Yankees effect on hip-hop; a new report from Fanatics

From Biggie to Jay Z, not to mention Swizz Beats, Nas, Method Man and The Beastie Boys, the interlocking “NY” not only represents the Yankees, the most iconic club in professional sports but a symbolic way of life.

The Yankees have long held a special place in the world of hip-hop and the artists that do it so well. Proving so, the folks at Fanatics recently compiled a comprehensive list of the 300 most iconic rap songs in history to see which sports teams were best represented.

Using a combination of Rolling Stone’s “100 Greatest Hip-Hop Songs of All-Time,” crowdsourced lists from Ranker, Billboard’s hip-hop archives and hours upon hours of music videos, Fanatics unveiled an unprecedented collection of data about sports’ influence on and hip-hop.

While baseball as a whole may be struggling to hold the attention of a millennial audience as compared to the uptempo nature of the NFL and NBA, it is MLB that features sports-related gear in over 50 percent of hip-hop music videos — 58.8 percent to be exact, as compared to 22.8 percent for the NBA and 12.7 percent for the NFL.

In regards to jersey’s being repped in music videos, which has severely dwindled since the early-to-mid 2000s, MLB ranks second at 30.2 percent. The NBA came in at No. 1 at 49.2 percent.

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As far as headwear is concerned, the statistics aren’t even close, and rightfully so. Baseball is synonymous for its hats. Always has been, always will be. A whopping 75.4 percent of hip-hop music videos feature various baseball team caps.

I mean, remember what Jay Z said during the 2009 smash hit, ‘Empire State of Mind’: Catch me at the X with OG at a Yankee game. I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can.

There’s a couple of Yankees greats that may take exception with that, but que sera, sera.

When it comes to team-specific MLB team hats being featured in music videos, the Yankees, unsurprisingly lead the way at 27.5 percent. The Dodgers are second at 13.7 percent and Braves third at 11.5 percent. New Era, the official maker of MLB caps, owes a lot of its portfolio success to early 2000 rappers.

Since the Yankees are the undisputed sport’s presence in hip-hop, it’s no wonder the greatest city in the world is the No. 1 repped city of any local that houses a pro franchise.

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With so much talent born and bred within the five boroughs, it’s hard to imagine New York, and more specifically, the Yankees, losing their status as hip-hop’s elite fashion accessory.