By Miah Ayaan
We all know there are some, all right, maybe some, athletes who have a sweet, lyrical flow. Except for the other way around what? Have you ever asked what talents your favourite rappers had on the field? Once upon a time, some of your favourite rappers on RapTV used to be athletes. Their interest lies in song, for most of them. So they’re now ranking high on the graph instead of performing high on the graph.
RAPPER WHO WERE ATHLETES:
Nelly:
Nelly was originally a two-sport competitor before dominating Hip-Hop in the ’00s. Both baseball and American football were fascinated by the rapper. He was so competitive at baseball, though, that he participated in the St. Louis Amateur Baseball Organization, earned the league’s all-star game MVP, and was on the map as a candidate for a few MLB teams.
Growing up in baseball-crazy St. Louis, at a young age Nelly had instilled in him a love for the game. Starring with his baseball team in high school, Nelly was using the game to keep him out of trouble. Trouble is everything he caused to resist players, win MVP Honors in the St. Louis Amateur Baseball League, and the St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates are interested in.
The Game:
“The Game” was also identified as Jayceon Taylor and played for Compton High School in the late 1990s, winning a Washington State University basketball scholarship. Unfortunately, stuff didn’t turn out for the 6’4 “small forward, and he just stayed one semester. According to The Study, in high school, when playing alongside future NBA stars Baron Davis, Tyson Chandler, Gilbert Arenas, and Tayshaun Prince, he “averaged 14.9 points a game, 6 rebounds and 4 assists.” Not too poor.
The Game was a really talented basketball player who initially received a scholarship at Washington State University that would later be stripped away due to possession of the narcotics. He then joined life in the group and finally became a musician.
- Cole:
The artist spent most of his youth trying to join basketball teams and becoming injured, as J. Cole fans may be conscious. However, as a student at Terry Sanford High School, the ‘4 Your Eyez Only’ artist actually made the squad.
Master P:
Percy “Master P” Miller not only wished he had gone pro, he did. During the late 1990s Miller concluded short contracts with the Charlotte Hornets and the Toronto Raptors. While he has never seen any regular season play on the NBA, Master P can always ball: in 2004 he scored 24 points a game for Las Vegas Rattlers of the ABA.
Maybe one of the rappers nearest to fulfilling their aspirations of becoming an athlete is Hip-Hop promoter Master P. He received a University of Houston basketball scholarship and ultimately ended up signing NBA contracts with both Toronto Raptors and Charlotte Hornets. Yet neither of their regular season rosters have made the cut.
Fifty cent:
50 Cent started fighting as an 11-year-old growing up in Queens, participating in the Junior Olympics after his neighbor established a gym for local youngsters to box. Unfortunately Fiddy wanted to alter his professional arc and eventually settled for cocaine trafficking and rapping.
Stalley:
MMG rapper Stalley was born for a basketball career, and once competed in Ohio against LeBron James during his high school years! At the University of Michigan and Long Island University, he won a scholarship to play basketball, but was forced to give up after a series of injuries.
Cam Killa:
Killa Cam was back in the day a sick Basketball star. Cam was a Top-25 student in 1994, gaining recognition from the University of Miami, Georgetown, and USC, competing for Manhattan Center High School. Cam dropped out of classes, and Cameron enrolled a year later at Navarro Junior College in Texas in anticipation of heading to Miami. Unfortunately it never materialized, but a rapping career did.
