Part of the universal appeal of Allen Iverson definitely was the bridge he provided for Hip Hop and the NBA to interconnect on the highest level.
Part of the of IVERSON documentary set to appear on Showtime reflects on how The Answer — in the post-Jordan NBA — brought Hip-Hop into the living rooms of sports fans in HD. Instead of rocking a suit — A.I. stepped out his ride wearing the illest fitted cap — with a throwback jersey or white t-shirt finished off with $200K in jewelry to help blind your kids.
In a fake NBA — he was the realest there’s ever been. With indelible street cred — it was only normal for every hard-core rapper to want to be aligned with him.
Rappers young and old braided their hair, covered themselves in tattoos and profited off hip hop fashion to create the enormous crossover appeal that comes with the NBA and hip hop.
From the time he hugged he was drafted in 1996 — to walking away a few years ago — Iverson has been referenced in over 30 different songs, from hip-hop stars like Jay-Z and Snoop Dogg to current chart-toppers like J.Cole.
Hear AI’s take through exclusive footage and interviews in the upcoming documentary IVERSON – Saturday, May 16th at 9p ET/PT on SHOWTIME.
https://youtu.be/d5LDxmPIgAg