In North America, basketball is more than just a sport: For many, it’s become part of their culture and a way of life. In rare instances, some of the world’s top players have emerged from the streets to the top of the sport, and they have become inspirational figures in doing so.
Unlike other sports, basketball can be played anywhere. All you need is a hoop and some ground, and that’s why so many different communities identify with the game, and its biggest league – the NBA.
Big Business
In turn, the National Basketball Association helps many industries to thrive. TV companies earn billions of dollars in subscriptions, while recent changes to sports betting laws see many operators introduce NBA lines across the regular and postseason.
The NBA has also been linked to the music industry for some time. All genres of music pay homage to the sport, but it’s more firmly entwined with hip-hop culture. There is a deep connection between the two, and it dates right back to the early days of this music scene.
A Shared History
The hip-hop scene started to emerge in New York in the late 1970s. At the start of the following decade, many of the most iconic early artists began to strike record deals, and the genre started to spread across the USA and beyond.
At the same time, the NBA began to welcome more African American players into its ranks. The league and the hip-hop music scene began to develop at the same time, with a more diverse community starting to switch on to top level basketball.
Over the next few years, both the NBA and hip-hop began to influence each other more heavily.
Fashion Conscious
Fashion is a major part of any youth culture and hip-hop was no exception. Artists appeared in photo shoots wearing NBA jerseys to define their allegiance with their favorite franchise. Over history, it’s rare for any music genre to attach to sports clothing, so these pictures were striking ones.
A more typical uniform for the devoted hip-hop fans involved baggy clothing and plenty of gold jewelry. In time, certain high-profile NBA players began to adopt this look, and one of the more notable fashion gurus was Allen Iverson.
A former shooting guard with four NBA franchises including the Memphis Grizzlies and the Denver Nuggets, Iverson appeared in eleven All-Star teams and was the league’s MVP in 2001. He was a star in the league, so when he adopted the hip-hop look, it helped the scene move more into the consciousness of basketball fans.
Allen Iverson led the way and many others followed to the extent where the fashion of hip-hop became something of an unofficial uniform in the NBA.
Listen to the Music
The National Basketball Association also offered a platform for hip-hop music to be heard. In the modern day, we’re used to hearing high-octane tunes blaring out across the arena, but this wasn’t always the case. Early tunes reflected player favorites, with the Atlanta Falcons taking on Jeezy’s track “Put On” as their anthem. Walk out music became more widespread, but some NBA stars become more deeply involved with the hip-hop scene. Kobe Bryant released his own single before later contributing to Destiny’s Child’s “Say My Name.”
The great Shaquille O’Neal also took up the challenge and went on to enjoy a prolific music career. His releases didn’t always make an impression on the charts, but Shaq has so far produced four studio albums and no fewer than 19 singles.
Returning the Compliment
To acknowledge the part the NBA stars have played to promote hip-hop, many artists pay respect with their lyrics. The most prolific musician in this respect is the rapper Drake, who has referenced Allen Iverson and Kyrie Irving amongst others.
Being mentioned in lyrics is now seen as a major badge of honor for today’s group of NBA players. Similarly, the hip-hop artists love to collaborate with the stars, and such partnerships are seen as significant endorsements for their acts.
Because of this mutual respect between athletes and players, we can expect to see more of this in the future. It’s one way to ensure that the link between the NBA and hip-hop never goes away.
We see the NBA celebrated in many areas of popular culture. The league, and basketball in general has been the subject of many movies and TV shows, while we’ve just seen how big an influence the sport has on music.
It’s a two-way street, with music also helping to raise the profile of the NBA and make it more accessible. Whether it’s through lyrics, an album cover, or another form of reference, the link between the NBA and hip-hop is a historic one, and it looks to be here to stay.
