“The streets is watching” — hip-hop proverb.

Most basketball debates are never-ending, as there isn’t a tangible way to definitively prove one side of the argument over the other. The 72-win Bulls can’t play the 73-win Warriors to determine the best team of all-time, because the 72-win Bulls are all in their 40s and 50s, and their margin of victory (approximately 5 points) right now wouldn’t be an accurate representation of their margin of victory at their peak (approximately 25 points).

Yet, we insist on still having these debates. Perhaps we just enjoy the satisfaction that we can never be proven wrong (or right, but that’s irrelevant), regardless of what side we take. Even after both sides have exhausted their list of regular proof points, they can latch onto something (but the rings!) or something else (but the stats!) to make them feel like they did indeed win the argument.

Lucky for us, however, the historians of culture have documented the rise and fall of basketball giants through one consistent and comparable medium — music. Hip-hop ballads often reflect the current state of sports, bestowing accolades on those that are deserving and slighting those who are not. The link between basketball and rap has always been strong, as rappers regularly use feats on the hardwood as a metaphor for their own greatness in the rap game.

Unlike our previous endeavour, this time we’re not here to confirm or deny the accuracy of basketball lyrics in hip-hop. Instead, we’re here to finally settle the Kobe vs LeBron debate, using the quality and effectiveness of references to them in music.

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We will do this in a few steps. First, we’ll look at the artist performing the song, and their place in the Rap Pantheon (Jay Z) or Rap Basement (whatever mumble rapper with Twizzler hair is popular right now), and give them a score out of 10. Next, we’ll look at the meaning of the lyric itself, and whether it mocks or glorifies Kobe or LeBron, and to what degree (which we’ll also score that out of 10). Finally, we’ll examine the context in which the lyric is delivered, and score that out of 10, for a total of a possible 30 points scored per song reference. Whichever player has a higher score at the end will be deemed the better of the two.

And so, without further delay:

“I ball, I ball, like Kobe in the fall, put trophies on wall, rather trophies on my mantle, dog my shows be off the handle, take the proceeds go to gamble” — J. Cole, Cole World

Meaning: J. Cole is documenting Kobe’s success, in particular, his championship pedigree. (8/10)

Context: I don’t know if J. Cole watches basketball, but the fall is probably the least consequential stretch of the NBA regular season, as proven by the Orlando Magic who held an undefeated record at one point in the fall, before ultimately finishing the season 25–57. As such, Kobe can ball whenever he likes, but by signalling out ‘fall’, Cole costs Kobe some points here. (7/10)

Artist Level: J. Cole is one of the more polarizing artists in Rap. Those who love him, love him. Those who don’t generally consider a J.Cole lyrical performance akin to a midsummer night spent reading an essay on the separation of power in liberal democracies and the needs for checks and balances. So in fairness to both sides, I’m going with to score this a 5… wait, I have just received a text that J. Cole did, in fact, go Platinum with no features. (7/10).

Kobe — Total: 22/30

“Hood phenomenon, the LeBron of rhyme/Hard to be humble when you stunting on a jumbotron” — Kanye, Devil in a New Dress

Meaning: Kanye imbues himself with the qualities of LeBron, implying not so subtly that LeBron is the greatest. (10/10).

Context: Kanye has always latched onto the idea that he himself is the greatest, and the fact that he would even consider someone else in the ‘greatest’ conversation speaks volumes. (9/10)

Artist: I once created a Kanye fashion line from the clearance section of Value Village, but in his prime, he was the most in-demand, soulful producer in the game. (9/10)

LeBron — Total: 27/30

“Kobe ’bout to lose a hundred fifty M’s, Kobe my nigga I hate it had to be him” Drake, Stay Scheming

Meaning: Drake doesn’t really talk about basketball here, but he does affiliate himself with Kobe frequently, as well as demonstrate a measure of regret that something bad is happening to Kobe. (6/10).

Context: It’s hard to gauge this one seeing how very few basketball things are mentioned overall. Still, Drake wouldn’t be found within a mile of admitting he likes something that hasn’t been previously vetted, reviewed and deemed acceptable by popular culture, so him even mentioning Kobe is a net-positive (6/10)

Artist: Drake is probably one of the most accurate historians of our time, mostly because he’s capable of taking a moment in history and then presenting it as his own invention. He latches on to anything that’s popular so his word is actually a very strong barometer of the pop culture zeitgeist. (9/10)

Kobe — Total: 43/60

“Ho, shut your mouth when you in the presence of Kings/I ball like LeBron but I got a couple more rings” — Diddy, Bout That Life

Meaning: Here, Diddy compares himself to LeBron and names them both Kings (although, he may be talking about the Sacramento Kings, which would be the most shocking turn in the history of turns). At the same time, he also manages to devalue LeBron a little bit by putting himself above him and implying there is room to be better. (8/10).

Context: Diddy has enjoyed a continued reign of dominance in hip-hop, but no one would necessarily consider him the greatest rapper alive. He’s created multiple hits and has overseen careers that have sky-rocketed into the hip-hop stratosphere. So him comparing himself to LeBron isn’t as meaningful as say, Jay Z would be. (8/10)

Artist: Diddy has been around for as long or longer than anyone on this list. While a capable lyricist himself, he is known more as a businessman and a brand than a rapper at this point, but he’s also managed to remain top-rapper-adjacent his entire career. (8/10)

LeBron — Total: 51/60

“And when it comes down to this recording, I must be Lebron James if he’s Jordan. No, I won rings for my performance. I’m more of a Kobe Bryant of an artist.” — Lil Wayne, Show Me What You Got Remix

Meaning: Here, Wayne outlines the prerequisites for greatness and arrives at a very popular Twitter argument, known colloquially as “but the ringz!” He decides that rings are enough and thus Kobe is greater than LeBron. (10/10)

Context: This is huge. Weezy Baby himself begins by comparing himself to LeBron before taking a brief interlude to rethink his previous statement. He then changes himself to Kobe, stating that in the eyes of the streets, trophies are what matters. The change is significant considering Wayne took a very necessary and deliberate moment to make sure that he is referencing himself to the highest possible option. (10/10).

Artist: Carter I — III Lil’ Wayne is one of the top artists to ever pick up the mic and if you’ve been able to listen to Tha Mobb throughout without having to faint at least three times due to sheer lyrical power, why are you lying to me right now? (9/10).

Kobe — Total: 72/90

“You lookin’ at Lebron James of the game/I could do anything that you name” — J. Cole, Heartache

Meaning: LeBron can do anything he wants. He’s at the highest pinnacle of his skill and anything your mind can imagine, LeBron can achieve it. It’s almost as if he’s testing the ranges of human imagination. (10/10).

Context: LeBron is beyond skill classification, and is basically basketball personified. (10/10)

Artist: J.Cole raps like he’s reading a Shakespearean soliloquy in the middle of a one-man show at a summer park. (7/10)

LeBron — Total: 78/90

“Bitch I ball hard like Kobe or Ginobili” — Mack Maine, Kobe or Ginobili

Meaning: I think Mack Maine hurts his own cause here because Kobe and Manu ball in two very different ways if you really think about it. (5/10)

Context: No offence to Ginobili, but this one really hurts Kobe. The true greats should not be comparable to any outside of a very select group of 2–3 players in the world. I’m fairly certain that if you even utter Lionel Messi’s name next to someone like Charlie Adam, you actually spontaneously-combust where you stand. Way to devalue a great, Mack Maine. (2/10)

Artist: A quick visit to Mack Maine’s Wikipedia page shows three collaborative albums and not one solo one. Your own label doesn’t think you’re worth the investment. There should be a rule where you have to have at least one quotable song and a 7-song EP before you’re allowed to reference an NBA player (3/10).

Kobe — Total: 82/120

“See I’m sitting here chilling with this Rollie on my arm/What I paid for it, should’ve came with an alarm/Yeah I’m tryna fuck, baby don’t be alarmed/See I used to pay Kobe, but now I pay LeBron” — Jeezy, 24/23

Meaning: These lyrics might only be a reference to jersey numbers, but it could also be argued that LeBron is better than Kobe based on a simple mathematical estimation that paying less for a thing is better than paying more for a thing. (7/10).

Context: Again, Jeezy implies that paying LeBron is better than paying Kobe. He’s not talking about the players, but rather the number they choose to wear. (8/10)

Artist: Jeezy is basically the pioneer of Atlanta trap-rap. His first album sounds like something you most definitely listen to on your way to a drug deal. (8/10)

LeBron — Total: 101/120