Image via Complex Original
Hip-hop’s love affair with the Yankees is more than just the fitted cap. With a stadium located just blocks away from the birthplace of hip-hop, the Bronx Bombers have been a part of the rap lexicon for decades.
Maybe it’s the wealth, rich history, or tradition to win at all costs that attracts emcees like Jay-Z (of course), Kool G Rap, Ice Cube, and Drizzy to cite the Yankees. With 27 world championships and dozens of Hall of Fame players as alumni, there are plenty of big names to choose from. And you know they’ll continue to provide inspiration for rappers since they’re always in the mix to keep the roster armed with some of the game’s best pitchers and hitters.
So, on the day of the 2012 Yankees home opener, check out the 25 Greatest Yankees Rap References of All Time.
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25. Rich Boy f/ Drake & Lloyd, "To the Floor"
Year: 2010
Lyric: "Throw the pussy at me guarantee that you won't see a strike/I'mma hit it hard you gon' think you Derek Jeter wife" (Drake)
Slick line from Drizzy here. We're sure all of the thirsty groupies got hyped. But too bad Jeter's never been married. #cmonson
24. Big Daddy Kane, "Cause I Can Do It Right"
Year: 1990
Lyric: "Very kinky when it comes to hanky panky/A well-known player, but not for the Yankees"
Oh boy, this single off the Taste of Chocolate album dropped during a period in Kane's life when he was doing shenanigans like posing for Playgirl and doing threesome pictorials with Madonna and Naomi Campbell in The Material Girl's Sex book. So, it's pretty obvious that he was feeling himself (II) when he dropped lines like this. But doesn't Kane know that the biggest players keep details about their track record on the low? Word to D.J.
23. Swizz Beats f/ Maino, Jim Jones, Jadakiss, & Joelle Ortiz, "We Keep it Rockin'"
Year: 2010
Lyric: "The fast cars, the hot girls, the night life/The blue Yankee to the back, the white Nikes" (Main)
The "Hi Hater" MC talks about the good life referencing fast cars and hot girls but then throws out the wardrobe for any New York boss: a blue Yankees fitted and white Nikes. Everybody has this outfit in their closets somewhere. Or at least everyone did at some point during the Complex Decade.
22. Consequence f/ Kanye West, Kid Cudi, Common, Big Sean, John Legend, "Whatever You Want (Remix)"
Year: 2009
Lyric: "Whatever you want, you could quit your day job/You could be my Kate, I could be your A-Rod" (Common)
The G.O.O.D. music jam features the whole crew spitting a little about what they'd give to their prospective women including a nice line from Common. At the time in '09 A-Rod was dating Kate Hudson and she was showing up to games to faithfully support her boo who was the breadwinner in the relationship. Common spits that this prospective girl could quit her day job and could be the Kate Hudson to his A-Rod. With the thirst as real as it is today, something tells us Common wouldn't have a hard time finding her.
21. Cypress Hill, "K.U.S.H."
Year: 2010
Lyric: "We're like the Yankees, most winning, grand champs of the herb/Nothing gets you like the type of medicine I serve" (B-Real)
Ah, there's nothing like a good ol' "I have the best weed" reference. What makes this a good line though is that B-Real gives a shout out to the Yanks for being so damn good, comparing their superb mary jane to the Yanks' championship runs. This comes after their 2009 title run and shows that even the West side riders respect the Bronx Bombers. Weed x sports FTW.
20. Lil Wayne, "Racks on Racks"
Year: 2011
Lyric: "Real nigga since day one, cause I ain't promised day two/Throw that pussy at me, bitch I think I'm Babe Ruth"
Of course Weezy cracks this list as he's an avid sports fan and is one of the illest spitters in the game. On last year's Sorry 4 the Wait he rhymes over the "Racks" beat and likens his smashing skills to the play of The Bambino. The Sultan of Swat meats the Sultan of Tw—OK, OK, we'll keep it classy.
19. Beastie Boys, "3-Minute Rule"
Year: 1989
Lyric: "On the mic I score, just like the Yankees/Get over on Miss Crabtree like my main man Spanky" (Mike D)
Definitely one of the better lines on this list not for its great lyrical prowess but just for being a quick, recognizable, braggadocios reference. Mike D tells us he's an ill spitter that scores like the great Yankee teams did, but gives us a laugh by adding a respectable Little Rascals dig. You can't ask for much more, thank you Beastie Boys.
18. Cam'ron, "Halftime Show"
Year: 2004
Lyric: "I face grab the don enter, the Don's in her/The Don of Don play the dug-out like Don Zimmer/But hang wit Steinbrenner just to get my cash turn/I call my car Jamal, it get 'Mashburn'"
Leave it to Killa Cam to give intimate details of his sex life while also giving a shout-out to the then 73-year-old former Yankees bench coach. We can appreciate paying homage to the biggest spending owner in sports history, too. R.I.P. George.
17. J. Cole, "Who Dat"
Year: 2010
Lyric: "Boy stick to ya day job, said you was hot? Well, they lied/Is that ya girl? Well, I just G'd her (Jeter) no A-Rod."
Oh, the frenemy history of Derek Jeter and Alex Rodriguez. And all the odd sexual tension, too. #coleworld
16. Jay-Z & T.I. f/ Kanye West & Lil Wayne, "Swagger Like Us"
Year: 2008
Lyric: "School of hard knocks, I'm a grad/And that all-blue Yankee is my graduation cap" (Jay-Z)
The iconic song that bred the "swag" phenomenon featured four of the biggest names in rap, and Jay let everybody know what his deal was. He's come all the way from the Marcy projects to become a music icon and has donned the Yankee fitted all along the way.
15. Nicki Minaj, "Itty Bitty Piggy"
Year: 2009
Lyric: "When you was in New York, you was fuckin' a Yankee/I was fuckin' with base I was pitchin' to Franky"
The Young Money songstress and NY native had to throw out a Yankee reference of her own before she hit it big on "Itty Bitty Piggy." Before she started making pop hits Nicki Minaj was a pretty hardcore rapper and this line comes from her biggest pre-Young Money song. It's not the wittiest line but we can applaud a reference to some groupie fucking a Yankee, it happens.
14. Method Man f/ Redman, "Walk On"
Year: 2006
Lyric: "Yup, my Meth is off the meter, more Yankee caps than Derek Jeter/Try'nna catch me a diva, then I'mma catch amnesia" (Method Man)
A New York native, Meth lets the world know he has more Yankee fitteds than the Captain himself. To top things off he sprinkles in a line about a good smash and dash. Take notes young rappers, he was teaching America how to get high before Cudi and Wiz were out of high school.
13. Nas, "N.Y. State of Mind Pt. II"
Year: 1999
Lyric: "I'm at the, gambling spot, my hands on a knot/New York Yankee cap cover my eyes, stand in one spot"
Not Nasty's most lyrical line or even his most gutter, but its New York lifer simplicity makes it solid. Nas reps Queens but rocks with the BX when it comes to baseball. The only advantage the Mets have is Mr. Met. Who doesn't love that dude?
12. Joe Budden f/ Ezo, "Get No Younger"
Year: 2007
Lyric: "Cause you ain't crazy, stop it/Even if you was wild like Randy Moss, start feelin' Patriotic/How I'm gon' lose with Tom Brady in the pocket?/Beggin' dude to come back like the Yankees did "The Rocket"/And just like Clemens did, reappear to get the most wins in it/Damn dickheads is so sensitive."
This line dropped the same year that the Pats had a record breaking and nearly (emphasis on nearly) perfect season. In May 2007, Roger Clemens appeared in the Yankees’ owners box during the seventh inning stretch to announce his comeback with the club. Although he ended up with a 6-6 record that season, he picked up his 350th career win. They need to have Budden sub for Stephen A. Smith on First Take sometimes. His sports knowledge is up to par and our eardrums will thank you later.
11. Young Jeezy f/ Jay-Z, "Put On (Remix)"
Year: 2008
Lyric: "I put on for my city so when I'm dead and gone/I got one last wish, put my Yankee hat on"
The Jigga man breaks us off with another Yankee cap line of greatness. After he's dead and gone, the Blueprint 12 hits double diamond, and Blue Ivy begins her post-music acting career, he wants his iconic Yankee cap placed on his head. How about a casket to match? We're dead serious. #punsonpuns
10. 8 Ball & MJG f/ Lloyd, "Forever"
Year: 2004
Lyric: "Keep up and grab the ball back just like I'm Derek Jeter/I know you want to fuck my ho but you too scared to meet her" (MJG)
MJG gives Jeter props for being good at catching balls (#pause). Then clowns haters for being so shy that they're scared to meet his attractive lady friend. Those haters must have been a little to sheltered growing up. Usher said it best.
9. 50 Cent, "I Don't Need 'Em"
Year: 2005
Lyric: "Figure, I'll push it to the limit, take the shit to the max/Navy blue vest on, navy blue Yankee hat"
Being the Queens native that he is, you figure 50 would rep the Mets...but who does that anyway? When Fif hits the block to push "a little weed, a little X, a little H, little crack" he's rocking the world's most popular fitted. From Justin Bieber to Nelson Mandela, everyone has love for the interlocking "NY."
8. Ice Cube, "3 Strikes You in"
Year: 1998
Lyric: "Ay batter, batter is the chitter-chatter/I'm the designated hitter, a nigga much badder/Than Babe Ruth, will I tell the truth and nothing but the truth/Hell yea, I'd rather be shootin' hoops"
This list just got a little gutter, Ice Cube ripped off a baseball filled Babe Ruth Yankee reference on his track "3 Strikes You in" back in '98. Cube may be the Are We There Yet? family man now, but back then he was killer on the mic and nobody was safe, including Babe Ruth. Basketball > baseball? If you say so, fam. '90s Cube > present day Coors Light pitchman, though. #justsayin'
7. A Tribe Called Quest, "Award Tour"
Year: 1993
Lyric: "Coming with more hits than the Braves and the Yankees/Living mad phat like an oversized mampi" (Phife Dawg)
When this track dropped, the Yankees hadn't made the playoffs since 1981 and while the Braves were competitive (winning pennants in 1991 and 1992), they were more known for their pitching rotation which included Tom Glavine, John Smoltz, and Greg Maddux than their hitting. Anyway, by the time the '90s ended, the Braves and Yankees would become the most dominant teams of the decade winning eight pennants and four World Series titles between the two of them. If only Phife Dawg had picked our Mega Millions numbers a few weeks ago...
6. Joe Budden, "All Of Me"
Year: 2007
Lyric: "Same old story, guts and no glory/They tryna low ball me, do him like Joe Torre"
Joe Budden sneaks this often swept under the rug topic into his '07 song "All Of Me" with a quick line. He's referencing how the Yankees did Joe Torre dirty after the '07 season when they offered him a lower contract than what he was deserved for his success there. The man won four titles and made the playoffs every year of his 12-year tenure and Steinbrenner and Co. were still low-balling him. Big ups to Budden for the ill metaphor for a MLB great.
5. Ghostface Killah, "Mighty Healthy"
Year: 2000
Lyric: "Ringleader set it off, rap Derek Jeter/Culprit, prince of the game wish you could see us"
Ghostface highlighted the Yanks at the top of their most recent dynasty back in 2000 and threw some love at the chosen son Derek Jeter. At that point nobody was touching the Yankees and Killah takes a little bit of their shine calling himself the prince of the game and that haters clearly couldn't see him. #respectthewu
4. Beastie Boys "What Comes Around"
Year: 1989
Lyric: "Bum cheese on rye with ham and prosciutto/Got more Louie than Philip Rizzuto"
Anytime you can get the Beastie Boys involved it's already a win. This line probably went over the heads of most fans though because although Rizzuto was a Yankee great the "louie" they were referring to was from the commercials he did for "The Money Store" in the '80s that played on local TV in New York. They also added the order for a nice sandwich...it's hard rhyming anything with Rizzuto.
3. Jay-Z f/ Amil & Beanie Sigel, "Do It Again (Put Ya Hands Up)"
Year: 1999
Lyric: "Hat cocked can't see his eyes, who could it be?/With that new blue Yankee on, who but me?" (Jay-Z)
So simple but so true. Who else would it be but Jigga a.k.a. the Biggest Yankee fan in the rap game with that new blue NY fitted on? Sure, these days you're more likely to catch Jay in a Don C custom New York Yankee snake skin snapback but his love for the team is still the same.
2. Big L, f/ Kool G Rap "Fall Back"
Year: 2000
Lyric: "Have y'all niggas runnin' for homebase like Babe Ruth/Have you holdin' holes in your body like you play flute" (Kool G Rap)
At first listen it may seem like Kool G Rap is paying homage to The Babe in this line but baseball enthusiasts would argue that this could actually be considered a shot at the Yankee great. Ruth had a stolen base percentage of .512 and after home runs, the hefty Bambino was known to trot rather than run around the bases. His biggest base running blunder game in Game 7 of the 1926 World Series against the St. Louis Cardinals. The Yankees were trailing by one run and down to their final out when Babe Ruth decided to attempt to steal second. He was caught stealing and the series was over. One of the biggest MLB postseason fails of all time? No doubt, son.
1. Jay-Z f/ Alicia Keys, "Empire State of Mind"
Year: 2009
Lyric: "Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game/Shit, I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can" (Jay-Z)
This line is the greatest Yankees rap reference of all time simply because it's true. #KONY Remember when that actually stood for something positive?