ESPN will premiere The Crossover on September 12. The latest episode of E: 60 will look at the intertwined histories of hip-hop and sports. Per ESPN, "Sports and Hip Hop are two pillars of Black culture that empowered a community to be heard and celebrated against the backdrop of cultural oppression and political persecution. As the 50th anniversary of the founding of Hip Hop is celebrated, a new ESPN special presentation examines the evolution of this defining culture and its relationship with sports. Soon, athletes and entertainers would step to the microphone and boldly become the sound of a new generation and an inspiration to their people. When the world looked to silence them, the culture found a way to speak louder than ever before. Muhammad Ali to Public Enemy, Jay-Z to Lebron James and beyond, the impact on sports has been indelible."
Furthermore, the documentary will be narrated by Busta Rhymes. Rhymes is one of the most influential pillars of the hip-hop scene. This makes him the perfect voice for such a complex and nuanced documentary. The Crossover: 50 Years of Hip Hop and Sport will premiere at 7:30pm ET on September 12. Furthermore, it will be be available on demand via ESPN+ after airing.
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ESPN Explores Sport And Hip Hop
“I knew I wanted to do something on it. But obviously, working for a sports platform, I thought, What angle can I approach to tell the story? And I thought I hadn’t seen anything on the connection of sports and hip hop. So that’s where the gist of it came from,” he said. “From there, I just started thinking about those connections. Then I started developing an idea and pitching it to the team," director Julian Gooden said of The Crossover.
“I definitely feel like I learned a lot. I wouldn’t call myself an aficionado, but I grew up listening to hip hop. That’s what my connection to it was, living in the culture. We talk about the culture in the film a lot, and that’s the culture that I grew up listening to and watching. My heroes are Jay-Z and Diddy – these are the guys I looked up to, and that’s where my passion comes from. I want to tell stories that reflect the Black experience. This is a dream project because I lived it," he continued.
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