The 25 Best Rap Songs Named After Athletes
If you are a fan of rap music you know there have been hundreds of songs named after athletes throughout the history of the genre.
These songs typically fall under four categories:
- The song is a dedication to the athlete’s accomplishments and/or life story
- The vibe of the song is reminiscent of the athlete’s swagger or style of play
- The athlete’s name is in the title of the song because they are the target of a diss record
- The athlete’s name just made for a cool song title
Now mixing athletics with rap music has always been a slippery slope. A lot of times rappers end up beating listeners over the head with corny sports-related punchlines and the songs end up being some of the worst work in their entire catalogue.
So when a rapper can give you some witty sports references or simply make an amazing song and slap an athlete’s name in the title, they are moments that should be cherished.
Here are 25 of those beautiful moments.
25. “Kobe Bryant” by Lil Wayne
When most people think of songs named after athletes, this is probably one of the first that comes to mind.
You’ve got one of the greatest artists in the prime of their career rapping about one of the greatest athletes during the prime of their career.
But sadly when you strip away all of the nostalgia, all you’re left with is just a decent track that didn’t age too well.
Wayne has some of the greatest sports references ever made, but when you forced him to rap about a single athlete for five minutes straight there was only so much room for him to work.
Still good enough to take the final spot on this list, though.
24. “Kobe” by Chief Keef
Many rappers have compared themselves to Kobe, but very few have sounded sincere while doing it. This isn’t the case with Chief Keef.
He entered the game at a young age and made an impact, just like Kobe.
At his peak he was on top of the game from both a quality standpoint and popularity standpoint, just like Kobe.
And he flourished within his industry without any politicking or fraternizing with his peers, just like Kobe.
As he’ll tell you in this here song.
23. “Kyrie Irving” by Lil Cray
If you lived in the midwest during the year 2015, chances are you heard people screaming “Shawty know that I keep a pole everywhere I go know I gotta roll!!” at one point or another.
Cray hasn’t made too many waves in the national spotlight since this song was released, but if you’re going to be known for one song it doesn’t hurt if it’s as good as this one.
22. “That’s How I Beat Shaq” by Aaron Carter
When you’ve accomplished something as mind-boggling as defeating Shaquille O’Neal in a game of 1-on-1, you can’t just come outright telling people about how you were crossing him out of his KMart brand sneakers or yamming 360 windmills atop his glistening bald head.
You have to set the stage. You have to paint a very detailed picture with absolutely no plot holes.
And that’s exactly what Aaron Carter did.
He gave Shaq his due. He told everyone that Shaq had the lead at one point. He told everyone that he had to resort to bush league tactics in order to keep it close. But at the end of the day, he got the dub. A dub we can all believe in.
That’s the art of storytelling.
21. “Jordan Diddy” by Future ft. Gucci Mane
Future and Gucci maintain the perfect balance here. They limit their number of sports references throughout the song so it doesn’t sound forced, but have just enough sports references to pay homage to the Michael Jordan portion of the song title.
And more importantly, the sports references aren’t just sports references for the sake of sports references, they are right up their lyrical wheelhouse.
“I’m in the club shootin’ jump shots”
“My money taller than Bill Cartwright”
“Like MJ I’m a team player so I’ma fuck her friends too”
It’s a masterclass in basketball bars.
20. “Mike Vick” by Action Bronson
Bronson isn’t the first to deliver Michael Vick dog fighting-related bars, but these might be some of the best around.
Much like Gucci and Future on “Jordan/Diddy,” Bronson only uses the athlete references to fuel the type of lyrics he would normally rap. He lets the Vick bars serve their purpose and transitions right into his scheduled programming of non-sequiturs straight out of a comic book.
A classic outro to a classic mixtape.
19. “Dennis Rodman” by Migos & Gucci Mane
This song is a very selfless song. It isn’t about how much money the artists have, it’s about how much money their girls have. So much money that they have enough high-end wigs to look like different human beings every single day.
Not only do Gucci and Migos promote economic empowerment for women on this track, but they use Dennis Rodman as the catalyst to do so. Calling the song progressive would be an understatement.
18. “Fuck Steph Curry” by Lil Boom
The most legendary part of this song is the timing. It was released while Steph Curry and the Warriors were at the height of their dominance and it looked like no one could take them down.
But one man foresaw their downfall. And his name was Lil Boom.
Just a month after this song was released the Warriors would infamously squander a 3-1 lead in the 2016 NBA Finals. And they squandered their lead in part because of some of the flaws in Steph Curry’s game that Lil Boom so eloquently pointed out.
Do some of the lyrics in this song go to far? Of course. But there are no rules in rap beef.
And the fact that three years have past and we still have yet to hear a response from Steph is troubling to say the least. Not my MVP.
17. “Boobie Miles” by Big K.R.I.T.
I personally never read up on Boobie Miles and his story because it sounds sad and I don’t like sad things. So I’m not sure exactly how or if this song relates to Boobie Miles.
But it’s really well-written and the beat is good.
16. “Giannis” by Freddie Gibbs ft. Anderson Paak
Gangsta Gibbs and Madlib dropped an instant classic so it’s fitting that this is one of the only songs on the list released within the last few years. No need to see how it ages with time, it only takes a few seconds to realize how hard this song is.
“Real Gs move in silence like Giannis / My greek freak we did a ménage with a friend in St. Thomas”
15. “F*ck KD” by Lil B
Lil B making history as always. Recording one of the first diss records ever directed at an athlete.
After years of Kevin Durant talking down on Lil B’s music and refusing to play him in a game of 1-on-1, Lil B had no choice but to hit Kevin Durant with one of the greatest diss tracks of all-time.
This also marked the beginning of Lil B’s curse on Kevin Durant. Declaring that he would never win a championship for his entire career.
And Lil B’s prophecy was fulfilled. As Kevin Durant never won a championship until he joined Lil B’s hometown Golden State Warriors and the Basedgod Curse was lifted.
14. “Yao Ming” by Gunna
“Money tall like Yao Ming” and its variants have been done hundreds of times in rap music, but this song is so damn smooth you don’t care about how unimaginative Gunna is being when he uses the line.
Wheezy and Turbo found a catchy guitar loop, a pair of unidentifiable sound effects that may or may have not been recorded underwater and Gunna added the finishing touches with his signature laidback delivery. The track is foolproof.
If you’re looking for the audio equivalent of posting up in a lazy river for hours on end while thinking about absolutely nothing, this song comes pretty close.
13. “Mo Bamba” by Sheck Wes
“Mo Bamba>Faneto” hyperbole and Polar Express memes aside, this is one hell of a song and it will always be one hell of a song.
16yrold and Take a Daytrip went crazy on the beat and Sheck Wes stepped up to the occasion, turning it into an anthem in a way that only he could. Paying homage to his childhood friend and eventual NBA lottery pick, Mo Bamba.
This is another beautiful instance of incorporating heavy sports references while still making it sound cool, something Sheck Wes has shown a knack for.
12. “Michael Jordan” by King Louie
While everyone was trying to catch up to the Drill wave, one of the sub-genre’s innovators was ten steps ahead. Hopping on a beat that sounded like a UFO crashing into the Wockhardt headquarters.
The beat is so hard and Louie’s flow is so hard that you totally ignore the fact he’s using a tired Michael Jordan simile. It doesn’t matter at all. Within the context of this particular song the Michael Jordan line sounds more frighteningly audacious than it sounds corny.
11. “Worthy and Erving” by Gucci Mane ft. Yo Gotti
“You see the feet on the fleet like cleats on a athlete”
Need I say more? Let’s move on.
10. “Kyrie” by Sheck Wes
Almost every single line in this song is related to basketball and none of the bars sound forced.
Sheck dedicates the entire song to Kyrie and his style of play while still weaving in apropos comparisons between himself and Jayson Tatum.
“Young nigga 19 / Jayson Tatum rookie how I’m ballin in this league”
The best rap music is a slice of life, music that gives you an idea of the things an artist values as a human being. And it just so happens that Sheck Wes really really loves basketball.
This is what allows him to be one of the few artists who can consistently reference sports without coming off as corny.
9. “Emmitt Smith” by Migos
If you had decent hearing in the year 2014, I don’t have to explain how incredible this song is. It speaks for itself.
What makes this song special within the context of sports is the bonafides that came along with it.
Migos performed “Emmitt Smith” for a soon-to-be 45-year-old Emmitt Smith and he was dancing harder than he ever did after scoring a touchdown.
He loved the song so much that he later gifted all three Migos members with signed Emmitt Smith jerseys.
The music video also features a cameo from a then-unknown Alvin Kamara.
8. “Julio” by Young Scooter ft. Future
Another song that is filled with references to a single athlete without making you feel like you’re listening to Cris Colinsworth rap.
Young Scooter couldn’t miss in 2013. There were tons of people riding around with this blaring out of their speakers who had absolutely no idea who Julio Jones was. It didn’t matter. The song was that hard.
It’s like turning on Black Sabbath and not realizing you’re listening to a Christian Rock record. Songwriting at its finest.
7. “Swag Jerry Rice” by Lil B
Lil B has name-checked hundreds of athletes throughout his career, but very few times have they been lucky enough to have been featured in the title of his song.
Jerry Rice has been blessed, but he’s still yet to thank the Basedgod. This is behavior befitting of a man who got a goat tattooed on his arm at the tender age of 54, but that’s beside the point.
Over the course of this song Lil B also compares himself to Derek Fisher, Gary Payton, Reggie Miller, Ted DeBiase, Tyvon Branch and Muggsy Bogues.
It’s a sports smorgasbord. And more importantly, it’s music you can cook to.
6. “Barry Bonds” by Kanye West ft. Lil Wayne
This song was met with a lot of mixed reviews when Graduation first released. A lot of it was due to Wayne delivering a fairly mediocre verse by prime Wayne standards after all of the hype that had built up when everyone found out he and Kanye were collaborating.
But fast forward to 2019 and the song has ultimately aged pretty well. The beat still rides and the lyrics don’t sound outdated at all.
From both a technical standpoint and a pure shit-talking standpoint, the first verse on this song is one Kanye’s greatest verses ever. That man was rapping his ass off at a level that he only does when he’s in the zone.
For that alone it earns a high ranking.
5. “Sosa Chamberlain” by Chief Keef
“What is Glo Gang? Well, Glo Gang is G.L.O. G.A.N.G”
This track is so iconic that it begins with Chief Keef rambling for an entire minute with no beat playing in the background…and I’ve never heard a person skip past it. Everyone knows the song is well worth the wait.
On the hook of the song, Sosa not only pays homage to Wilt Chamberlain but also to Ric Flair and his braggadocio:
“I’m Sosa Wilt Chamberlain, blunts just flamin’ / Rocks just blingin’, phone just rangin’ / I’ma no belt rockin’, no sock rockin’ / Pull up show stoppin’ you know how I’m rockin”
It also has plenty of sports references in the second verse:
“My favorite player Butler, and I gotta butler / Gotta number 40, my 40 a fuck ya / My favorite player Rose, aye, money on him let’s go / We be on that bullshit, we from Chicago / My favorite player Kobe, you be holy moly
/ That mean you be with police, when it’s cold outside I got on no tee”
He even finishes off the verse with a shoutout to Tony Snell.
Sosa got deep in his bag with the basketball-related bars and the end result was one of the best songs you’ll find in the later years of his discography.
4. “Kobe Bryant Based Freestyle” by Yung God
This is literally an audio biography of Kobe Bryant.
Yung God doesn’t leave out a single landmark from Kobe’s career and he does it all while flowing his ass off on what’s a pretty basic snap beat.
He easily could’ve just leaned into this song being a cheeky joke and probably gotten the same number of views, but instead he opted to actually put effort into the raps and ended up snapping.
Also the last 2 minutes of the song are a rant that only a Kobe stan could deliver as he aimlessly curses out various all-time great NBA players and pooh-poohs each of their accomplishments.
This song remains the standard for incorporating sports into rap music.
3. “Larry Bird” by Riff Raff
Much like Sheck Wes, Riff Raff is another rapper who has a discography filled with sports references due to his genuine love for sports.
He was infamously kicked off the Dallas Mavericks after they found crack cocaine in his letterman. As a result, he had to shift his focus towards his rap career where he would eventually craft this classic record.
“I done shook dice with Larry Bird in Barcelona” is something only one human being in the history of planet earth would say on a rap record. And we’re all lucky enough to have lived on planet earth at the same time as that human being.
On the same song Riff Raff also claims to he has “waved wood on Tiger Woods golf course” and name-checks the likes of Pete Sampras, M. Bison and Ernest Givens.
The Bullet sample, the chopped up chorus and Riff’s unimpeachable delivery make for the quintessential Houston rap record.
Riff Raff was killing everything throughout the early 2010’s and no song exemplifies that better than this one.
2. “Scottie Pippen” by Curren$y ft. Freddie Gibbs
Only one line in this entire song refers to Scottie Pippen and it doesn’t even refer to him, it refers to his shoes. But rules are rules. This is a rap song with an athlete’s name in the title and it also happens to be one of the greatest rap songs of all-time.
It also contains one of the better sports references in the history of music from the one and only Freddie Kane:
“Stay runnin’ the rock just like I play quarterback for the Eagles / Randall, Donovan, to Michael / Fore’ I picked up this mic I was hittin licks with some Lords and did dirt with plenty Disciples”
If those lines doesn’t make that Funkmaster Flex look of euphoric disgust creep over your face I don’t know what will.
“Scottie Pippen” is so filthy that you could make a strong argument Freddie Gibbs renegaded Spitta on this even though Spitta also put up a verse of the year contender of his own.
It’s like Spitta put up 45, but Freddie put up 45 with 10 boards and 10 assists. And The Alchemist drew up the perfect game from the sidelines.
These three dudes connected on an uncommon creative wave length when they made this song and we are all very lucky to have witnessed it.
1. “Floyd Mayweather” by Young Thug ft. Gunna & Gucci Mane
Before it was ruined by Travis Scott, “Floyd Mayweather” instantly became one of the greatest songs ever made.
You’ve got Young Thug at his creative peak exchanging bars with Gucci Mane who put on one of the greatest performances he’s had since he was released from prison in 2016.
And we didn’t realize it at the time, but this song was most of our introduction to Gunna years before he would eventually surpass Young Thug in popularity.
Much like every song on Young Thug’s 2016 classic, Jeffery, the name in the title of the song was never actually mentioned in the lyrics. Some people think the song was named after Floyd because of the braggadocio and materialism, but almost every Thug song has braggadocio and materialism so idk.
Hell even of the songs on Jeffery, there are ones that are more reminiscent of Floyd Mayweather the boxer and the human being than this. But Thug named it Floyd so I’ma call it Floyd.
Honorable Mentions
“Steve Nash” by Splurge
“Derek Fisher” by Gunna ft. Lil Baby
“Do the John Wall” by Troop 41
“Eric Berry for Heisman” by Swiperboy
“Kenny Lofton” by J Cole
“Reggie Miller” by Lil B
“John Wall” by Shy Glizzy
“Phelps” by Thouxanbanfauni
“Derrick Rose” by Meek Mill
“Shun Kemp” by Key Glock
“Kyrie” by Rick Ross
“LeBron James” by Sheck Wes
“Charles Barkley” by Migos
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