The Best 2013 Sports References in Rap

In which an infamous Knicks game is fixed and Jay Z flaunts his prosperity...again.

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Complex Original

Image via Complex Original

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Even Wale dropped a sports reference when he went to Hot 97 to talk about our convo. He said rappers and fans relationships are "just like sports. You want to see your team win. You want to see your favorite team be successful. You want to have bragging rights for your artist." The analogy does make sense and it's often been a way to portray the intangible. We've seen plenty of cases of this in this year's hip-hop sports references. Artists ranging from Meek Mill to Action Bronson used them to clarify metaphors, decrease that distance between them and the listener (see Bronson's relatively obscure Mets reference), and to further express how well off they are. Of course, it's mostly been the latter (Jay Z has been pretty guilty), but they have been pretty creative in 2013. From Big K.R.I.T. to Wale (surprise!) to Drake to Kendrick, here's the Best 2013 Sports Rap References.

25. Meek Mill, "Levels"

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24. ASAP Rocky f/ Kendrick Lamar, Joey Badass, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson, & Big K.R.I.T., "1 Train"

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23. Boldy James, "What's the Word"

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22. Action Bronson, "Rolling Thunder"

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21. Drake, "Tuscan Leather"

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20. Pusha T, "40 Acres"

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19. Wale, "88"

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18. Run the Jewels, "36" Chain"

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17. Action Bronson, "Strictly 4 My Jeeps"

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16. Earl Sweatshirt f/ Casey Veggies & Vince Staples, "Hive"

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15. Drake f/ Jay Z, "Pound Cake"

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14. World's Fair, "Sammy Sosa"

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13. Pusha T f/ Chris Brown, "Sweet Serenade"

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12. Drake, "5AM in Toronto"

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11. World's Fair, "'96 Knicks"

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10. Pusha T f/ Ab-Liva, "Suicide"

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9. Danny Brown, "Side A (Old)"

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8. Drake, "Furthest Thing"

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7. Eminem, "Groundhog Day"

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6. A$AP Rocky f/ Kendrick Lamar, Joey Badass, Yelawolf, Danny Brown, Action Bronson & Big K.R.I.T., "1 Train"

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5. Jay Z, "Open Letter

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4. Pusha T, "Numbers on the Boards"

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3. Action Bronson f/ Big Body Bes, "9.24.13"

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2. Big Sean f/Kendrick Lamar "Control"

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1. Jay Z f/ Travis Scott, "Crown"

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