Rap and sports go hand in hand. The impact both have on society today is comparable to none. Rappers love to shout out popular players, teams, or sports in their songs. Take Nicki Minaj bars, for example; she has plenty of LeBron James references. Athletes also show their love for rappers in return. For example, LeBron James gave 2 Chainz his game-worn jersey after the Los Angeles Lakers played the Atlanta Hawks this year. Or how the Golden State Warriors players share a word with E-40 after home games. There’s mutual respect between the two arts.
You can always find a witty sports reference in Nicki Minaj bars. You may think she was an athlete at some point in her life. Whether it be basketball, football, baseball, boxing, or golf, you get the impression that she knows a thing or two. The way she flips and puts words together makes her the rapper she is today.
Throughout the years, Nicki Minaj has proven to be a legit emcee behind the mic. Undoubtedly, she’s one of the greatest rappers of all time. The Beam Me Up Scotty rapper can rap about anything, but she always nails the sports bars. Let’s look at some of Nicki Minaj’s bars about sports.
13. “Side To Side” – Ariana Grande ft. Nicki Minaj (2016)
“Curry with the shot, just tell ’em to call me Stephanie.” It seems like every rapper has a Steph Curry bar. Since Curry burst onto the scene, he has been in more rap songs than you can count. Whether it’s his name, jersey number, or team, Chef Curry is pretty popular. Nicki gets her chance on Ariana Grande’s “Side To Side.” She gets clever by calling herself Stephanie, not Steph.
12.“Motorsport” – Migos ft. Cardi B & Nicki Minaj (2018)
“I am the champ, I’m Iron Mike in a bout.” It’s funny how Nicki uses these bars on “Motorsport.” With Cardi on the same track, it’s no coincidence that she raps like this. She uses a boxing reference while talking about Iron Mike. Iron Mike is former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson’s nickname. Known to knock his opponents out, Nicki feels she is just like the champ.
11. “My Chick Bad” – Ludacris ft. Nicki Minaj (2010)
“Runnin’ down the court I’m dunkin’ on ’em Lisa Leslie.” It’s good to hear Nicki shout out the WNBA. Lisa Leslie is one of the best basketball players to play the game. She was a dominant force in the WNBA and was the first woman to dunk in a WNBA game. It looks like Nicki feels like she’s leading the competition like Leslie did.
10. “Roman’s Revenge” ft. Eminem (2010)
“These b*tches callin’ me Manning, Eli.” The “Super Bass” artist revealed her alter ego, Roman, on “Roman’s Revenge.” Nicki usually references baseball and basketball, but it looks like Roman is privy to football. Here, Minaj compares herself to two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback Eli Manning. With Eli playing for the New York Giants, Nicki prefers to name him instead of his popular older brother, Peyton. It may be a New York thing.
9. “Truffle Butter” ft. Drake & Lil Wayne (2015)
“I’m good with the ballpoint game, finger roll.” Nicki has plenty of confidence in her writing skills. She makes it clear that she writes her lyrics down with a ballpoint pen. In basketball, a finger roll is a smooth layup in which the ball glides right off the fingertips into the hoop. It seems like the words come easy to the Pinkprint rapper.
8. “My N**** (Remix)” – YG ft. Lil Wayne, Rich Homie Quan, Meek Mill, & Nicki Minaj (2014)
“Like they injured Chris Paul, you ain’t got no point.” Chris Paul is one of the best point guards in NBA history. When Paul is injured, the team loses their point guard. In the line before, the Queens artist says, “You n***** ain’t got no joints.” She’s letting these rappers know they don’t have any hits, so there’s no point in them being here.
7. “No Frauds” ft. Drake & Lil Wayne (2017)
“They say numbers don’t matter but when they discussin’ the kings, they turn around and say Lebron ain’t got six rings.” On “No Frauds,” Nicki sends plenty of shots Remy Ma’s way. Again, she references basketball, and of course, LeBron gets another shoutout. This whole verse was dedicated to Remy Ma as she mentions that her album sales are not high. Remy and many others feel she shouldn’t talk about sales, but Nicki disagrees. In basketball, the conversation is, who is the better player? Michael Jordan or LeBron James? Many will say Jordan because he has six rings while LeBron has four.
6. “Love More” – Chris Brown ft. Nicki Minaj (2014)
“I hope your pockets got m******** pot belly or is it that you never ball? John Salley.” Another basketball reference here for arguably the Queen of Rap. Nicki must be referring to John Salley’s later playing days. He was a part of the Detroit “Bad Boy” Pistons, winning championships with them in 1988 & 1989. In 1999, Salley came out of retirement to suit up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Though he didn’t play much, Salley won another championship with the Lakers.
5. “Only” ft. Chris Brown, Drake & Lil Wayne (2014)
“And tell them b*tches blow me, Lance Stephenson.” Nicki has LeBron on her mind once again. She must be familiar with the LeBron James-Lance Stephenson rivalry. Their matchups were always entertaining when James played for the Miami Heat, and Stephenson played for the Indiana Pacers. In one of their matchups, Stephenson was guarding James as the ball was waiting to be thrown into play. He blew in his ear, and James just chuckled. Wonder if LeBron knows the number of times he’s been in Nicki Minaj’s bars.
4. “Roman’s Revenge” ft. Eminem (2010)
“I’m a bad b*tch, I’m a c****, and I’ll kick that h**, punt.” Roman mentions football again in “Roman’s Revenge.” In football, a punt is when one team kicks the ball to its opponent. A punt is a long, high kick that soars through the air. Nicki has plans to kick her opposition out of here. It’s not hard to find a bit of humor in Nicki Minaj’s bars.
3. “Moment 4 Life” ft. Drake (2010)
“And yes, I call the shots, I am the umpire.” The host of Queen Radio has rapped about sports since the beginning. In “Moment 4 Life,” Nicki describes herself as an umpire. Umpires officiate the game of baseball. One of the most important tasks of umpires is to monitor the pitches. Just like the umpires, Nicki is calling everything.
2. “Plain Jane (Remix)” – ASAP Ferg ft. Nicki Minaj (2017)
“If I call him them he comin’ home runnin’, Derek Jeter.” The Young Money artist has been known to jump on a song for a remix. On ASAP Ferg’s hit, “Plain Jane,” Nicki references Hall of Famer and five-time champion Derek Jeter in these bars. Nicki plays on the baseball term “home run” by saying her man will come home running when she calls. Also, it’s interesting she mentions Jeter as Nicki is from Queens, New York, and Jeter played his whole career with the New York Yankees. It’s only right she namedrops a New York great while on a New York artist’s song.
1. “Do You Mind” – DJ Khaled ft. Nicki Minaj, Chris Brown, August Alsina, Jeremih, Rick Ross, & Future (2016)
“Every baller tryna score, check them shot clocks, but I hit ’em with them ‘Bron-Iguodala blocks.” It might be safe to say LeBron James is Nicki Minaj’s favorite. basketball player. Throughout her career, she has mentioned the NBA superstar in different ways. On DJ Khaled’s “Do You Mind,” these bars come right on time. Nicki references the historic 2016 NBA Finals, where the Cleveland Cavaliers came back from 3-1 to win the series.
James had the infamous block on Andre Iguodola with under two minutes left in Game 7. The Pink Friday rapper shows love to the historic play made by James just months earlier. Also, Nicki was in a relationship with Meek Mill around this time. These lines also mean that Nicki is curving any man that is interested in her. There’s a reason she’s included in the Top 50 greatest rappers of all time.
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