Apr 15

Apr 15 Rap Music and Football: An Enduring Relationship

Rap Music x Football: The Links Between Pop Culture and the Beautiful Game

Sports writer Josh Stedman looks at the relationship between rap and football: a fascinating tale of club collaborations and big name-drops.

rapper AJ Tracy — AJ Tracey’s song “Summertime Shootout” name-drops footballer Damien Duff

It’s often said that football is more than just a game. It’s reflective of wider society and football finds itself colliding with popular culture.

More often than not, we find football and music go hand in hand - whether we’re talking about chanting at games, FA Cup songs or artists collaborating with their local teams.

The latter is becoming more popular as clubs become more social media savvy. Using big star names can help to increase the social media presence of a club and, in turn, an artist.

In the 90s, we saw Britpop stars show their allegiance to their clubs, the most iconic being Oasis and Manchester City.

But in today’s game, it’s rappers who are flying the flag for their local teams and, as we saw in Summer 2021 with Krept and Konan, even national teams.

Rappers and Football Clubs

As rap music has become a mainstay in popular culture in the UK, football has wised up and started to use rappers as promotional tools for their teams.

This isn’t to say rappers are oblivious to this. They are more than happy to represent football clubs that have a worldwide fan basis and, in many cases, represent the teams they grew up supporting.

One of the biggest collabs came when Stormzy snapped up the chance to help Manchester United announce Paul Pogba.

This transfer blew up the football world - and the announcement video showed the enduring relationship between football clubs and rappers.

Football Name-Drops

Another link between football and rap is when artists name-drop players in their music - with some songs named after these players, such as “Thiago Silva” by Dave & AJ Tracey.

These two rappers are not shy about dropping a footballer's name in their bars. Their fans are often left disappointed if there isn’t a shout-out to the likes of Dele Alli or Irish legend Damien Duff.

There have been lots of great football references and name-drops in rap, including:

AJ Tracey: “Summertime Shootout” ft T-Pain - “We ball like Damien Duff”
Ghetts: “Crud” ft Giggs - “Can’t tell man about boom and scatter/Can’t tell man about shoot like Kaká”
slowthai: “i tried”- “Stuck in Sunday League but I’m on levels with Ronaldo”
slowthai: “PLAY WITH FIRE” - “Some people can’t see straight, need to find direction/If I clock an interception, Cruyff turn, watch your knees break”
AJ Tracey: “Bringing it Back” ft Digga D - “I locked up the food for the kids like Boris/And then I let it go like Rashford”
21 Savage: “Circo Loco” - “Still gotta see the Gunners with the Premier League”
Stormzy: “Mel Made Me Do It” - “I prefer not to speak like I’m José (I prefer really not to speak)”

It isn’t a surprise to see the likes of Kaka, Ronaldo or Cruyff name-dropped, but it’s always nice to see nods to those other icons such as Irish winger Duff.

It won’t come as a surprise to see Lionel Messi as the most name-dropped footballer in music. In a 2020 study, Messi was mentioned 553 times across music songs as a whole.

Impressive numbers for the Argentine, but this is nothing in comparison to late basketball legend, Kobe Bryant, who was name-dropped 1,147 times.

Close behind Messi, according to the study, were Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona and George Best. Footballers appear to be a favourite for musicians when it comes to their lyrics!

Growing Together

It isn’t a surprise that two of society's most popular figures, footballers and rappers, tend to become close friends - and their lives often follow a similar pattern.

Dave and Marcus Rashford

Dave and Marcus Rashford are both in their mid-20s and burst onto the scene at a young age. Their careers have grown in parallel with each other and both have shown their friendship on social media.

The pair both came from humble beginnings, one in Manchester and the other in London. Their drastic rise to fame and money has been remarkable.

Their similar life paths will have certainly brought them together, going through something they can both understand.

Dave and Marcus Rashford both find themselves in industries that are often heavily criticised, and their performances on stage or on the field are judged by the media and the public.

Rappers and Footballers as Role Models

Despite the spotlight on their careers and the negative media reports that seem to follow, footballers and rappers are both role models for younger generations.

They stand as positive role models to show how hard work and commitment can get you what you want in life.

This in itself adds more pressure to stay professional on stage or on the field - and it must take a toll on their private lives, too.

Swapping Roles

Everyone thinks they can be a footballer - and rappers are no different. You often find rappers who have been on the cards of professional clubs’ academy books.

In most cases, their attention gets drawn away from football and onto their rap career. The likes of Kano, Ramz and Tinchy Stryder all played at a high level in their younger days, but their careers went different ways.

The Santan Cup, hosted by Dave, is a prime example of the baller rappers in the UK.

The 2021 edition of the tournament featured Dave, Stormzy, Krept & Konan and Ramz - and professional footballers like Nile Ranger and Rhian Brewster took part, too.

On the other side, many footballers have tried their hand at the rap game. Some have had small-time success - others, not so much.

Liverpool’s Ryan Babel described his rapping as a hobby. He released several tracks during his Liverpool spell.

One of his more PG bars during his time at Anfield includes, "I'm the Liverpool star those b****s are loving," a subtle nod to his playboy and football lifestyle.

Rap Music and Football: An Enduring Relationship

Football will always follow the trends of society, and as new music becomes the mainstay in society, we may see a different style of artists crossing paths with footballers.

For now, expect to hear Messi or Jadon Sancho name-dropped in future Dave tunes!