Image via Complex Original
If you tune into any urban radio station,
chances are you'll hear Wiz Khalifa's “Black and Yellow” at least
every hour. If you reside in Pittsburgh, you'll need to quadruple
that to about every 15 minutes. The track, which currently sits at
No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100, has become the official anthem for
the Pittsburgh Steelers on their road to Sunday's Super Bowl XLV. But this
isn't the first time a sports team has adopted a banger to be their theme song
for the postseason. Sports x music fusions have a history of
rallying teams—and sometimes making ears bleed (word to these clowns).
From Jim Jones' “Ballin'” to Sister Sledge's “We Are Family,”
check out The History of the 10 Best Team Adopted Playoff Anthems of All Time...
10. Jesse Jaymes "Go NY Go"
YEAR: 1994
TEAM: New York Knicks
COMPLEX SAYS: Entrepreneur Jesse Itzler became the
rapper "Jesse Jaymes" and dropped terrible tracks like “Shake It like
a White Girl” before lending the New York Knicks this gem. The
Knicks made a deep playoff run into the NBA Finals that year before John Starks epically failed in Game 7 against Houston. Is there a 2011 remix coming from one of these dudes? We hope not.
9. Ashkon "Don't Stop Believing"
YEAR: 2010
TEAM: San Francisco Giants
COMPLEX SAYS: When unknown artist Ashkon remade Journey's 1981 hit, we doubt he thought it would result in over 2,000,000 views on YouTube and a seal of approval from Journey lead singer (and Giant fan), Steve Perry. Ashkon gets an "A" for enthusiasm and a "P" for pause-worthiness. The "rally thong"? FOH.
8. DJ Felli Fel, feat. Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Ray J, Chino XL, Roscoe Umali, Lil Rob, New Boyz "Lakers Anthem 2010"
YEAR: 2010
TEAM: Los Angeles Lakers
COMPLEX SAYS: From vets like Snoop and Cube to newcomers like Roscoe Umali (yeah, us neither), a bunch of West Coast artists came together to rally behind the Lake Show as they prepared to play the Boston Celtics in the Finals. Though they lose creativity points for riding the biggest East Coast beat of the year in "Beamer, Benz, or Bentley," they made up for it with their display of unity. Who needs those Western Conference meetings to end beefs when you can just hop on a Laker remix of "We Are the World"?
7. Sister Sledge "We Are Family"
YEAR: 1979
TEAM: Pittsburgh Pirates
COMPLEX SAYS: Like any other sport, successful baseball teams require camaraderie among teammates. So, the fact that the 1979 World Series champions chose "We Are Family" as their team anthem shouldn't be too much of a surprise. But a hook that contains the line: "I got all my sisters with me"? C'mon son.
6. Chicago Bears "Super Bowl Shuffle"
YEAR: 1985
TEAM: Chicago Bears
COMPLEX SAYS: Prior to winning Super Bowl XX, the Bears recorded this now-infamous track which has spawned a ton of imitators across several sports. Despite the embarrassing performances by everyone from Sweetness to the Fridge, the single actually reached No. 41 on the music charts and sold more than a half-million copies.
5. Dropkick Murphy's "Tessie"
YEAR: 2004
TEAM: Boston Red Sox
COMPLEX SAYS: If your team goes 86 years without winning a championship, you might resort to any kind of fuckery to get it back on the right path. In 2004, when the Dropkick Murphy's found out that the orginial "Tessie" by the Royal Rooters helped the Boston Americans win the 1903 World Series, they created their own 2004 version. The Red Sox adopted the song, and to this day it makes people cringe in the BX. And pretty much everywhere other than Boston, actually.
4. The Luniz "Oakland Raider"
YEAR: 2002
TEAM: Oakland Raiders
COMPLEX SAYS: When Oakland made their playoff run to Super Bowl XXXVII, Raider nation needed an anthem. So, who better to lace a track than the Luniz? After all these dudes did record the greatest Bay Area rap song of all time. Sidebar: We still think it's hilarious that the Luniz' logo was an angry condom.
3. Consequence "J.E.T.S (Put Your Arms Out)"
YEAR: 2011
TEAM: New York Jets
COMPLEX SAYS: Wiz has the breakout team/city anthem of the year, but New Yorkers couldn't front when Conseqence dropped an ode to his favorite team. This track recieved play throughout the Tri-State area until the Jets tasted the funky flavor of dafeet. Word to Rex.
2. Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys "Empire State of Mind"
YEAR: 2009
TEAM: New York Yankees
COMPLEX SAYS: No other rapper has associated themselves with baseball's most storied franchise more than Hova, so a NYY anthem from Jigga was only a matter of time. As Jay's "Empire State of Mind" track climbed the charts in the fall of 2009, the Yankees adopted the song as their offical team anthem. Even if you weren't a fan of the Evil Empire, anyone could appreciate seeing Alicia Keys display her assets live at the World Series.
1. Jim Jones "Ballin'" Giants Remix
YEAR: 2007
TEAM: New York Giants
COMPLEX SAYS: When the Dipset Capo scored the biggest hit of his career in 2007, no one could blame homie for trying to make the most of it. So, when he heard it was a hit among the G-Men, Jimmy hopped in the booth and quickly put out a remix. The track was fully embraced by the team, and the players also adopted the Ballin' dance as the official team celebration. Hmmm, that's the last time the NYG made any noise in the postseason. Perhaps it's time to enlist Jimmy to make another song for them in 2011?
