Kobe's 1st and last NBA games. pic.twitter.com/YAmRIaLupY
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) April 14, 2016
April 13th is officially #MambaDay with Kobe playing his final NBA game of his storied 20-year career.
All his accolades have made him a supreme international megastar. Whether it’s the five rings, the countless 40-point games or the notorious 81-point game, his fearless attitude has made him one of the most hated outside of LA. The hate has only fueled him to go even harder on the court, shut his critics up and gained him fans.
Kobe has always put on for the culture and has been referenced by rappers in plenty of songs. Kanye, Lil Weezy and Jay-Z are only a few of the rappers to show him love on a track.
To celebrate Kobe’s career and show appreciation for the Black Mamba, I’ve gathered 10 of the best references in my opinion.
10) “Went by any means, who said it best?/Kobe Bryant mind state, I’m shootin’ til I’m accurate” —Jay Rock on “Numbers on the Board (Freestyle)”
9) “My mansion sittin’ on 40 acres/Who da neighbors?/Kobe Bryant from the Lakers/Now that’s paper” —Juicy J on “Who Da Neighbors”
8) “I’m tryin’ to see a hundred of ’em/Kobe Bryant money, nigga you ain’t gotta love him” —Rick Ross on “Numb”
RETRO 8) “I might be in a Lex watching the game tonight/I got a hundred on Kobe, hope he playing it right” —Lil Wayne on “Young Playa”
7) “Come around my way boy, you’d never last it, Kobe Bryant of the rap game, nigga never pass” —Lil B on “The Best”
6) “Tryna get that Kobe number, one over Jordan” —Kanye West on “Swagga Like Us”
5) “And when it comes down to the recording/I must be LeBron James if he’s Jordan/No, I won rings for my performance/I’m more Kobe Bryant of an artist” —Lil Wayne on “Dough Is What I Got”
4) “Hundred thousand in one pocket, I get paid like I’m Kobe/When these fuck boys play games, man I just play like I’m Kobe” —Chief Keef on “Kobe”
3) “We hit the spot to chill with the Fuji Grill/She ordered the Kobe beef like Shaquille O’Neal” —Kanye West on “Back Like That (Remix)”
2) “Where my ring and my confetti, I’m Kobe Bryant ready/Pink Rose and chronic smelly while I’m stumbling out the telly” —Lloyd Banks on “Beamer, Benz, or Bentley”
1) “MVP, MVP/Kobe Bryant AKA Envy Me/In knee deep, smash any D/Whoever he is, he can’t guard me” —Lil Wayne on “Kobe Bryant”
Thank you for all the memories, Kobe. We’ll miss you!
WRITTEN BY: BRYAN MELARA – @IamBNyce