staffTransitioning from the games to the studio has not been difficult for many athletes. We could name a plethora. Nevertheless, to highlight the best, we’ve come up with about 11 top athlete rappers whose songs have reached far and wide. Even though we can not necessarily call them goat rappers, these individuals have given professional rappers a run for their money. Stay tuned.
Damian Lillard
Damian is one of the few athletes to compete professionally and run a musical career at the same time. The 33-year-old is reportedly the only player to release three studio albums, alongside an active basketball career.
Fact: Better known in the rap world by his stage name, Dame D.O.L.L.A, the Milwaukee Bucks star player has many musical accolades, especially as his hit songs, “Kobe”, “Da One” and others earned him millions of streams, on platforms like Spotify and others.
Shaquille O’Neal
Shaq is arguably the best rapper basketball player by many standards. The legendary sports star has had a very fulfilling career, in sports and music. O’Neal, properly kicked off his musical career in 1993, after releasing his debut album, “Shaq Diesel” which peaked at No.25 on Billboard 200. Today, Shaq is still regarded as the goat rapper in the world of athletes.
Bruce Martin, Contributor at Forbes: “O’Neal, recognized as one of the most powerful forces in the history of the NBA, has also achieved immense fame and acclaim as DJ Diesel, solidifying his status as one of the most entertaining individuals on the planet.”
Also, here’s some of Shaq’s latest albums, which also made waves in the industry;
- Gorilla Warfare, 2023
- Shaquille O’Neal Presents His Superfriends, Vol 1, 2001
- You Can’t stop the Reign, 1996
Iman Shumpert
Shumpert is another 33-year-old basketball player to feature on our list. The former Brooklyn Nets man though, isn’t the last basketball player to achieve a level of success in both sports and music. Iman started rapping in 2016, whilst still playing actively, dropping his first few singles. And although Shumpert’s musical career isn’t top tier as that of few basketball players that can sing, he’s still one of the best, according to Soundcloud.
Roy Jones Jr.
An accomplished boxer with 66 career wins in total. Roy Jones is another athlete to make waves in the world of sports and music, with his 2004 hit, “Can’t Be Touched”. The song has gathered over a billion streams, across platforms and is arguably the most popular track by an athlete rapper.
In essence, Roy is as big a rapper as he is a boxer. According to MightyTips tipsters, the American is one of the greatest boxers of his age and holds the record for winning the most bantamweight title fights in boxing history. Roy is considered one of the greatest fighters in his weight class and a consistent fan favourite. After all, he was repeatedly crowned champion in four weight classes before his retirement, giving him GOAT status in both boxing and music.
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John Cena
Cena is the only professional wrestler to make the list.
Fact: The WWE icon has been rapping on and off for most of his career as a wrestler.
However, Cena gained music recognition after the success of his smash hit, “The Time Is Now”, which he uses as his stage theme. Today, Cena is never left out of any conversation involving athlete rappers.
Miles Bridges
Yet another basketball player on the list, Bridges is another athlete to play and run a successful rap career simultaneously. The 25-year-old who plays for the Charlotte Hornets basketball team already has enough music accolades to feature on our list of most notable rapper athletes. With his stage name, RTD MB, Bridges has several solo hits, raking in millions of views on Spotify, etc.
Adrien Broner
Broner is one athlete rapper, regarded not particularly for his rapping prowess but for his constant rap-beefs with other notable athletes. The 34-year-old once had a falling out with legendary boxer, Floyd Mayweather, for which he released a diss track “Slammer” in 2016.
Le’Veon Bell
American football running back, Bell is another notable athlete who achieved fame in both sports and rap. The 31-year-old adopted a mixed sound as he dived into rap, which has allowed him to feature some of the most popular rappers like Lil Durk in current form. The song, “G Code” garnered millions of views, across several platforms.
Memphis Depay
Depay is the only professional soccer player to make our list. The multitalented forward is arguably the best rapper who played football competitively. And just like some others, Depay has a nice seam between his playing and rapping career. His 2018 hit single, “No Love” remains one of his most streamed tracks over many platforms.
Ryan Kelly at Goal tells: ‘Titled ‘Five Milli,’ Memphis’ latest freestyle rap serves as a heartfelt tribute to his dedicated supporters, whose unwavering loyalty and unwavering support have played an instrumental role in propelling him to a milestone of five million followers on Instagram.’
Stephen ‘Stak5’ Jackson
Another athlete who became prominent in music through controversy. Stephen Jackson released his 2014 track “America Da Beautiful” after Clippers Owner, Donald Sterling’s racial backlash, which saw him banned and fined, according to NBA’s official reports. Jackson’s song addressed the scandal, amongst other societal ills.
In Summary
Conclusively, we’ve had quite a number of athletes transition to rap music, seamlessly. Nevertheless, the names covered so far are about the best to ever step into the rap game.