Though much misfortune has occurred throughout 2020, the death of Kobe Bryant and Gianna Bryant on January 26th remains one of the more impactful tragedies. It certainly had a profound effect on the hip-hop community, with many rappers holding Bryant, his legacy, and his Mamba Mentality in high esteem; even now, it's bittersweet to hear the sheer volume of Kobe references across various songs from the past twenty years.
Lil Wayne Honors Kobe Bryant With BET Awards Performance">Gonzalo Marroquin/Getty Images
For Lil Wayne, Kobe Bryant was somewhat of a role model, to the point where Weezy penned a homage in his name called "Kobe Bryant." The track, originally released in 2009, was inspired by Bryant's Game 6 performance in the 2009 Western Conference Finals when the Los Angeles Lakers faced off against Denver Nuggets; during that game, Bryant held it down with 35 points and 10 assists.
During last night's BET Awards, Weezy F. Baby did his part to honor the fallen legend and his daughter. Taking to the virtual stage, Wayne let fly a performance of "Kobe Bryant," which featured classic video footage of the Mamba's on-court domination. It also featured an inspired Tunechi, who was in fine form as he spit classic bars like "Kobe Bryant Nikes, purple gold strings, Kobe in the game dunkin' on the whole team / Black Mamba, attack, conquer, basketball beast, rap monster."
Check out footage of Wayne's BET Awards performance, and if you're not up to speed with last night's events, check out the complete list of winners right here. Rest in peace to Kobe and Gianna Bryant.