Lessons Learned

I’ve been digging through Jay-Z’s discography this week. While listening to The Blueprint 2 I was taken back to hear Jay-Z namedrop Kordell Stewart in a lyric on the track “Hovi Baby.” I was curious how many other Pittsburgh athletes have been mentioned in hip-hop songs.

Here are a handful that I found, leaving out Mac Miller and Wiz Khalifa because those are too easy. Just about every rapper has mentioned the Steelers, click here for a good list of those. No one likes the Pirates apparently.

• Jay-Z - “Hovi Baby”

“Rapper slash exec, Kordell Stewart”

• Lil Wayne - “Throw It Up” by Busta Rhymes ft. Ludacris

“I’m skatin’ on blades like Sidney Crosby (That’s hockey)”

• Eminem - “Despicable”

“I’d rather turn this club into a bar room brawl / Get as rowdy as Roethlisberger in a bathroom stall”

• Eminem - “Almost Famous”

“I stuck my dick in this game like a rapist / They call me ‘Slim Roethlisberger’”

• A Tribe Called Quest - “Keep It Rollin’”

“I skate on your crew, like Mario Lemieux”

• Charles Hamilton - “Airs Again”

“Hockey puck fucks, I’m Mario Lemieux / Cool as a penguin, you like ‘What are we gonna do?!’”

• Ice Cube - “Hood Mentality”

“That shit one more time and fuck around and kill her / Cause I got the heart of a Pittsburgh Steeler”

• Kanye West - “Barry Bonds” ft. Lil Wayne

“Ha Ha Hum, man here’s another hit, Barry Bonds”

Bonds is mentioned A LOT, click here for more.

• Lil Wayne - “The Other Side” ft. La the Darkman

“Young Money merger / I’m a young champ Like Ben Roethlisberger”

• Ghostface Killah - “Assignation Day”

“God came in, aimin like Terry Bradshaw”

• Ja Rule - “Race Against Time”

“Hoes, and shootin fo, to bring the free basin / If this is time erasin, the devil is runnin like Bettis”

• Redman - “Rock the Spot”

“I’m the bomb, ringin off all types alarms / My palms, be swift with the pen like Lynn Swann’s”

• The Game - “Keepin’ It Real”

“Gun’s off safety niggas is Polamalu”

• Eminem - “Here We Go”

“Flow? / Bitch, I flow like Troy Polamalu’s hair boy”

• Madvillian - “Great Day”

“Prepare to get hurt and mangled like Kurt Angle rookie year”

• Ghostface Killah - “Black Jesus”

“Bust as Mike Ditka made three seeds”

• Black Milk - “Wake Up” ft. Danny Brown

“Pray and sip Arnold Palmers up under”

• Gucci Mane - “Weirdo”

“Throw bombs like Dan Marino”

• Pharoahe Monch - “Desire”

“York City respects my game like Joe Namath”

• Lil Wayne - “Outstanding”

“Gimme Plaxico Burress, number seventeen”

• The Game - “California Vacation” ft. Snoop Dogg & Xzibit

“Steeler cap, Swisher Sweet peel ‘em back / My lil’ hoodrat, baby got that mini mac”

• Snoop Dogg - “Gangbangin’ 101” ft. Game

“Nowhere to go / Til’ Snoop pulled up in that Pittsburgh Steeler ’6-4”

• The Game - “Born in the Trap”

“Riding through Pittsburgh, Wiz got the Steelers”

• Snoop Dogg - “Beat Up On Yo Pads”

“I’m in Pomona with the Steelers, come and get some”

I didn’t include every lyric that I found, there are a lot out there — Rap Genius is your friend! Let me know if I missed any major ones and I’ll add them!

Edit:

My brother sent this one in:

• Army of the Pharaohs - “Gorillas”

“My fam in the back, known to keep it realer than most / While you fake cats cower like the Steelers coach”

From jconnormcl on Reddit:

• Ludacris - “Country Shit” (Remix) by  Big K.R.I.T ft. Bun B.

“If you smoking then we got more sacks than Troy Polamalu”

Now that Pittsburgh is the new Portland I can’t wait for Pittsburghia to debut on IFC!

Which SNL cast member and female indie rock musician should star? I vote for Bill Hader and Feist.

First skit: “Primanti That!” where they put fries and coleslaw on EVERYTHING.

Washed Out’s “Feel It Around” is the opening theme for Portlandia, so I think Pittsburghia should use the beginning of Toro y Moi’s “New Beat” so both intros are riding the chillwave.

As long as Rick Sebak gets a guest spot I’ll be content.