{"id":266591,"date":"2026-06-14T17:26:13","date_gmt":"2026-06-14T17:26:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/266591\/"},"modified":"2026-06-14T17:26:13","modified_gmt":"2026-06-14T17:26:13","slug":"the-25-best-knicks-references-by-new-york-rappers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/266591\/","title":{"rendered":"The 25 Best Knicks References by New York Rappers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Hip hop didn\u2019t exist the last time the New York Knicks<\/a> won an NBA Championship.<\/p>\n

On May 10, 1973, Clyde Frazier and Willis Reed\u2019s Knickerbockers finished off the Los Angeles Lakers <\/a>in five games to claim their second NBA title in four seasons. Three months later, on August 11, DJ Kool Herc<\/a> hosted a back-to-school jam in the rec room at 1520 Sedgwick Avenue in the Bronx, an event now commonly recognized as the birth of hip hop<\/a> (although the exact date of the party has been subject to debate).<\/p>\n

Since then, hip hop and hoops have been linked as twin pillars of the city\u2019s culture. New York, from Rucker Park in Harlem to the Cage on West 4th, is a basketball town\u2014and hip hop is the soundtrack to its streets. Some of the best to ever do it on the hardwood were born and raised within the five boroughs<\/a>, while the list of rappers from New York is even more impressive.<\/a><\/p>\n

So, it shouldn\u2019t come as a surprise when New York rappers name-drop the team or some of the greatest players in Knicks history<\/a>. These are the 25 Best Knicks References by New York Rappers.<\/p>\n

COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what’s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n

25.<\/p>\n

Action Bronson, \u201c103 and Roosy\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGrab a barracuda higher than a parachuter \/ Pair of shooters: Anthony and Harper \/ Caciocavalli dog, I’m sharper than the archer\u201d<\/p>\n

24.<\/p>\n

Cuban Link ft. Terror Squad, \u201cAll Around the World\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI be the nasty Cuban, slammin’ like I’m Patrick Ewing \/ Pass me a bag of weed, a brew, and the track that we’re doing\u201d<\/p>\n

23.<\/p>\n

Mr. Muthafuckin\u2019 eXquire, \u201cIce Cups\u201d<\/p>\n

“Ice Cups\/ I tilt this one up for Anthony Mason.\/ In the end, it’s paper even over friends\/ Ice Cups\/ This one for number 14 from the Knicks.”<\/p>\n

22.<\/p>\n

Salt-N-Pepa, \u201cIndependent\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLike Oakley from the Knicks, yes, I’m havin’ a ball \/ You think because you’re leaving that I’m gonna take a fall?\u201d<\/p>\n

21.<\/p>\n

Fat Joe, \u201cSunshine\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThrow your Rollies in the sky, my guys’ll take those \/ Lower East Side, I’m up in NY \/ See me on the floor with Obi courtside\u201d<\/p>\n

20.<\/p>\n

A Tribe Called Quest, \u201cOne Two Shit\u201d<\/p>\n

“Money on my mind so never mind a trick \/ New York is the town and the team is the Knicks.”<\/p>\n

19.<\/p>\n

Jay-Z ft. Cam’ron, “Welcome to New York City”<\/p>\n

“I ain’t hard to find, you catch me front and center \/ At the Knick game, big chain and all my splendor \/ Next to Spike and the pen left to write.”<\/p>\n

18.<\/p>\n

Marlon Craft, \u201cJULIUS RANDLE\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cToo groovy to handle \/ Write what they don\u2019t want, my duty is vandal \/ Who need a sample? \/ Put in work in the pandemic, Julius Randle\u201d<\/p>\n

17.<\/p>\n

Action Bronson, \u201cAuntie Maria\u2019s Crib\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cRosemary toast paddle for the marrow \/ Got women of the streets straight emerging out the shadows \/ 2 piece like Chris Childs did to Kobe \/ Catch me in the corner store, quarters for Shinobi\u201d<\/p>\n

16.<\/p>\n

Cormega, \u201cThe Come Up\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMy movement’s like the automatic top on a coupe \/ Smoothness, like Allan Houston got when he shoots\u201d<\/p>\n

15.<\/p>\n

A Tribe Called Quest, \u201cBaby Phife\u2019s Return\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cKid, you know my flava, tear this whole jam apart \/ f**k around and have your heart, like Jordan had Starks’ \/ While you playin’ hokey pokey, there’s no time to be dokey \/ ‘Cause I come out to play every night like Charles Oakley\u201d<\/p>\n

14.<\/p>\n

Heltah Skeltah, \u201cSean Price\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSean sparks like John Starks in the fourth quarter \/ Oughta meet my peeps, deep like the Torah\u201d<\/p>\n

13.<\/p>\n

Pop Smoke, \u201cHello\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI like my b**ches redbone, ass fat, Jell-O \/ Lightskin, yellow, iced out, hello \/ I’m the king of New York, Melo \/ Black hair by the Regis and Pello\u201d<\/p>\n

12.<\/p>\n

Beastie Boys, \u201cB-Boys Makin\u2019 With the Freak Freak\u201d<\/p>\n

“I got my hair cut correct like Anthony Mason \/ Then I ride the IRT right up to Penn Station”<\/p>\n

11.<\/p>\n

Fabolous, \u201cF vs. J Intro\u201d<\/p>\n

“All a sudden, thunder, it mighta been Hoodie Melo \/ You soft as pudding Jell-O, we’ll come to your hood and “Hello”<\/p>\n

10.<\/p>\n

Noreaga, “Our Way\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cFrom New York, but still I be hating the Knicks \/ And f**k Jordan, but still I be rocking his kicks\u201d<\/p>\n

9.<\/p>\n

Busta Rhymes, \u201cNew York Shit\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, I’m on my New York shit! \/ I rep the Giants, the Jets, New York Knicks \/ Tailor-made clothing with my New York stitch \/ My chick bangin’, don’t you see my New York bitch?\u201d<\/p>\n

8.<\/p>\n

Kurtis Blow, \u201cBasketball\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to go to dinner, then take the girl \/ To see Tiny play against Earl The Pearl\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBasketball has always been my thing \/ I like Magic, Bird, and Bernard King\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cClyde, Rick Barry, and Pistol Pete \/ Now these players could never be beat\u201d<\/p>\n

“Or when Willis Reed stood so tall \/ Playing D with desire, it’s Basketball.”<\/p>\n

7.<\/p>\n

Beastie Boys, \u201cGet It Together\u201d<\/p>\n

“See I\u2019ve got heart like John Starks \/ Hitting mad sparks \/ Pass me the mic and I\u2019ll be rocking the whole park.”<\/p>\n

6.<\/p>\n

Pharoahe Monch, \u201cOfficial\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBlaze a trail like Portland on a track that’ll amaze ya \/ Omnipotent on the D like Clyde Frazier\u201d<\/p>\n

5.<\/p>\n

Fat Joe and Remy Martin, \u201cAll the Way Up (Remix)\u201d<\/p>\n

“This wasn’t me, this was God’s doing \/ And this time I won’t finger roll; Pat Ewing.”<\/p>\n

4.<\/p>\n

Jay-Z, \u201cLa-La-La (Excuse Me Again)\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDon’t confuse me with Marbury out this b**chs \/ Run up on me at the light, you could lose your life\u201d<\/p>\n

3.<\/p>\n

Big L, \u201c98 Freestyle\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYo, f**k all the glamours and glitz, I plan to get rich \/ I’m from New York and never was a fan of the Knicks\u201d<\/p>\n

2.<\/p>\n

The Notorious B.I.G. \u201cI Got a Story to Tell\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe s**t she kicked, all that shit’s legit \/ She get d**k from a player off the New York Knicks \/ Nigga trick ridiculous, the s**t was plush \/ She’s stressin’ me to fuck, like she was in a rush \/ We fucked in his bed, quite dangerous \/ I’m in his ass while he playin’ against the Utah Jazz \/ My 112 CD blast, I was past \/ She came twice, I came last, roll the grass\u201d<\/p>\n

1.<\/p>\n

A Tribe Called Quest, \u201c8 Million Stories\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI got the tickets for the Knicks and she cold stood me up \/ I need to hit a honey off, Jarobi, pass the phone \/ Pulled out my book of hoes, oh, yo, Sheila’s home \/ Steady smilin’ like a mother, yo, I’m read’ to bone \/ Went down on hun, she’s in the red zone \/ Stressed out more than anyone could ever be \/ Forever tryin’ to clear the samples for my new LP \/ Everybody knows I go to Georgia often \/ Got on the flight and I ended up in Boston \/ With all these trials and tribulations, yo, I’ve been affected \/ And to top it off, Starks got ejected\u201d<\/p>\n

Related Stories\"Carmelo<\/a><\/p>\n

The 25 Best Knicks of All Time, Ranked <\/p>\n

\"Not<\/a><\/p>\n

The 10 Greatest Basketball Players From NYC <\/p>\n

\"Collage<\/a><\/p>\n

50 Best New York Rappers of All Time, Ranked<\/p>\n

Related News<\/p>\n

Who is Kimi Antonelli? Meet Mercedes’ Star F1 Driver<\/a><\/p>\n

Three Reasons the Knicks Will Win The 2026 NBA Finals\u2014and 3 Reasons They Won\u2019t <\/a><\/p>\n

COMPLEX SHOP: Shop the brands you love, anytime and anywhere. Uncover what’s next. Buy. Collect. Obsess.<\/a><\/p>\n

Making Culture Pop. Find the latest entertainment news and the best in music, pop culture, sneakers, style and original shows.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Hip hop didn\u2019t exist the last time the New York Knicks won an NBA Championship. On May 10,…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":266592,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[74834,103114,7064,103112,17661,103115,9141,9,24,11,1104,10,103113,81743,9423,9131,95114],"class_list":["post-266591","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-new-york","tag-action-bronson","tag-anthony-mason","tag-boston","tag-clyde-frazier","tag-julius-randle","tag-kobe","tag-los-angeles-lakers","tag-new-york","tag-new-york-city","tag-new-york-headlines","tag-new-york-knicks","tag-new-york-news","tag-new-york-rappers","tag-patrick-ewing","tag-portland","tag-utah-jazz","tag-willis-reed"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266591","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=266591"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/266591\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/266592"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=266591"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=266591"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=266591"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}