The intersection between hip-hop and sports is seamless. There’s a sense of glamour and larger than life superstardom that match between the two sports. Not to mention, some artists start off as athletes like Quavo or J. Cole. Meanwhile, legends like Allen Iverson mingled in rapping amidst their careers. What’s with the crossover? As rappers and sports podcasters alike, Cam’ron and Mase have their theories.
Recently, the pair sat down with Michael Irvin on their It Is What It Is podcast. There, they pinpoint the desire to reach more money, fame and status in athletes pivoting to rap. “Everybody always says it’s green on the other side,” Irvin tells Cam’ron and Mase. “We’re looking for money and fame and all those things are attainable in those two fields … and then we would like to interchange.”
Cam’ron and Mase Talk About Rappers and Athletes Wanting to be Like Each Other
Mase goes on to highlight Shaq and Deion Sanders as the most notable examples. “Shaq sold more records than rappers, man,” Cam adds. “That’s what it’s about, taking advantage of the opportunity.”
Cam goes on to say that there is a bit more to it than just tinkering with career options. Through hip-hop, athletes reach a profound sense of motivation. They get that extra drive to perform at the highest level, to make it through tough practices and long road trips away from family. Particularly, Cam’ron mentions how Allen Iverson gave him and Mase their flowers at his 2016 Basketball Hall of Fame induction speech. In addition to all the accolades, AI made it a point to highlight how hip-hop helped make him the star he became.
“All the coaches he played and played for, all the players he played against […] Thompson, Georgetown, everything that helped him be a Hall of Famer he took time out to those musical artists that helped him be a Hall of Famer and me and Mase were two of the artists […] Think about that. We in the Basketball Hall of Fame,” Cam’ron says.
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