Could we be witnessing the first Super Bowl-based hip-hop beef?
Rapper Lil’ Wayne, who notedly did not support his native team, the New Orleans Saints, in their journey to the championship last year, has dropped a freestyle tune backing NFC Champion Green Bay Packers to win the Vince Lombardi Trophy entitled “Green and Yellow.” In it, he makes the point that “this ain’t a diss song, but um…”
Despite that, at least to football fans, the song seems to run in direct contrast to the popularity of Wiz Khalifa’s “Black and Yellow,” which has been adopted as an anthem for the AFC Champion Pittsburgh Steelers and came out late last year.
There is also a stark difference between the two tracks: Although he reps strong for Pittsburgh, Wiz’s lyrics have little to do with sports at all and lean more toward materialistic braggadocio about his car (plus jewelry, women, partying and all around swag). Lil’ Wayne, using a similar melody but careful not to sample, lets the world know his love for the Packers: This is Green Bay, we go hard/This is Packers’ country/Where yo’ green card?
He continues by lambasting the Steelers, predicts and Most Valuable Player award for Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers and even issues a threat to Steelers’ safety Troy Polamalu: We knocked the Eagles and the Falcons and the Bears off/Now we ’bout to cut Troy Polamalu’s hair off.
Since Super Bowl XLV is Sunday, a mere three days away, it’s unlikely that this will turn into a back and forth rap beef, something that could rival the legendary duels between L.L. Cool J and Kool Moe Dee; K.R.S. One and MC Shan; or, most infamously, Tupac Shakur and Notorious B.I.G. But perhaps this could be the beginning of yearly Super Bowl rap battles, which could serve to further ramp up the hype.
Not tryin’ start nothin’, NewsFeed’s just sayin’ though.