Stephen Curry’s NBA career speaks for itself: He’s got four championship rings and two season MVP titles, one of them the only unanimous vote in league history (2016). His rap record, however, is less proven. Evidence of the Akron, Ohio native turned Golden State star’s hip-hop aspirations are less documented than his hoop dreams, but his early attempts at rapping rendered less-than-stellar results (see his four-bar verse on an ill-advised “I Love College” remix, uploaded to YouTube just over a month before he was selected as the seventh overall pick in the 2009 NBA draft, for evidence).
Fourteen years later, Curry has kicked off his rap redemption arc. As the featured guest in the music video for well-regarded Alief, Texas emcee Tobe Nwigwe’s new single, “Lil Fish, Big Pond,” he seems to rap surprisingly well for a surprisingly long time, taking not only the hook but a remarkably solid 30-second verse as well. In reality, it’s Nwigwe rapping from Curry’s perspective (before trickily taking a verse in his regular rap persona), but Curry’s lip-syncing work alone is enough to earn a very slight nod from the heads.
Unfortunately, this means we can’t declare the end of Damian Lillard’s reign as the NBA’s best rapper. But even the suggestion of Steph’s major league flow will certainly have the Portland point guard on his toes for months to come.
“Lil Fish, Big Pond” is taken from the soundtrack to Underrated, a just-released AppleTV+ documentary on Curry’s life. Watch the song’s Nwigwe-directed music video above, and listen to the track on its own below.