SWEET 16

Nas

God's Son was up on the Wildcats way before the Kerry Kittles days. On "It Ain't Hard to Tell" off "Illmatic," the Queens MC boasted, "groovy but smoother than moves from Villanova."

Jay-Z

Hov dropped one of his many basketball references on Mya's "The Best of Me" Remix when he offered, "Carolina blue kicks/Hottest n***a on the block/Used to willie bicycle since I was six/High school crossover wave to wave picks."

Fabolous

Fab's a master at sports analogies. On "Whatever I Wanna Do," the Brooklyn MC spits, "I hear the rumors, but n***s won’t say they said it/You know Duke got a shooter like J.J. Redick."

Pac Div

These West Coasters dedicated an entire song to one of college basketball's most storied rivalries, "Duke Vs. North Carolina."

Wale

On "Uptown Roamers," Wale reveals,"The home of Marvin Gaye/that's all I gotta say/Iverson was cool but I supported Victor Page." A D.C. native just like Wale, Page was Iverson's teammate at Georgetown University.

OutKast

Big Boi rhymes,"we headed to that bat cave, A-T-L, Georgia/bulldoggin h**s like them Georgetown Hoyas" on "Rosa Parks" from "Aquemini."

Joe Budden

Budden ironically refers to a legendary NCAA coach on a song entitled, "NBA." "If you wack, you need to probably write/Either that or quit it, throw in the chair like you Bobby Knight," he suggests.

Lil Wayne

Despite a short-lived NBA career, the O'Bannon brothers (Ed and Charles) are more known for leading UCLA to the national championship back in 1995. Wayne reminded hoop fans of their disappearance on "Cannon" when he spit, "I'll have you missin' like the f***in O'Bannons."

Cam'Ron

A former baller himself, Cam dropped references only few could understand. On "Get Em Girls," the pink panther says, "I'm the real boss story, the loser of Hoosiers." Cam was referring to Indiana University's basketball team.

Drake

Drake's yet another hoop-loving rapper. The Toronto MC actually injured his knee while playing ball last year. "I see all this money through my Ohio State Buckeyes," Drake spits on "Uptown."

Ludacris

Luda must be a Yellow Jacket fan. On "Georgia," the MC drops, "Don't know who they gonna get or who them robbers gonna hit/That's why I keep my Georgia Tech in the state of Georgia."

Biggie Smalls

Big referenced the NCAA for some of his most gutter lines. On Diddy's "All About the Benjamins," Big rhymed, "f**k the state pen, f**k hoes at Penn State." He also rhymed, "they heard about the pounds you had down in Georgetown/and they heard you got half of Virginia locked down" on "Warning."

Pharoahe Monch

On "Official," a song full of sports references, the Mighty Monch gives a nod to Hakeem Olajuwon and Clyde Drexler's electrifying Houston squad. "Three on one like Phi Slamma Jamma," he spits.

CL Smooth

CL also mentioned Houston on "On & On." He offers, "a Phi Slamma Jamma when you wear a bandana/Peace to Pop Dukes, and long live Nana."

Young Jeezy

Not always known for his lyrical dexterity, Jeezy used clever wordplay on "My President." Speaking on the 2000 presidential elections, Young pondered, "Bush cheated in Florida, does that make him a Seminole?" The Seminoles are Florida State University's basketball team.

Common

On "Two Scoops of Raisins" from "Can I Borrow a Dollar," Common pays homage to Larry Johnson's UNLV squad when he spits, "I'd share a scoop, Runnin shit like Rebels/You can call me Barney, cause I took your Fruity - Pebbles."


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