12 Years Before Mentioning James Harden on New Album, Drake Name-Dropped Michael Jordan in Grammy-Winning Project

Famed singer Drake dropping basketball icons? names in his music is nothing new. However, recently, there has been a lot of drama with him hinting at James Harden?s dating life in one of his songs. But the history of Drizzy’s hoop references can be traced back to His Airness, Michael Jordan.?

Nearly 12 years after that album’s release, Drake looks back on the song, vividly recalling its lyrics.

Drake nostalgically remembers the track shouting out Michael Jordan

People certainly remember Drake?s ?Back to Back? released in 2016. It was a diss track directed at Meek Mill. It’s another track where the Canadian artist namedropped the Chicago Bulls legend. The lyrics were, ?I?m on the cover of Lethal Weapon Back to Back like I?m Jordan ?96, ?97.” Though this is possibly Drake’s most famous MJ shoutout, you may not have heard the one that released in 2011.

During that year, Drake released the album, ?Take Care.? Just as the name suggested, it was an album dedicated to self-love. The intro of that album, ?Over my Dead Body? featured the 6x NBA champion, Michael Jordan. The album not only topped the Billboard 200 but also led the singer to win his first Grammy.

Drake recently shared the lyrics with the X followers. The Tweet read, ?Are these people really discussing my career again? Asking if I?ll be going platinum in a year again? Don?t I got the shit the world wanna hear again? Don?t Michael Jordan still got his hoop earring in?”

Not only the 5x Grammy winner but the fans also love hearing their favorite basketball players? names on rap songs.

Watch This Story: NBA Analyst Thrashes LeBron James? Agent Rich Paul?s Comments on Pressure of ?Following? Michael Jordan: ?He Had to Follow Magic (Johnson)?

However, Drake and the?Slim Reaper?took this hip-hop and basketball connection to the next level recently.

Drake collabs with KD to name-drop James Harden

As much as fans enjoy the songs, some also struggle to find out the meaning behind his cryptic message. Something similar was noticed when Drake’s latest song in collaboration with Kevin Durant surfaced.?

Notably, the 2-time NBA champion was given production credits on “The Shoe Fits”. The song also mentioned KD’s former teammate, James Harden. The lyrics were, ?She points to the guy she?s talking about and it?s James Harden. Lost your girl to the sniper, 13.?

READ MORE: ?Don?t Sleep on Tim Duncan?: Michael Jordan Saw Spurs Legend?s Potential Before the NBA World

Well, some suggest that it is aimed at the Los Angeles Clippers player?s flamboyant dating life. It’s as much of a mystery to you as it is to us. What do you think about the lyrics and the meaning behind it? Let us know in the comments below.