CHARLOTTE, NC - FEBRUARY 17: J. Cole performs at halftime during the 68th NBA All-Star Game at Spectrum Center on February 17, 2019 in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage)
Cole’s love of basketball has been a source of inspiration throughout his music. He uses metaphors to bring the worlds of rap and ball together, portrayed in artworks for The Warm Up, Friday Night Lights, Cole World: The Sideline Story, and his latest album The Off-Season. His progression from the sidelines to the spotlight proves he can sit at the intersection of sports and hip-hop. Confidence comes with repetition and Cole made this point clear during his Applying Pressure: The Off-Season documentary.
“When I really, really fell in love with rap, it was a matter of sport,” he said. “I started realizing the parallels between the rapping for me and basketball. I gotta operate at a high skill level and the only way you’re going to operate at a high skill level is putting in the hours and the practice. So it’s like coming down to The Off-Season, it was the same mentality, it’s like, ‘Damn, this is the time to get better.’”
Cole is no longer at a fork in the road. After years of hard work in the gym, Cole made his professional debut in the Basketball Africa League playing for the Rwanda Patriots BBC over the weekend, a mere two days after he released The Off-Season, which made headlines on NBA and basketball websites for his references to Russell Westbrook, Ja Morant, LeBron James, and others.
The thing is, Cole has been sneaking in sports references in his lyrics for a while. It comes pretty natural from someone who not only loves basketball, but football, wrestling, and even chess. (American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer does get a shout on The Come Up.) Now as an official rookie, some of these lyrics where Cole is showing love to the players mean more.
To celebrate The Off-Season and J. Cole’s arrival in the BAL, here are the North Carolina native’s best sports rap references.
“Cost Me a Lot”
Year: 2010
Lyric: “Must be the money like Deion with the Jheri curl/White Range, call that motherf*cka Larry Bird/I got em hangin’ on every word”
On one of many good J. Cole songs where he both raps and produces, “Cost Me a Lot” from Friday Night Lights opens with slick references to Stone Cold Steve Austin and Drew Brees. But the best lines come in the second verse, where he gives Deion Sanders’ “Must Be the Money” a shout out before comparing himself to Larry Bird because he has the same deep range (musically, that is) as the Celtics legend.
“The Autograph”
Year: 2010
Lyric: “This my New Year’s resolution, dawg, no more pork in me/Uh, I ain’t no Muslim though/Caron Butler, I’m a wizard if ya doesn’t know/It’s Young Simba, yeah, I’m ballin’ ‘til the buzzer blow”
From the same mixtape, Cole’s famous lines about giving up pork has him name-checking former Wizards small forward Caron Butler. Notice he flips Quran as Caron for the Muslim/basketball tie in.
“The London”
Year: 2019
Lyric: “I’m ballin’ on a pussy n***a like Juwanna Mann/I’m drownin’ all inside the pussy like I never swam/Ayy, f*ck your IG, I put somethin’ on your sonogram/I’m the man”
Technically, Juwanna Mann is a fictional character and not a real player on a women’s team. However, the pop culture reference to Miguel A. Núñez Jr.’s Jamal Jeffries is worth mentioning here because Cole boasts about his sex game, and then wants to start a family with the same girl. He has his priorities in order.
“Planez”
Year: 2015
Lyric: “Look, they love me in the Chi like MJ/They love me in the Chi like Oprah/No n***a could block, not even Dikembe”
It’s no secret that Chicago loves Michael Jordan and what he’s done for the Bulls franchise. Cole believes he has just as much as praise, even going as far as saying no man could block his game like Dikembe Mutombo can. With the finger wag and all.
“Green Ranger”
Year: 2012
Lyric: “This that good old fashioned Mark Jackson/F*cked then I’ll pass, y’all Utah Jazz-in’/Ya borin’, I don’t play n***a, I’m Mark Madsen”
When Lil Wayne dropped Dedication 4, “Green Ranger” was highly anticipated as it marked the first collaboration between Jermaine and Weezy. G. Dep’s “Special Delivery” was the instrumental of choice for Cole to rap a ton of bars until he was out of breath. He uses Mark Jackson’s impact on passing to brag about getting girls, calls out people who are Utah Jazzin’ (a.k.a. boring), and he doesn’t play (with his statements) like he’s Mark Madsen, who rarely got off the bench while on the Lakers and won two championships.
"Amari"
Year: 2021
Lyric: “How could you ever try to play me?/Kill ‘em on a song, walk up out the booth, do the Westbrook rock-a-baby”
Russell Westbrook’s rock-a-baby is a gesture the Wizards point guard does after shooting over a smaller defender, rocking him to sleep. Likewise, when J. Cole steps into the booth and kills it, he’s doing the same signature move when he walks out. He’s putting the beat to sleep.
"Amari"
Year: 2021
Lyric: “Country n***a never seen a passport/’Til I popped off and got a bag for it/Now I’m at the Garden sittin’ half court/Watchin’ Jr. catch it off the backboard”
Dennis Smith Jr. and J. Cole’s Fayetteville connection is strong. Remember when Jr. dunked over Cole during the 2019 Dunk Contest? No question Cole had to give his friend some love. Cole has gone from nothing to something in his life. Now, he has floor seats at Madison Square Garden and used to be able to see his friend ball for the Knicks.
"My Life"
Year: 2021
Lyric: “Ja Morant, I’m on my Grizzly/You n****s just cubs but no, not the ones in the big leagues/After The Fall Off, I promise I’m comin’ to sellin’ out Wrigley’s”
Cole shouts out Ja Morant from the Memphis Grizzlies to reaffirm that he’s on his grind. He has also hinted at retirement after It’s a Boy and The Fall Off release, promising a big send-off tour that could sell out Wrigley Field in Chicago, home of the Cubs.
“100, mil’”
Year: 2021
Lyric: “Burst through the ceiling, I’m feeling sublime/Can’t leave the game yet, I feel like LeBron”
LeBron James recently said “the game will let me know when it’s time” when asked about his possible retirement after leading the Lakers to a championship last season. Cole must be having the same feelings as LeBron, rapping until he feels it’s time to hang up the mic.
“close”
Year: 2021
Lyric: “I opened up my eyes with a jolt/Heart pumpin’ like Usain Bolt/Reached for my phone, missed calls and a text message note/From my mama sayin’ you just got smoked, damn, this life is no joke”
Cole writes about a close friend who grew distant on The Off-Season. In the verses that detail his friend’s drug addiction, he recalls a nightmare that involves his friend’s death from gun violence. When he wakes up, his heart is beating fast as if Usain Bolt was doing a sprint. He realizes the dream was real and he’s heartbroken over his loss.
“Friends”
Year: 2018
Lyric: “Blame it on Trump shit, blame it on Clinton/Blame it on trap music and the politicians/Or the fact that every Black boy wanna be Pippen/But they only got 12 slots on the Pistons”
Cole gives a realistic perspective on how he’s the only one to make it out from the ‘Ville. He’s frustrated by this, blaming living conditions, the criminal justice system, and police. He points out that young Black teenagers living in poverty only have the option of pursuing a career in the NBA or making it in hip-hop. The sad news is there’s only so many slots on the team so the dream is hardly attainable.
“ATM”
Year: 2018
Lyric: “Now Cole, he important/My n***s beside me like Tommy and Martin/We ball on your court and/Then skate with your bitch like we Tonya Harding”
“ATM” is an absolute banger. Cole compares the closeness of his inner circle to best friends Tommy and Martin. He and his boys will also take over your basketball court and skate with your girl like Tonya Harding, the Olympic figure skater. Talk yo shit, Cole.
“Rich N****z”
Year: 2013
Lyric: “Crooked smile n***a, momma never had the money, damn/I ain’t tripping/N***a Jordan; I ain’t Pippen, yeah/Up the steps, I ain’t slipping/Tears, blood, sweat, and I ain’t cripping”
Cole made “Crooked Smile” with TLC to show that you can love your imperfections. He calls back to “Crooked Smile” on this Born Sinner cut, saying he wasn’t too worried about his mom not having enough money to pay for his perfect smile. He felt like Michael Jordan, not necessarily second-rate like Scottie Pippen.
“Rise and Shine”
Year: 2011
Lyric: “We in two different games, you playin’ patty cake/Brother you’re lame, you’re Shane Battier/You out of shape, my mind run a mile a minute”
Shane Battier played for Duke before the start of a lengthy NBA career and considering Cole is a known Tar Heels fan you kind of get why he would associate being lame with the Dukie.
“Sideline Story”
Year: 2011
Lyric: “My life like a movie, truly/And these n****s is dyin’ for the part/But, you’ll never play me like LeBron vs. Jordan/Twenty years, wonder who they gone say was more important/Both changed the game, came through and made a lane/Who’s to say that who’s greater, all we know, they ain’t the same”
On the title track to Cole’s debut album, Cole unearths the GOAT debate between LeBron vs. Jordan. Fans love to argue about who deserves the official title of best basketball player ever. Cole joins in, comparing his journey of getting off the bench and on the court as being not the same as these other rappers’ come-up stories.
“Til’ Infinity”
Year: 2009
Lyric: “Far from a thug but I’ll drop one/Far from a scrub but I’ll mop em/Watch ‘em better leave ‘em alone like Stockton, when he retired”
Not to be confused with Cole’s newer LA Leakers freestyle over the same beat, Cole did his thing on it in 2009, too. The chemistry between Karl Malone and John Stockton was legendary. When Stockton retired in 2003 as the NBA’s all-time leader in assists, he left Malone alone in the NBA. In this instance, Cole doesn’t want you to bother him, otherwise he’ll do something about it.
“Dead Presidents II”
Year: 2009
Lyric: “My whole life practice to be the one/What’s it like to be LeBron/They calling you the savior, so much pressure but you deal with it/The weight of the world on your shoulders but you still lift it”
Cole relates to LeBron in that he faces similar pressures as being the first artist signed to Roc Nation. The Jay-Z co-sign is big for any upcoming rapper, and Cole was just grateful that Hov gave him a shot back in 2009. LeBron, when he was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2003 as the first pick at age 18, he was called a “young phenom” and a “teenage savior.” The Cavs franchise believed The Chosen One could revive the team’s morale, calling him their last hope. So Cole understands that everyone is looking to him to carry the Roc Nation torch, which ultimately worked out as he became the “platinum with no features” guy and toured around the world.