Hip-hop has held an undeniable influence on basketball culture. Since the 1980s, there’s been an intertwining of the two. There are numerous titles in which rappers directly reference the sport, such as Kurtis Blow’s “Basketball”, Skee-Lo’s “I Wish” and Lil Wayne’s “Kobe Bryant”. There are even more instances where a basketball player, coach or team is referenced. Some players simultaneously even launch rap careers in the midst of their basketball careers, such as Portland’s Damian Lillard and Los Angeles’ Lonzo Ball.
The overlap between hip-hop and basketball only continues to increase with time. Just ask Quavo, whose rap trio, Migos is at the forefront of rap’s modern era.