Kevin Durant has been one of the best players in the NBA basically since he arrived in the league in 2008, but due to his overlap with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, and Stephen Curry, he hasn’t ever really gotten to carry the title of being the face of the league. For that reason, Durant isn’t quite as ubiquitous a figure when it comes to references in music and pop culture as the others, despite his immense talent and the way he changed the game.
That said, there was a period of time when Durant had a claim to being the best basketball player on the planet. That stretch from 2012-2019 saw him get name-dropped pretty frequently in rap lyrics, particularly after he joined the Warriors budding dynasty in 2016. Here, we’ll look at a dozen of the biggest tracks that reference Durant (most frequently as KD, as that’s much easier to rhyme).
“Pop That” — French Montana ft. Rick Ross, Drake, and Lil Wayne (2012)
Gettin cheddar packs like K.D., OKC that’s player s**t
Drake is always good for a few sports references on a song, and in his feature on the 2012 smash hit “Pop That” he shouts out KD while he was on the Thunder.
“Crown” — Jay-Z ft. Travis Scott (2013)
Scott Boras, you over baby/Robinson Cano, you coming with me/These n****s like rotary phones/It’s a new day, hit up KD
After launching his own sports agency in 2013, Jay-Z boasted about his growing client list on “Crown” (taking a shot at baseball superagent Scott Boras along the way), highlighting how Roc Nation Sports had already landed Robinson Cano and Kevin Durant (KD would leave Roc Nation in 2019).
“F**k KD” — Lil B (2014)
F**k Kevin Durant/F**k Kevin Durant/F**k Kevin Durant/F**k Kevin Durant
That is the entire chorus for this song, which has a lengthy backstory. After Durant tweeted about not liking Lil B’s music, TheBasedGod placed a curse on KD in 2011 and even dropped a whole diss track on the then-Thunder star in 2014. For awhile, there was compelling evidence that the curse was working as Durant and the Thunder couldn’t get over the hump to win a title, with KD ultimately breaking through after joining the Warriors — which is, ironically, Lil B’s favorite team.
“White Iverson” — Post Malone (2015)
Double OT like I’m KD, smokin’ OG
Post Malone had a ton of hoops references on his breakout hit (before his pivot to pop and, most recently, pivot to country), including this KD line — also, if this came out in 2019, this could’ve worked for a double-entendre about OG Anunoby.
“Good Drank” — 2 Chainz ft. Quavo and Gucci Mane (2016)
Oh, you in a slump/I’m headed to Oakland like Kevin Durant/What is your point?/Square with the stamp, for Kevin Durant
One of Gucci’s first features after his release from prison, the Atlanta rapper doubles up on his Durant references, both to Durant’s move to the Warriors and as a fill in for the number 35.
“Draco” — Future (2017)
35 b**ches at the St. Reg/Fall back shoot it like KD/Back in the kitchen with the Curry
This song is Future at the height of his powers, deftly pulling together Durant’s number 35 into a line about his fadeaway jumper and continues it with a nod to Durant’s then-Warriors teammate Stephen Curry.
“Save Me” — Meek Mill (2017)
I see n****s switchin’ sides like they KD/I can’t let it kill my vibe ’cause I’m too wavy
Durant’s move from the Thunder to the Warriors made him the poster boy for bailing on your team and switching sides, as Meek Mill references in this 2017 song.
“Ganja Burn” — Nicki Minaj (2018)
Still every team’s number one pick in the draft/You could bring anybody, weatherman, pick a day/I’m Kobe, KD, Kyrie, pick a K
Nicki Minaj uses this line about KD (along with Kobe Bryant and Kyrie Irving) to hammer home her place as the best woman in the rap game, which doubles as a reference to a famous Jay-Z line about a few guys named Mike.
“My Name Is” — Cordae (2018)
The best thing from PG since Kevin Durant
In Cordae’s first single, rapping over the beat from Eminem’s iconic “My Name Is”, he shouts out his fellow Prince George County native.
“Gold Roses” — Rick Ross ft. Drake (2019)
All smiles, Kevin Durant trials/Had to blow it on the court, I must have blew a milli’/I’m walkin’ on all charges, that’s my new Achilles
Drake references Durant and his torn Achilles in the 2019 Finals (suffered against Drake’s beloved Raptors) in this track with Rick Ross that released a month after the fact.
“Burner” — Lil Wayne (2020)
I keep a burner like Kevin Durant/I keep a burner like Kevin Durant
Lil Wayne might be the king of sports references in tracks, and in this 2020 song, he makes note of Durant’s infamous Twitter burner accounts in the chorus.
“go crazy” — Gunna (2023)
I been talking to my accountant a lot, tryna make what I got stack tall like KD
For decades, rappers have been comparing their stacks to the height of NBA big men — Shaq and Yao Ming are the gold standards for this in rap — but in this 2023 track Gunna uses KD. That’s a good choice, because KD is tall as hell, but it’s also a bit funny because Durant has been fighting the visual evidence that he’s actually a 7-footer his whole career, as he didn’t want to be a big man when he came into the league.