Hip-hop fueled Phelps’ quest for gold
Olympic swimmer cites Young Jeezy, Lil’ Wayne, Outkast as motivators
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Monday, August 18, 2008
The ties between hip-hop music and competitive swimming at its highest level aren’t as tenuous as one might expect.
Thirty years ago, after all, the original smash rap single, “Rapper’s Delight”, referenced water sports in the lyric, “After school I take a dip in the pool’. And eight-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps has let it be known that he habitually listened to hip-hop while psyching himself up to race.
ALLEN SULLIVAN / SPECIAL
The explicity hip-hop single ‘A Milli’ by New Orleans rapper Lil’ Wayne helped fuel the fire in Olympic swimming sensation Michael Phelps.
MCT
When swimmer Michael Phelps sought motivation en route to winning eight Olympic gold medals, he tuned his iPod to a variety of hip-hop artist who hail from the ‘Dirty South’.
According to a recent New York Times profile: “The music transforms him. His goofy grin dissolves into a glower, his eyes turn cold as ice. The hip-hop beats have a hypnotic effect on Phelps, who sometimes, after a race, is unable to recall the songs that locked him into his groove.”
Phelps has referenced the Miami-based rapper Rick Ross and New York’s preeminent hip-hop artist Jay-Z as two of the artists he prefers for motivation.
But, of course, no self-respecting rap fan could go without shouting out rappers with ties to the “Dirty South” in general and Atlanta in particular. Outkast, Young Jeezy and Lil’ Wayne are on heavy rotation on Phelps’ iPod as well.
The playlist that Phelps provided to Yahoo.com during his historic Olympic turn reads as follows. If you’re as familiar with the latest hip-hop stars as you are the Chinese national anthem, if might help to click on select links to get familiar with what was going on in Phelps’ head. (Warning:, some lyrics may prove objectionable.)
1. “Overnight Celebrity” - Twista
2. “Burn” - Usher
3. “Roses” - Outkast
4. “Till I Collapse” - Eminem
5. “Smile” - G Unit
6. “A Milli” - Lil’ Wayne
7. “Hustlin” - Rick Ross
8. “Hello Brooklyn 2.0” - Jay-Z (featuring Lil Wayne)
9. “I Got What It Takes” - Young Jeezy
To sound off on what you think of hip-hop as a motivational tool for athletes, visit the Atlanta Music Scene blog.
