Some trends last, while others fade rather quickly into obscurity. And while it didn't take long for planking or the Mannequin Challenge to die off, one that looks to be on the continued upswing is naming rap songs after athletes. Mentioning an athlete in your raps isn't a particularly new phenomenon, but simply titling a song after their full name has gained steam of late. From back when Kanye West and Lil Wayne did it with "Barry Bonds" on Graduation, to Wale naming a track "Barry Sanders" from his The Eleven One Eleven Theory mixtape to Migos performing their 2014 track "Emmitt Smith" for the NFL Hall of Famer himself, athletes past and present have been getting increased shine in hip-hop. It was Drizzy Drake who pointed out the parallels of sports and rap perfectly by spittin,"Damn, I swear sports and music are so synonymous/Cause we want to be them, and they want to be us."

But how often does the title actually have to do with the athlete? And what's the motivation behind it? XXL breaks down some of the most notable athlete references by name over the years and examines how much the song actually has to do with the player it praises. Take a look and see how they score.

  • 1

    “Barry Bonds"

    Kanye West Featuring Lil Wayne

    Athlete Rating: XL
    Song Rating: XXL
    Relevance to athlete: M
    This 2007 Graduation track really doesn't have anything to do with the home run king-turned-pariah besides in the chorus, where Yeezy spits, “Here's another hit, Barry Bonds.” Bonds was more known for his bombs than base hits, but that's alright.

  • 2

    “24-23 (Kobe, LeBron)"

    Young Jeezy

    Athlete Rating: XXL
    Song Rating: L
    Relevance to athlete: M
    Jeezy's using the jersey numbers of Kobe Bryant (No. 24) and LeBron James (No. 23), to represent what he pays to get a key of coke. The 2009 song is really a diss to Gucci Mane and OJ Da Juiceman, though, so maybe Jizzle would have been better advised to name the track “Kobe, Raja Bell,” or “Paul Pierce, LeBron.”

  • 3

    “Kobe Bryant"

    Lil Wayne

    Athlete Rating: XXL
    Song Rating: L
    Relevance to athlete: XXL
    Weezy's entire track is dedicated to Kobe (and occasionally the rhymer comparing himself to the NBA Champion). It starts off with a sample of Kobe's voice, and then one of writer Steven A. Smith talking about Kobe. Lines like “I be jumping over you like I got a mattress at my feet/And all Phil Jackson say is you better be passing it to me,” represent Wayne's overall pro-Bryant message on the 2009 track.

  • 4

    “Penny Hardaway”

    The Cool Kids Featuring Ghostface Killah

    Athlete Rating: L
    Song Rating: L
    Relevance to athlete: S
    “I do my thang, Penny Hardaway,” The Cool Kids promise in the chorus to this 2011 cut off their album, When Fish Ride Bicycles. 1994-98 Penny Hardaway definitely did his thing. Most years after that, though, not sure you want to make those comparisons.

  • 5

    “Ric Flair”

    Killer Mike

    Athlete Rating: XXL
    Song Rating: XL
    Relevance to athlete: L
    The hook of this song is created by some energetic audio clips of Ric Flair's shit-talking. Killer Mike also does reference some other athletes, including Josh Smith and Pau Gasol on this track off of his 2011 album, Pl3dge.

  • 6

    “Michael Jordan”

    Kendrick Lamar Featuring Schoolboy Q

    Athlete Rating: XXL
    Song Rating: XXL
    Relevance to athlete: M
    See: Young Jeezy, “24-23 (Kobe, LeBron),” mentioning a player's number in the chorus. K-Dot is “Too much for these niggas and three much for these hoes.” Though the track, off 2010's Overly Dedicated, does open with a female singing about wanting to be like MJ and hitting the NBA, most of that fades within the first 15 seconds.

  • 7

    “Scottie Pippen”

    Curren$y Featuring Freddie Gibbs

    Athlete Rating: XXL
    Song Rating: L
    Relevance to athlete: S
    Huh? Yeah, Spitta kicks the line, “Windy City Bulls Mitchell and Ness, wool jackets and sweats, Scottie Pippens” and Gangsta Gibbs is a Bulls fan. But beyond that, this one really doesn't make much sense.

  • 8

    “Swag Jerry Rice”

    Lil B

    Athlete Rating: XXL
    Song Rating: M
    Relevance to athlete: M
    You know what you're getting into with Based God, and this song is no different. Plenty of name drops, plenty of instances of him “thinking” he is someone, including Dr. Phil and Kenny Rogers. “Touchdown, touchdown! I think I'm Jerry Rice,” he spits on the 2010 track. Rice did spend the majority of his career playing for San Francisco and Oakland, and Lil B is a Bay Area native, so there's that.

  • 9

    “Derrick Rose”

    Yung Berg Featuring Marvo

    Athlete Rating: XL
    Song Rating: M
    Relevance to athlete: M
    “Ballin' like Derrick Rose/All the girls say it: Number one.” Creative.

  • 10

    “Derrick Rose”

    Meek Mill Featuring Mel Love

    Athlete Rating: XL
    Song Rating: L
    Relevance to athlete: M
    “I'm ballin' on these niggas like I'm Derrick Rose,” the Philly native promises in his hook on the Dreamchasers track. Meek, have you met Yung Berg? You guys got something in common.

  • 11

    “Scottie Pippen, Tim Duncan”

    Pill

    Athlete Rating: XXL
    Song Rating: L
    Relevance to athlete: M
    The track title, off his 2011 project, The Diagnosis, comes from Pill's chorus, “It's off the backboard Scottie Pippen, Tim Duncan." He probably should have used Tracy McGrady or Kobe Bryant—guys who have thrown the ball off the backboard to themselves and dunked it in games before.

  • 12

    “Barry Sanders”

    Wale

    Athlete Rating: XXL
    Song Rating: XL
    Relevance to athlete: L
    Wale's sports references are seemingly never-ending on this standout from his mixtape, The Eleven One Eleven Theory. Barry Sanders was undersized but nearly unstoppable, and Wale feels like an underdog and is looking to be unstoppable, so this one kind of makes sense.

  • 13

    "Emmitt Smith"

    Migos

    Athlete Rating: XXL
    Song Rating: L
    Relevance to athlete: XXL
    "Emmitt Smith" may be a years-old banger off Migos' 2014 mixtape, No Label II, but since they've found mainstream success, their old catalog has come back to life tenfold. While at a show in Houston, Tx. recently, the ATL trio got a chance to perform the song in front of the NFL Hall of Famer himself. Check out the dope video of Smith turning up to his namesake record.

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