In the history of hip-hop and rap videos, it’s not hard to find a notable musician sporting some sort of jersey or hat from a major sports league, like Major League Baseball (MLB). The two genres have mixed quite often, and here’s proof of that. Let’s take a look at five rap music videos where MLB jerseys are featured prominently.
Related: A Memorable Look at MLB Players’ Cameos in Hit TV Shows
Check the Rhime – A Tribe Called Quest
We start off this list with “Check the Rhime,” one of the more notable hits from A Tribe Called Quest. In the music video for the song, Q-Tip can be seen wearing a Braves hat and a Yankees jersey — a bit of an odd combination given the two teams’ history with each other.
For reference, though, this music video came out in 1991, five years before the two teams would meet for the first of two World Series clashes over a five-year span. Phife Dawg can also be seen wearing a Cleveland Indians jersey and hat.
A Tribe Called Quest were no strangers to making MLB-related references in their songs. In “Award Tour,” Phife Dawg made sure people knew that the group put out more hits than the Braves and Yankees. And in the song “Scenario” that featured Busta Rhymes, the group referenced former All-Star outfielder Bo Jackson and his “Bo Knows” Nike promo.
E.I. – Nelly
The city of St. Louis has produced a strong crop of hip-hop artists, including Nelly.
The Missouri-raised rapper and his troupe can be seen wearing several jerseys from St. Louis in the music video ‘E.I.,’ including the now-former St. Louis Rams and the St. Louis Cardinals.
This won’t, however, be the only time we mention St. Louis in this list.
Girls, Girls, Girls – Jay-Z
Jay-Z is one of the most famous fans of the New York Yankees. But in the music video for “Girls, Girls, Girls,” it wasn’t the pinstripes that Jay-Z chose to wear.
In that video, the rap icon can be seen wearing a vintage white San Diego Padres jersey, one worn by members of the organization during the 1980s.
It’s certainly not a bad look, and one sported by legendary figures of the game like Baseball Hall of Famers Rich Gossage and Tony Gwynn.
Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik – Outkast
Iconic rap duo Outkast made sure everyone knew about their southern roots.
In the music video for “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik,” Outkast member Andre “3000” Benjamin can be seen sporting an Atlanta Braves jersey, during the height of the team’s historic streak of division titles.
Both Andre 3000 and Big Boi are well-known Braves fans, and the latter has not been shy about supporting his team on social meida. Back in 2019, Big Boi tweeted out his support for Braves infielders Ozzie Albies and Dansby Swanson for the MLB All-Star Vote.
Welcome to Atlanta (Remix) – Jermaine Dupri
We close out this list with yet another Atlanta-based rapper, Jermaine Dupri. In a remix of his hit “Welcome to Atlanta” that featured Ludacris, several high-profile rappers sported MLB merchandise.
In the New York portion of the video that featured P.Diddy, Mets and Yankees — the latter of which was Puff Daddy’s choice of wardrobe — clothing and jerseys were worn in the video. The Cardinals received some love as well, courtesy of St. Louis’ own Murphy Lee. Lee can be seen wearing a Spirit of St. Louis ABA jersey and a Redbirds jersey.
One interesting note from this video is that the St. Louis portion was filmed inside of the old Busch Stadium. Not to mention, former Cardinals infielder and two-time Gold Glove winner Fernando Vina made a cameo in this production.