Music plays a much bigger part in sports than most people realize. Recently, the Atlanta Hawks held a special night during a Friday game, where Atlanta rap artist 2 Chainz performed three different times during the game. During a press conference prior to the game, 2 Chainz made a powerful statement.
“Rappers and athletes are very close. We want to be them, and they want to be us. I know, because I have some star players texting me right now wanted a feature. We rappers want to be able to score big points on the court, and athletes want to make the songs you here on the radio,” said 2 Chainz.
From that statement, I decided to dive in, and check out how important music was to some of the current Atlanta Hawks players. With Atlanta being a mainstay in the music scene, the players had pretty interesting views on what music they like and things that effect music, like Jay Z’s newest music streaming service, Tidal.
Kent Bazemore is a 25 year old point guard who played college ball at Old Dominion. He’s a backup for the Hawks but that doesn’t stop his drive on when he gets on the court. Before Bazemore hits the court, he likes to listen to “Dresser” by 2 Chainz and Young Thug, because it gets him in the zone.
Jay Z is Bazemore’s favorite artist and has been a fan of him since he was seven years old growing up in North Carolina.
“Jigga has stood the test of time. I got “Reasonable Doubt” when it came out, I think I was seven,” said Bazemore. “I got the clean version from Walmart, I’ll always remember that. My older cousin put me on his music and since then, he’s a guy that I grew up listening to and he’s stayed true to his music.”
While Bazemore is a huge Jay Z fan, he hasn’t had the chance to check out Tidal just yet.
“Anything he (Jay) puts his hands on, I’m going to respect and support it. I’m looking forward to getting it. I respect what he’s done over time and he’s a smart guy,” said Bazemore.
If Bazemore had the chance to pick a music artist to perform at a Hawks game, similar to 2 Chainz’s performance, he would pick Kanye West.
“Ye is a fool and so animated, I’d love to seem him put on a show for the fans,” said Bazemore.”
Jeff Teague is a 26 year old point guard who was drafted in 2009 by the Atlanta Hawks out of Wake Forest. Teague likes to think of himself as a huge fan of music.
When discussing his favorite artists in the game right now, Teague mentioned a few rappers including Kid Cudi and Kanye West, but noted that his all time favorite is Jay Z.
“I like the swagger he brings to any track,” said Teague. “I downloaded Tidal the other day. I think it’s kinda the same as Beats Audio, but its a cool thing I guess.”
Before Teague plays in any game, he has to listen to “Pursuit of Happiness” by Kid Cudi. While it’s not the most hype song out there, he says it “get’s him focused”.
From Birmingham, Alabama, DeMarre Carroll is a 28 year old forward who played college ball at Mizzou. Carroll doesn’t say much, but I did happen to find out that his favorite music artist is Kanye West.
“I’m a different type of guy. I like people that step outside the box and are comfortable in their own skin. That’s who Kanye is. He doesn’t care about what people think, whether it’s about his music or personal life,” said Carroll.
Before Carroll plays a game, he listens to “Through the Wire” by Kanye West to help him get ready to play his best.
Mike Scott, 26, is a native of Virginia and also played college ball there before being drafted by the Hawks in 2012. While only being in Atlanta for 2 years, Scott is very fond of Atlanta music and their artist.
“I listen to a lot of Future, Drake and a lot of Atlanta rappers. I don’t really have a favorite song to listen to right now, but I always love a mix between Johnny Cinco, Future and Travis Scott,” said Scott.
Before games, Scott prefers to listen to Future songs because it gets him hype to play. If he could choose any artist to take over the Hawks like 2 Chainz, of course, he’d pick Future.
“Future really gets me in my zone,” said Scott.
With these choices for music that the Hawks have, it’s no wonder they are the best team in the East with a 57-19 record and have seemed to grasp the concept of winning, as most of the artist they listen to are winners in the music industry.