Michael Jordan knows what it means to be the best of the best, and his competitive nature drives him to demand excellence from those around him as well. However, his desire to always be the best at everything that he does can sometimes make the Chicago Bulls legend be really blunt with his words. Jordan, who has always been speculated to not be a big fan of rap, did not hold back with his comments about the rapper Common by saying that he did not belong in basketball.
The 51-year-old rapper is no slouch. His skills are far above those of a layman. Common even won the 2020 All-Star Celebrity Game MVP award. However, he recently revealed in an interview how Michael Jordan was once not impressed after seeing Common’s basketball skills.
“I worked hard to get into those celebrity basketball games because I love basketball. So many of my friends are watching, so I’m looking to show up and do great. That year, I did great. Like I really thought I was gonna get MVP. I ended up after the game going to Michael Jordan’s brand Jordan party. He said, ‘Common, come here.’… He said in my ear, ‘Stick to rapping and acting’,” said Common in a recent interview on Late Night with Seth Meyers.
Common was a bit hurt by the comment from Jordan. Common had worked extremely hard to get to where he is in terms of basketball. But Jordan humiliated Common in an instant with his harsh opinion. While this can be viewed as Jordan trying to diminish his competition, this did not stop the rapper from improving in basketball.
However, this is not the first time that Jordan has made comments that have hurt a rapper. He has already been accused of saying that he hates the rap genre as a whole.
Is Michael Jordan’s hate for rappers real?
One of the earliest controversies that Michael Jordan found himself in was back in the 1990s. The rapper Tupac was making waves in the industry. His no-filter attitude of sticking with the common people made him loved by the fans. But Tupac once famously called out Michael Jordan for not doing everything he could for the community.
This might have been the start of it all, as Jordan has not been extremely affectionate towards rappers ever since. In 2009, the rapper Chamillionaire once shared the story of getting humiliated by Jordan when he asked to take a picture with the Bulls legend. Chamillionaire further added that Jordan told him to buy a $15,000 jersey in order for MJ to take a picture with him.
But this does not come close to the Def Jam Christmas party story from the rapper N.O.R.E. The rapper saw Jordan attending the party. However, what he heard from Jordan was not something he expected. N.O.R.E. once said, “He (Jordan) said, ‘F*** rap.” N.O.R.E. also added that Jordan only liked Jay-Z in the rap industry and hated everyone else.
While this stirred up controversy at the time, Jordan’s representative quickly issued a public statement that Jordan was not at the party that the rapper was referring to. It also stated that Michael Jordan is a fan of all kinds of music. While it is not certain if Michael Jordan really has an issue with rap music and rappers in general, it is safe to say that he might have gone a bit too far with his comments toward Common, who grew up in Chicago watching the Bulls dynasty.
Do you think Michael Jordan hates rappers? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
