From Kobe to Kanye: Comparing Athletes to Their Rap Counterparts

"I swear sports and music are so synonymous, cause we want to be them, and they want to be us"-Drake

Athletes want to be musicians, musicians want to be athletes, and every other human being couldn't care less as long as he was in one of their shoes. 

One of the reasons athletes long to rap or sing, and rappers talk about ballin' (and, in both scenarios, many do attempt to do so) is because of how similar both their careers are.

It's two professions where, if you're good, you demand respect from the masses. There's no hiding from the fact that most professional athletes and most professional rappers grew up in poverty, or in the "hood."

And two things that are glorified in the hood is being dominant at a certain sport, or dissing someone in a rap battle or another. 

Once grown up, their moneymaking revolves around the entertainment and skill they can bring to the table. You need skill to bring the team to the playoffs or land an Emmy.  But you need to keep the fans amused witha selfish slam, or an unnecessary insult to another rapper. 

It's obvious they have gigantic similarities.

But which athlete most resembles what artist? 

Notorious B.I.G Is Ernie Davis

Both pose two questions whenever their names arise:

What could have been?

And then there's the more avoided, but also the more important: could they have been the G.O.A.T (greatest of all time)?

After releasing Ready to Die in 1994, the popularly named Biggie Smalls became a rapping sensation, loved to death on the East Coast. His popularity grew to huge heights, his name popping up in more than a few debates over who was the best rapper of the era...

That is, until 1997, when he was shot in a tragic drive by shooting. His name has transcended time though, as his music is still listened to. His rapping career really only lasted three years and a couple of albums, which sadly isn't enough to make him the best ever. But the question of how good he could have been remains.

Ernie Davis was one of the first good black player in college who also received playing time in a very white league, much like B.I.G was one of the few East Coast rappers with any success.

Davis had more than just a merely successful season; he was the first African-American to win the Heisman.  He did so by bulldozing over opposing teams' linemen while also using extraordinary finesse.

Sadly, after being drafted, he was diagnosed with leukemia. He never played an NFL game. Scouts to this day still recount tales of his athleticism, and swear that, if given a chance, he could have been one of, if not the, best.

Finally, in recent years, both had movies made about them, both garnering good reviews and box office.

Jay Z Is Wilt Chamberlain

Neither should ever be confused as the best of all time, but their name should always come up when talking about some of the best.

They dominated their respective games for almost two decades.

Furthermore, they both had their fair share of beef.

Jay Z has been one of the cornerstones of raps rise to the top of the music industry in the last two decades. He has racked in more money than almost any artist in the history of music, currently having a net worth of over 450 million.

He has also sold 50 million albums worldwide. Needless to say, statistically, he could easily be confused as the best of all time. But on a talent level, many other rappers look like lyrical geniuses compared to him and have dropped better tracks.

He's also had plenty of beef to share, getting into dissing matches with Nas, Fifty, and The Game, just to name a few.

Finally, there's no denying that he should be considered a player, after managing to get Beyonce.

Much like Jay Z, Wilt Chamerblain's dominant play brought much needed popularity to the young sport of basketball. Also like Jay, statistically, Chamberlain is by far the best player to have ever touched a basketball.

Averaging 50 points a game or 30 rebounds a night is no small feat. It hasn't, and never will be, repeated. It is extraordinary. But dig deeper, and he can't be considered the best. He only has two rings, in a fairly easy era, and was always beaten by his greatest rival, Bill Russell.

Players around the league generally had a dislike for Wilt, explained thoroughly in Bill Simmons' Book Of Basketball. And he trashed talked them right back.

Chamberlain infamously stated that he had slept with 10,000 women over his career which, if true, should warrant some kind of award for this accomplishment. Calling him a player would be an understatement.

Nas Is Luke Donald

Nas and Luke Donald can go toe to toe with anyone in their respective lines of work.  Most of the time, they come out winning. As of recently, they've been even hotter. But they have one similar flaw, which isn't really their fault: they aren't mainstream enough to be noticed.

Nas burst out in the rap scene in 1994 with Illmatic, considered a classic by many music lovers. Since then, he has continued to drop good albums (Hip Hop is Dead) and dope singles. He's gone head to head with one of the games best in Jay Z, and frankly dominated him with his genius word play.

But his refusal to rap about fake stuff or auto tune his voice, has actually hurt him. Though true rap fanatics will long consider him one of the best, a lot of today's main audience have frankly never heard his name.

Even his talent can't overcome that.

On the same note, Luke Donald, the number one golfer in the world right now, stunned everyone with a great outing in 2006, ultimately making his first jump into the top ten.

Donald has been consistently great, being in the top ten now well over 100 weeks. With Tiger gone, he has become perhaps the undisputed best in golf.

But, like Nas, the unpopularity of golfers not named Tiger Woods have really hurt Luke Donald. Being number one in any sport, especially one as popular as golf, should result in media attention.  Yet Donald is far from a household name.

Maybe he should sleep with eleven women...

Ice Cube Is Shaquille O'Neal

Shaq and Ice Cube burst into the scene after a couple stunning years in college and a couple first wonders, with ridiculous expectations. They didn't just match them—both went above and beyond even the wildest predictions.

Both were undeniably one of the best in the game and one of the more intimidating and dominant. Slowly they started to wash up and weren't quite as popular or even talented as they used to be. Then, weirdly, they both tried to regain their status in the popular world acting in children movies, T.V shows, and Shaq's wack rap.

Thus, they were left with unbelievably great legacies, but legacy's that were greatly tarnished.

Ice Cube started his career with C.I.A, and once the media, rap groups, and fans started hearing his stuff, they all wanted a piece of Mr. Cold himself. He joined, co-founded, the more popular N.W.A where he dominated the rap scene for quite some time, with some of the more intimidating lyrics ever written (Cash Over, Death Certificate).

He went solo, where he shut everyone up who said he couldn't do it without the rest of the group. But when his popularity started to dwindle, he resorted to acting in the children movie Are We There Yet?, and its sequel, Are We Done Yet?. In a way, it was kind of sad watching the meanest, baddest rapper of our time do this kind of stuff.

At the end of the day, though, Ice Cube will forever be one of the greats. I just wished he hadn't gone and done that other stuff.

After an impressive, nay amazing, career at LSU, Shaq entered the league as the number one pick in the draft to ridiculous expectations.

Like Ice Cube mentioned, he exceeded all of them. He won four rings, three finals M.V.P.'s, one regular season M.V.P, and led the league in rebounds, blocks, and FG percentage.

He could have retired three or four years ago, with one of the best resumes in sports history, and with his place in the all time top ten to have played in the NBA. But he questionably went traveling for the sole purpose of riding along for a ring in Phoenix, Cleveland, and, most recently, Boston.

Furthermore, he somehow changed himself from a basketball player who likes to (badly) act and rap, to a (bad) actor and rapper who, when not injured, sometimes plays a couple minutes a game.

His raps are some of the worst on youtube...honestly no joke...and Shaq Vs. was a terrible show.

Once again, beyond great legacy, hurt it with extra curricular activities.

Snoop Dog Is Julius Erving

No one will ever make the claim that Dr. J or Snoop Dogg are the best or most talented of their time.  But no one will deny their coolness.

I swear to god they wake up in the morning and straight up piss coolness. I mean, and I don't want to sound like a broken record, but they are the epitome of cool.

Secondly, both revolutionized and pioneered what they did.

In 1992, Dr. Dre found a diamond in the rough in a county jail. Right away, he signed Snoop Dogg and him and Dogg joined Death Row Records. He dropped Doggy Style, which received a lot of attention and success.

Snoop Dogg will never be considered the best of his time. There's no question about that, even though he was very talented. But the way he talks, "fo shizzle my nizzle," which sounds ridiculous coming out of anyone else's mouth, epitomizes the word cool.

With that language, Snoop Dog also pioneered the new gangster language, one that is now used all over America and by many a rapper. 

Like Snoop, Dr. J will never be in conversation for best of all time. He was a slasher shooting guard, and there are more than a few excellent slasher shooting guards, including one very good one, who leave him in the dust. But Erving revolutionized the dunk.

Something that originally was just used on the rarest of occasions, and simply to get two points, and only if it was necessary, became an art with J. He would use it to pump up the crowd on a fast break, or to demean his opponents with a giant facial.

Many say Michael started the dunking fad; those people are vastly mistaken...it was Julius.

Also, rocking his afro, rocking the cradle, facializing any opponent in sight, his nickname.  Yeah...Julius Erving was cool as hell.

Lastly, both were the reason for big clashes over who got their rights. For Erving, it was the ABA or the NBA, and for Snoop Dogg, it was Death Row Records against No Limit Records.

Eminem Is Steve Nash

It's not just that these two people are white.  But it can't be ignored that in two professions generally dominated by African-Americans, that these two were the few outliers who succeeded, and broke down a few racial stereotypes in the process.

The haters will always be there for Nash and Eminem.  Forever they will hear that, if not for being white, they wouldn't be perceived as great. Though one might think that they have done more than enough to get rid of every non-believer, they are still there; except now they must acknowledge that these two individuals are two of the best at doing what they do in the last decade.

Marshall Mathers dropped his first album in 1999, The Slim Shady LP, and was heard all over America instantly. Even though there are very few white rappers now, there were even fewer back then, making Eminem's success phenomenal.

Eminem proved that white rappers can spit it as well as any other out there, and won't necessarily back down from beef. Matter of fact, he handled his own in countless feuds.

People will forever say that he's overrated because he's white, but in 2008 Vibe voted Eminem best rapper alive, an amazing honor. Though he' slowed down a bit since his glory days, Mathers is unquestionably one of the best of the 2000 decade.

Similarly, Nash had played a couple seasons in Dallas before his contract year, where he finally exploded. Cuban hesitated to pay him as much as he deserved, and he quickly signed with Phoenix, where they were starting to explore Mike D'Antoni and his run-and-gun style.

At that time, in basketball, white ballers were almost at an all time low. There hadn't been a Caucasian MVP in years. But Nash changed that, garnering two of the prestigious awards back to back, and leading his team to the Western Conference Finals.

Nash completely tore up the stereotype that white people couldn't compete in the NBA anymore, and his ferocity and competitiveness is very rarely matched.

Many will call him overrated, but no one can deny what he has accomplished.

Lupe Fiasco Is Kevin Durant

Lupe and Durant are now undisputedly two of the best in their respective games. Any one who says otherwise hasn't seen or heard them recently.

Neither got the deserved fame right away though, as they weren't mainstream. Finally, the credit they deserve is growing, as they have become much more popular.

One day, either could be the best in the game.

Lupe showed off his amazing potential when his album Lupe Fiasco's Food and Liquor dropped: it got amazing reviews from some prestigious magazines.  His lyrics were thought to be some of the best of any rap newcomer.

But Lupe swayed off the course from the rest of the mainstream rappers: his use of vulgarity compared to others was low and, like Nas, he hated the idea of auto tune. If anything, he had some of the realest raps out there.

But because of this, the general public didn't really get to listen to his stuff. Even though he was declared amazing by many, he wasn't popular.

Yet, this year, he released Lazers, and finally gave the public a taste at his greatness. Some consider him the best in the game now; though realistically this is a stretch, it's undeniable that one day he can reach that height.

Durant had one amazing college season in Texas, receiving player of the year, and decided to opt to the NBA draft. Though during his NCAA tenure he received a lot of attention, after being drafted by Oklahoma City, a lot of the popularity went away.

Though he did win Rookie Of the Year, an average basketball fan payed little to no attention, as his team posted a horrendous record, and because he was in a very small market team.

Though KD is still in one of the smallest markets in the league, he's shown even more promise in the last two years, and is now perhaps even a house hold name.

Durantula has ways to go before being on the level of Wade, 'Bron and Bryant; but he's also one of the younger superstars in the league, and, after leading his team to the Western Conference Finals, definitely on the rise.

50 Cent Is David Beckham

When Fifty and Becham first came out, they were instant sensations. They were talented, people genuinely liked them, and, in all aspects of their games, they quickly became monsters.

Yet after a decade of near dominance, their respective games started to fade. They lost many of their skills, and weren't nearly as fun to listen to or watch as they used to be.

When this happened though, they both applied business intellect, and still have two of the highest net worth's in the entertainment industry by staying alive outside of their professions.

50 Cent set his name in stone in the rap industry, releasing Get Rich Or Die Tryin' in 2003.  It sold over 15 million copies worldwide. He backed it up with albums such as Massacre, and became one of the most successful rappers of the 21st century.

But, soon, his monotonous rap voice faded in popularity, and, after releasing he was on decline, he stopped producing albums, and dropped only a few singles here and there.

Still, "Fitty" is one of the more popular brand names in the rap business, as he has appeared in different movies, created a video game about his life, and started a whole vitamin water brand. Hate it or love it, the creator of G-Unit is a genius.

Similarly, Becham was a major hit right away with soccer fans all over.  He signed a contract with Man-U at the tender age of 17.

Right away he amazed people with his field vision, his dribbling skills and, most notably, his talent for curving the ball, especially on free kicks.

He was the captain of the English team for two world cups, and was twice the runner up for FIFA player of the year. Like 50 Cent, it wouldn't be far fetched to call Becham one of the best players of the last decade.

But, when he became older, he lost the finesse and speed that once had made him an elite player, and was left with only his free kick, which doesn't make for a great player.

Yet he remained the top earner in sports through endorsements.  He started his own fragrance company and, like Fifty, creating two of his own video games for X-Box. Furthermore, signing with the Galaxy added to his popularity in America.

Lil Wayne Is Allen Iverson

Wayne and Iverson have ridiculous talent; some of the most out of any to ever come along. But they always do something stupid that gets them in trouble, hurts their image in the public eye, and becomes detrimental to their careers.

Iverson is now most likely gone from the NBA for good, but if he had stopped and realized that all that mattered should be winning, he could have been considered a top five player.

Lil Wayne still has that chance; let's hope he doesn't blow it.

At age nine, Cash Money recognized that Carter (Wayne) had a once in a generation talent lyrically, and in the way he delivered them, and signed him. Wayne struggled at first, but then started releasing hit album after album like Tha Carter and his first solo album, Tha Black is Hot.

His amount of albums sold is ridiculously high, and he may be one of, if not the, most well known rapper on the face of the Earth right now. But he's not the best by a long shot yet.

The self-titled Weezy always seems to do something that hurts what he's done well. Releasing the rock album was just dumb.  The reviews were terrible, and the sales even worse. He hasn't been able to drop an album in a while now, and that can be easily correlated to the fact that he's been spending time in the can.

Iverson, nicknamed the Answer, is perhaps the best pound for pound player the league has ever seen. His driving his silly, his shot was always one of the best, his dribbling was ridiculous, and his court vision and defense were always underrated.

Iverson has one MVP under his belt, and brought a pretty awful supporting cast to the NBA finals, eventually falling 4-1 to the Kobe and Shaq led Lakers.

What he has accomplished is undeniably amazing. What he could have perhaps accomplished though, is as undeniable.

Iverson was a coach-killer, and, eventually, became a team killer as well. Larry Brown, a HOF coach, had very public feuds with him, and it is believed that A.I is the reason he left the team.

Allen didn't believe in practice, has easily evident in the very popular you tube clip ("We talking about practice? practice?"), which left him with a game that didn't improve much year after year.

Finally, his attitude caused the 76ers to go into an unnecessary rebuilding stage, the end of a Pistons dynasty, and his stock to fall to the point where no NBA team wants him.

I'll go out on a limb and say that he could have been the best to ever play; at this point, he isn't even to top 20.

Kanye West Is Kobe Bryant

When Kobe and Kanye were, and even now when they reminiscence moves from younger years, at the top of their games, they were the best. At one point, it wasn't even debatable. Kobe was the best baller, and West the best rapper.

Both also had a couple of big lows that sadly will probably always be remembered alongside their dominance. Finally, neither had spectacular years, and both hope to rebound to the top.

Kanye West didn't jump out the gate like many other rappers. Actually he started off as a producer, and even when he started spittin', it was generally him being featured in other peoples songs.

West has always been arrogant, which by most is considered his biggest flaw, but it was because of that quality that he decided that, as really sort of a nobody, he would release College Drop Out, which did much better than any expectations.

Since then, Kanye has been dominant with the albums Graduation and 808 & Heartbreak. In 2008 and 2007, Kanye was voted Hottest MC in the game.  And to add to his already amazingly impressive resume, he now has 14 and counting Grammy Awards.

Sadly, Kanye's career will also be remember for his egotistical quotes--"I realize now that I am the voice of this generation," and for disrespecting Taylor Swift.

Finally, 2010 wasn't his best year, as My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy didn't do as good as other albums. Let's hope he can bounce back to the top of the game.

Bryant also didn't jump right out like other ballers. Actually, he only averaged 7 points in his rookie season. In his second year he started playing something like the Bryant we know now, but for several years he was always in Shaq's shadow.

Shaq casts one big shadow.

Like West, Bryant was very arrogant, and demanded that O'Neal be traded, so that he could be the star of the team. No one knows what Bryant and the Diesel could have done, but it didn't turn out badly for the Lakers, who have made the finals three out of the last four years.

During those three years making the finals, Kobe gained status as the best player in the game.

Sadly, what with the sweep and all, he doesn't hold the title nearly as firm now, and perhaps will never be the best again.

Like Kanye, Kobe's amazing career will sadly be as remembered for being stuck up with Shaq and Phil Jackson, and, obviously, for the infamous rape case.

Hope you enjoyed the article!