The Top Five Hip-Hop Baseball References
MLB Network’s Bob Costas quoting Ludacris got me thinking, how connected are hip-hop music and the game of baseball. Rappers are always wearing baseball jerseys and hats when they make appearances. We’ve even seen many hip-hip artists like Common, Pitbull, Daddy Yankee, MC Hammer, Vanilla Ice, Big Sean, and Snoop Dogg throw out first pitches at games.
What are the top baseball references in hip-hop songs? Let’s take a look!
5) Lil’ Wayne-“Swag Surf”
Lil’ Wayne dropping a line to the former Red Sox all-star is all sorts of awesome. I wonder if he’s been kickin’ it with Garciaparra’s wife Mia Hamm lately.
Lyrics: I ain’t promise tomorrow, Now women kick it with me like Nomar Garciaparra
Plus, who can forget Lil’ Wayne singing “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” at AT&T Park.
4) Game (feat. Chris Brown)- “Pot of Gold”
It’s safe to say Game loves sports. In this song alone he makes references to LeBron James, the New Orleans Saints, and baseball MVP and current Angels slugger Albert Pujols
Lyrics:
As I sit back and watch
The ashes on my cigar fall
Wayne just came home and
Tip back on the yard dawg
Guess Pujols ain’t the only one playing hard ball
3) Lord Tariq and Peter Gunz- Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)
There’s no actual baseball lyrics in the song, but the entire video was shot in the former home of the Mets, Shea Stadium. They do get deductions for trying to pass it off as Yankee Stadium in the beginning of because both of them are from the Bronx.
2) Nelly and St. Lunatics-“Batter Up” and Nelly (feat. Diddy & Murphy Lee) “Shake Ya Tailfeather”
It’s fair to say Nelly loves baseball. He’s always inserting references into songs and loves his St. Louis Cardinals. “Batter Up” is the most baseball-dedicated song in hip-hop complete with a music video that doubles as a baseball game. While Nelly’s “Shake Ya Tailfeather” from the Bad Boys 2 soundtrack samples the Atlanta Braves chop song.
1) Jay-Z and the New York Yankees
There’s not a hip-hop artist more synonymous with a baseball team as the Jigga Man and the Yankees. He always is wearing a Yankees hat and even made Bronx Bombers superstar Robinson Cano his first client of the new Roc Nation agency this week. You can check out the top five Jay-Z Yankees references here. I’m going with the lyrics from mega-hit “Empire State of Mind” with Alicia Keys.
Lyrics:
Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game
I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can
Three Up, Three Down 