The 25 Best Sports Rap Lyrics of 2011

From Jigga and Tim Tebow to Childish Gambino and Blake Griffin, check out our favorite lyrical shout-outs of the year.

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Complex Original

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Another year has gone by but some things remain the same. Such is the case with your favorite rappers wanting to be ballers and vice versa. Sadly, with two lengthy lockouts, athletes had plenty of time on their hands to hit up the booth and spit what they somehow thought was hot fiya (we see you, Delonte West and Chris Johnson). Anyway, those who actually rap for a living still had tons of slick sports references in their bars. Yeah, there were lyrical shout-outs of the year’s top athletes like LeBron James and Tim Tebow but there were some obscure gems like Arvydas Sabonis and Nancy Kerrigan, too. So, from Ricky Rozay to Childish Gambino, here are our picks for the 25 Best Sports Rap Lyrics of 2011...

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25. Big Sean, "I Do It"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Kobe Bryant
Lyric: "Nah-nah, good lordy, whoadie, I just took more shots than Kobe"
Rappers don't have to pull out some complex metaphor for it to be a hot line. Big Sean knows this and dropped a simple yet witty reference to the Black Mamba. Word of caution: Whether it's in Game 7 of the Finals or at a house party, taking 24 shots or more is never a good look.


24. Yung Berg f/ Marvo, "Derrick Rose"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Derrick Rose
Lyric: Entire song.
We'll be the first to admit, when we first heard of a dude like Yung Berg who has a ton of Ls aligning himself with one of the fastest rising stars in NBA history we definitely were like "FOH!" But the Lex Luger-ish beat and tolerable chorus definitely got stuck in our head for a bit when it dropped back in April. Plus, the interview soundbite worked into the latter part of the track where Rose predicts himself becoming the MVP of the league is pretty dope. So, we're not mad at Berg for showing his fellow Chi-town representative a little love.


23. B.o.B f/ Lil Wayne "Strange Clouds"

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Sports Figure Referenced: Nancy Kerrigan
Lyric: "I just stay with a stallion, you would swear I was an equestrian/And um, I'mma hit her with that pipe, call that Nancy Kerrigan" (B.o.B)
It's not very often that you hear rappers spit lines about figure skating. But if someone's going to do it we're glad B.o.B. was referring to one of the gulliest sports moments of all time rather than a triple axle. #justsayin'


22. Pac Div, "Still A Knucklehead"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Tracy McGrady, Michael Vick
Lyric: "These rappers washed up, lookin' like McGrady/Bombs in the air, let's see who gon' get greedy/The way my dogs at it, I feel like Vick lately"
T-Mac used to be the shit back in the day, now dude is referenced with the likes of Larry Holmes. SMH, oh how the mighty have fallen.


21. XV, "Chaka Shao Khan"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: LeBron James
Lyric: "Musical chair rhymes, they thinkin' it's their time/The game like LeBron's hairline, always receding"
XV touched on the biggest sports punchline of the year with this line. We wonder how long it'll be before LBJ goes the Wayne Rooney route or takes the more traditional path of shaving it off all together. Either way, it'll no doubt be better than these dudes.


20. Meek Mill f/ Rick Ross, "Tupac Back"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: John Wall
Lyric: "Presidential is gold, nigga play with my money my jeweller lifting ya soul/40 kick like in soccer, bullets hittin' the goal/Bitch I'm like John Wall, cause I just give em and go" (Meek Mill)
40 mm x soccer x John Wall? Yup, just some more ridiculously ignorant and violent lyrics that make us love the Maybach Music Group even more.


19. Common, "Blue Sky"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Derrick Rose, Dwyane Wade
Lyric: "Open my eyes, yes sir this is what I'm made for/To go hard in the paint like D. Wade or/D. Rose, from the same streets that we rose/International heroes at world primos"
We enjoyed seeing one of Chi-Town's best MCs show some hometown love to two of the best ballers in the game right now. That being said, since Common took shots at Drake does that mean a Bulls v. Raptors rivalry is on the horizon? We've seen crazier shit happen.


18. Mac Miller, "My Team"

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Sports Figure Referenced: Randy Moss
Lyric: "Come and talk shit, who the boss bitch?/Moon the crowd now, Randy Moss shit/Sharks swimmin' in the water you'll get tossed in/And fuck a first class, I'm in the cockpit"
Mac Miller gets props here for reminding us of one of the most badass moments in sports history. Once again on the beef tip (ayo!), you think anything with Mac Miller and Danny Brown is really going to pop off in 2012? And by beef we mean the kind of the Kosher variety, of course.


17. Travis Barker f/ Game, Lil Wayne, Swizz Beatz, & Rick Ross, "Can A Drummer Get Some"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: LeBron James, Ron Dayne
Lyric: "Bang, guess who check in the game/Smoke in the air like LeBron James/Running this shit like he Ron Dayne/Pull out my dick and just pee on flames" (Lil Wayne)
At the beginning of the year, Tunechi expressed some displeasure with Bron Bron and D-Wade not showing him love while he sat courtside. Well, things got patched up and within months Wayne was riding the Heat bandwagon and spitting lines like this. And like any fairweather fan, when the Heat got upset by the Mavs in the Finals, Weezy was out partying with the champs. Hmmm...think we'll be hearing a few Dirk references in 2012? Bet.


16. Action Bronson, "Set It Off"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Arvydas Sabonis
Lyric: "Aged cheese, 8 months—stinky aroma/Behind the back pass—Arvydas Sabonis/Whole smart crew, kid. We smoking weed in diplomas"
Every rapper and their weed carrier love to make references to American greats like MJ and Ali, but where's the shine for great foreign players? And this line is another reason why we fuck with Action Bronson. Dude gave a shout-out to one of the best foreign players of all time all while tying it into his love of kush. A lyrical rap reference and Hall of Fame induction all in the same year? Not bad, Arvydas Sabonis. Not bad at all.


15. Omen, "Liberation"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Sammy Sosa, Shaquille O'Neal
Lyric: "I grew around gangbanging culture/Drug dealers tryna get white like Sammy Sosa/Dog killers tryna suffice, and so they post up, Shaq style/Raised in the jungle Amazon so they act wild"
Sammy Sosa's skin-bleaching was one of the biggest fails in recent sports history. Shaq is retired but will always be remembered as one the best post-up players of all time. Need we say more?


14. Tyga, "Rack City"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Alonzo Mourning and Rajon Rondo
Lyric: "I need my money pronto/Get it in the morning like Alonzo/Rondo, green got cheese like a nacho/If you ain't got no ass, bitch, wear a poncho."
In one of biggest club bangers of the year, Tyga touches on two subjects we hear all the time but still love—money and women. The Young Money rep slickly refers to ballers while describing his hustle and offers a quick-fix remedy to ladies lacking junk in the trunk.


13. Lupe Fiasco, "Joaquin Phoenix"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Riddick Bowe
Lyric: "Let 'em recognize from Long Beach to Rosecrans/Put in my work and punch the clock like Riddick Bowe's hands/See, my pot is overflowing, can I put some work in your pan?"
Mike Tyson? Yeah, everyone spits rhymes about him. So, hearing Lupe give some shine to the another BK heavyweight from the same era on "Joaquin Phoenix" was quite refreshing. After all, Riddick Bowe did boast an impressive record of 43-1 in his career. Sadly, all of that money and fame was lost less than a decade after he was heavyweight champion of the world. SMH, boxing is the saddest sport of 'em all.


12. Nipsey Hu$$le, "Rose Clique"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Muhammad Ali
Lyric: "In other words, life is just a fight against your disbelief/That's why I'm screaming I'm the greatest of all time like young Ali/Played Mohammad to these false Prophets in this industry, but I'm just me"
Muhammad Ali the greatest Muslim athlete of all time? Yes. This the hottest sports line of the year? No, but still dope and worthy of a spot on the list.


11. MGK f/ Waka Flocka Flame, "Wild Boy"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: LeBron James
Lyric: "There he go, that's John Doe/Nevermind that's just Kells with the heat/No LeBron, tho'" (MGK)
A simple yet slick line from the Cleveland-native who couldn't help but take a shot at the city's biggest villain. See Cleveland, your pro sports teams may be suffering but you can still take joy in small pleasures like this.


10. Eminem f/ Slaughterhouse & Yelawolf, "Shady 2.0 Cypher"

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Sports Figure Referenced: David Stern
Lyric: "But I got this chick from uptown, she my summer bunny/Both parents broke, but she come from money/Think my bread is her paper to burn/So I lock her out, and now she doubt David is Stern" (Joe Budden)
If there's one rapper you could go to for topical sports news it's Joe Budden. The Slaughterhouse rhymer gives us his weekly NFL picks and he recently made an appearance on ESPN's First Take. So, when the Shady 2.0 Cypher went down in the midst of the NBA lockout you know Joe had to somehow tie it into his bars. Though the line was topical and dope, an A.I. reference rather than a David Stern one would've been even better. Kicking broads out the crib who are naked >>> just kicking them out.


9. J. Cole f/ Jay-Z, "Mr. Nice Watch"

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Sports Figure Referenced: Tim Tebow
Lyric: "Got a Hublot, I call it Tebow, strap that bitch with a gator band/Y'all niggas ball half-time, y'all niggas like the Gator band" (Jay-Z)
You know someone just had to have a ill line about the most talked about athlete in sports today. And Jay-Z saw it as an opportunity to remind us that he rocks watches worth more than our crib. Good for him. Now excuse us as we go figure out where things went wrong in life.


8. Rick Ross f/ Meek Mill and Gunplay, "The Finals"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: LeBron James, Blake Griffin, Michael Jordan, Yao Ming, NBA Finals
Lyric: Entire song.
Ricky Rozay is all about reppin' his city and when the Heat landed LeBron, Ross' fit of excitement was immortalized forever. So, as Bron Bron, D-Wade & Co. advanced to the Finals it was only right that Ross lent his support by dropping a track. There's a slew of ballin' references made by each member of the MMG crew but our personal favorite comes from Meek Mill: "Hating with them bitches, that's a flagrant foul." #getoffme #wordstoliveby


7. Childish Gambino, "Freaks and Geeks"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Blake Griffin
Lyric: "Love is a trip, but fuckin' is a sport/Are there Asian girls here? Minority Report/Put your team on the map, Blake Griffin on the court/Niggas bitin' on my tracks, need a knife and a fork"
It's been quite a year for Donald Glover. The actor has seen his rap career take off to new heights with the release of Camp and he still has a loyal following who tune into see him on Community and Weirdo. But it's not only the music, acting, and comedy world that D. Glover has been invading—it's the sports world, too. There's been a few references on ESPN and this particular line was spit by Tim Cowlishaw on Around The Horn. So, he raps, acts, does stand-up comedy, and gets shout-outs on ESPN. In 2012 we're expecting dude to work his way into the Mets batting order. Trust us, with their history, it's very possible.


6. Wiz Khalifa f/ Juicy J, "Erreeday"

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Sports Figure Referenced: Kobe Bryant
Lyric: "My mansion sittin' on 40 acres, who the neighbors?/Kobe Bryant from the Lakers, now that's paper" (Juicy J)
Not only was this one of the best sports rap references of the year, it was one of the best lines of the year, period. Juicy J later turned the hot line into a hot song with this "Who Da Neighbors" track. Even though most of us have apartments sitting on far less than one acre with hella neighbors, we could live vicariously through this line and the newest member of the Taylor Gang.


5. Pusha T, "Can I Live"

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Sports Figure Referenced: Paul Williams
Lyric: "Swim in the oasis of this drug dealer's Babylon/Three bitches, three different flights/Glad it was four sides at that Paul Williams fight/The Wynn, the Bellagio, the Palms, three nights"
This is how Pusha T does it when he hits Vegas. As we all should. None of that hitting up call girls, staying in a run down motel, and getting busted for trying to score blow from an undercover. Not that we would know about that kind of thing...


4. Bad Meets Evil, "I'm On Everything"

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Sports Figure Referenced: Brett Favre, Donovan McNabb
Lyric: "On my way to the dealer's, tryna re-up/Call me Brett Favre, spell it F-A-V-R-E. Yup/It's wrong, in other words I just fucked my RV up!/Bitch, it's on again, yeah, break that klonopin in half/While I smoke some chronic in the cab with Donovan McNabb" (Eminem)
Like Em, Brett Favre battled an addiction to pills during his career. Unlike Em, we're all to glad that the QB retired and seems like (emphasis on "seems like") he'll stay retired. That coupled with the common misspelling of Brett's last name tied into RVs is what makes this line of the best of the year. Sidebar: Maybe some chronic is what squeaky-clean Donovan needs to revive his career.


3. Jay-Z and Kanye West, "Who Gon' Stop Me"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Marv Albert and Howard Cossell
Lyric: "Last night ain't go so well, got kicked up out the hotel/Got a little freaky like Marvin Albert, "Yes!" tell Howard Cosell" (Kanye West)
It's one thing to talk about athletes of the past and present but what about the sports legends behind the mic? Yeezy gave two of the greatest play-by-play commentators of all time some love with this cut from Watch The Throne. But it wasn't just some name drop that got this line a spot on the list, it was the witty context and delivery that could only come from Mr. West. Back in '97, Marv Albert was charged with sexual assault on a woman at a hotel. Graphic testimony during the trial revealed that he had a penchant for everything from biting to wearing women's underwear. Sounds more than "a little freaky" to us, Ye.


2. Wale, "Barry Sanders"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Various
Lyric: Entire song.
Being one of the biggest sports heads in the rap game, no one is ever surprised to see a rapper like Wale work slick athlete name drops into their lyrics but the D.C. rapper took it to a whole new level on this track. From ballers who never reached their potential like Victor Page to college football's Biletnikoff Trophy, Wale covers a ton in one of the best sports x rap mash-ups we've ever heard on wax.


1. J. Cole, "Return of Simba"

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Sports Figure(s) Referenced: Drew Gooden, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Vince Lombardi, John Wooden
Lyric: "Said said, 'Look, my niggas, we got a foot in'/Being good is good, that'll get you Drew Gooden/But me, I want Jordan numbers, LeBron footin'/Can't guard me, Vince Lombardi, John Wooden"
J. Cole's hunger to be the best in the rap game expressed through rhymes about some of the best players and coaches to ever do it? Simply, unfuckwittable. *Cudi voice*


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