Freestyling Footballers:
The game’s stars swapping balls for mics
There can be no doubt that the culture surrounding football continues to expand a rapid rate.
The explosion of social media has provided football fans with unprecedented
access to the personal lives and extracurricular activities of stars like never before.
From what they’re wearing to where they’re going and what they’re doing, modern technology
and the explosion of social media has opened the door to our favourite players’ personal lives like never before.
Music, of course, has long been synonymous with the Beautiful Game, and with the emergence of street culture
it was inevitable that rap would soon overtake rock as the dominant genre with the game’s young stars.
Rapping footballers aren’t a new phenomenon, of course, but there are now more than ever and,
not only that, they appear to be drastically improving.
Andy Cole was widely ridiculed for his short-lived rap career following
the release of his clumsy debut single Outstanding.
Andy Cole was widely ridiculed for his short-lived rap career following
the release of his clumsy debut single Outstanding.
But recent years have seen a number of players raise the bar. USA international and
Premier League alumni Clint ‘Deuce’ Dempsey certainly faired a whole lot better.
While his debut offering, Don’t Tread, may have been a target of ridicule for some football fans around the world,
it was well-received in Dempsey’s home state of Texas. That track featured well-respected local rapper Big Hawk,
who was a major player on the Houston rap scene before his untimely death in 2006.
The brother of late 'H-Town' legend Fat Pat, Hawk was a member of the Screwed Up Clik – a supergroup formed by DJ Screw,
the founder of the city’s unique ‘chopped and screwed’ style that see DJ’s slow the music down to about half the pace.
And Dutch Internationals Roysten Drenthe and Ryan Babel, too, showed they could kick it in the booth almost as well as they did on the pitch.
They have released a catalogue of music through their respective record labels and worked with some well-established local artists.
Yannick Bolasie and Bradley Wright-Phillips, too, have showed their lyrical prowess on the mic.
The close friends even went to battle at an event organised by the pioneering Lord Of The Mics,
which has provided a platform to Grime Music royalty including Kano and Wiley.
Ghana international and former Sunderland striker Asamoah
‘Baby Jet’ Gyan also flirted with the music industry,
with a number of high-profile releases alongside the late Castro.
Paul Pogba, meanwhile, showed he ‘catch wreck’ via a freestyle
he captured while on duty with the French national team.
The Manchester United midfielder has also appeared in music videos
with British rapper Stormzy and US hip hop star Desiigner.
Colombia international and current River Plate playmaker Juanfer Quintero,
meanwhile, did more than just flirt with the industry earlier
this decade when he began his foray into Reggaeton.
Indeed, the former Porto man is reported to have even considered leaving
football behind to focus full-time on a new career in music.
And others have made real careers from what was once a hobby.
Former Barcelona goalkeeper Jose Manuel
“Wahin” Pinto has a relatively comprehensive back catalogue and found success
with his own record label. The two-time Champions League winner has even seen
his music feature in the The Fast and the Furious movie franchise.
Pinto retired from football in 2014 after six trophy-laden years with
Barca but the club may yet have found a new musical star in their recent addition,
Kevin Prince-Boateng. The Germany-born Ghana international has time and
again displayed his twinkle toes on the dancefloor, and last year took it to the next level with the release of King,
that was featured by world-renowned WorldStarHipHop video blog.
All of the efforts above were, of course, met with varied reactions.
Take it away Charlie Sloth…
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