T.I. eloquently (and somewhat hypocritically) pleads with NBA stars: Stop rapping


Steph Curry is having an amazing year, leading the Golden State Warriors to the NBA finals and, very possibly, a championship ring. But when he was in college, he was in a rap video — "this sort of thing makes me so happy YouTube didn't exist when I was in college," Jimmy Kimmel said after showing a snippet on Thursday's Kimmel Live. And Curry is hardly alone. "Over the years, lots of players have veered erratically into the world of rap music, oftentimes with disastrous results," Kimmel said, and to counter this "disturbing trend," he had T.I. make a PSA so "no NBA player ever falls victim to this terrible temptation again."
T.I. makes a beautiful case, with references to "Ebonics thesauruses and dictionaries" for people who don't get the juxtaposition of "players" and "playas." "When I'm in the studio, I know it's where I'm meant to be," he said, with PSA piano music letting you know he's serious. "I mean, music is my life; rapping is pretty much what I do. But sometimes NBA players make the mistake of thinking it's what they do, too." He goes on to shame Metta World Peace, Tony Parker, Kevin Durant, and, of course, Shaq.
Oddly enough, if you watched Late Night on Thursday, you heard T.I. talking confidently about his side careers as a film actor, restauranteur, and fashionista. Maybe Kimmel has another PSA in his future. Maybe Shaq can host. Peter Weber
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Critics' choice: Reimagined Mexican-American fare
Feature A shape-shifting dining experience, an evolving 50-year-old restaurant, and Jalisco-style recipes
-
Here We Are: Stephen Sondheim's 'utterly absorbing' final musical
The Week Recommends The musical theatre legend's last work is 'witty, wry and suddenly wise'
-
The Trial: 'sharp' legal drama with a 'clever' script
The Week Recommends Channel 5's one-off show imagines a near future where parents face trial for their children's crimes
-
Shakespeare not an absent spouse, study proposes
speed read A letter fragment suggests that the Shakespeares lived together all along, says scholar Matthew Steggle
-
New Mexico to investigate death of Gene Hackman, wife
speed read The Oscar-winning actor and his wife Betsy Arakawa were found dead in their home with no signs of foul play
-
Giant schnauzer wins top prize at Westminster show
Speed Read Monty won best in show at the 149th Westminster Kennel Club dog show
-
Beyoncé, Kendrick Lamar take top Grammys
Speed Read Beyoncé took home album of the year for 'Cowboy Carter' and Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us' won five awards
-
The Louvre is giving 'Mona Lisa' her own room
Speed Read The world's most-visited art museum is getting a major renovation
-
Honda and Nissan in merger talks
Speed Read The companies are currently Japan's second and third-biggest automakers, respectively
-
Taylor Swift wraps up record-shattering Eras tour
Speed Read The pop star finally ended her long-running tour in Vancouver, Canada
-
Drake claims illegal boosting, defamation
Speed Read The rapper accused Universal Music of boosting Kendrick Lamar's diss track and said UMG allowed him to be falsely accused of pedophilia