.” is his most intimate and thought-provoking album yet, looming in the shadows of Common, Nas and Andre 3000 (before he started playing the flute) as well as his modern contemporaries like J.Cole and Joey Bada$$.

His song Judgement Day is my personal favorite off of his latest album and perfectly illustrates why so many people love Lillard’s music. He isn’t afraid to say what’s on his mind. And on this song he opens up about his mental health and times where he felt depressed or scared, and how his faith helped him get through it.

Dame does not care about widening his brand and he isn’t doing anything out of protest against a larger institution. He has approached each of his four studio albums with a genuine artistic vision, usually about his life and perspectives, and since Dame is one of the league’s biggest fan favorites, a lot of ears are willing to listen to what he has to say.

Why Do NBA Players (Generally) Like Hip Hop?

Reason 1: It occupies a player’s head away from the game and all of the pressure surrounding it. NBA stars regularly rap about the game and specific performances. Whether it be Shaq rapping about how he has more rings than Dwight Howard or Aaron Gordon complaining about how Dwayne Wade gave him a 9 out of 10 in the 2020 Dunk Contest. It might seem egotistical from the outside looking in, but there’s no doubt that it provides the players a healthy outlet to express themselves.

Reason 2: It goes against the machine. The story of Hip Hop music has been one about protest, like most forms of African American Music. This is largely why Allen Iverson became so popular while simultaneously so infamous. If you were around in the 2000s, whether or not you loved or hated The Answer, there’s no doubt he at least made your head turn.

Reason 3: For an artistic endeavor. Dame D.O.L.L.A. is the best example because he is the best NBA rapper ever (in my opinion) and his albums just keep getting better and better. Dame doesn’t need to write a diss track about how he lost in the playoffs, or about his stint with the Portland Trail Blazers. That’s not what he’s doing. He’s blazing his own trail to spread his message, and millions of fans, including myself, are eager to listen.