Hip-Hop Boosts Astros

[bigted]

Now I ain't really a fan of these 2 rappers but I think it's kinda cool that they made raps about the World Series, maybe if the Phillies make it one year JJFP'll do a song, lol.

"Hip-hop boosts Astros

Associated Press

HOUSTON -- The Houston Astros are far more likely to boot scoot to country music than bob their heads to a hip-hop tune.

But that hasn't stopped two rappers from Houston from putting a baseball twist on their latest hits to pay homage to the Astros and their first World Series appearance.

Chamillionaire recorded a remix of "Turn It Up" and Paul Wall remixed "They Don't Know" for the Astros. Both songs have been getting heavy radio play locally and were to play Tuesday at Minute Maid Park during Game 3 against the Chicago White Sox.

"Making the song was a natural for me because I'm such a big fan," said Wall, who remembers watching the Astros as a child from the $1 upper-deck seats at the now defunct Astrodome.

Wall and Chamillionaire are former partners turned bitter rivals, so it's no surprise that they would have dueling Astros anthems.

"I just wanted to give some encouragement to the team," said Chamillionaire, whose Universal debut "The Sound of Revenge" comes out next month. "Because I know that in my world of hip-hop a lot of people pay attention to baseball. I just wanted to be a part of this history."

Straying from his teammates -- who keep country music videos playing on the clubhouse TVs -- third baseman Morgan Ensberg said he was excited about the raps. He said he likes both rappers and couldn't wait to hear the songs.

"That's the coolest thing I've ever heard," he said.

Wall (real name Paul Slayton) names all 25 players on the active roster as well as manager Phil Garner and owner Drayton McLane in his 2½-minute song. He also mentions Astros fan and former President George Bush.

"Last year it was all a dream, but this year they did their thing," Wall raps. "The Astros are baseball's kings."

Wall wrote the song in the car returning from a show the night the Astros won the National League championship and recorded it at 5 a.m. the next morning.

Late in the regular season, just before his album "The People's Champ" was released, Wall attended a game and caught a foul ball. He said he thinks catching that ball was a good luck charm as his album debuted at No. 1 overall on the Billboard charts.

Now he said he hopes this song will help his good fortune rub off on the Astros.

"I'm so happy to be a part of this in some small way," said Wall, who recorded a videotaped message to play before his song.

Chamillionaire's uptempo song, which was released first, is less specific but just as supportive. It features lines like "Houston is the best if you don't know then you're delirious" and "couldn't win the series is what they thought and now we're proving it."

Chamillionaire (real name Hakeem Seriki) said his record label asked him to include the players' names but he resisted.

"I realized music's designed to be timeless," he said. "You never know that record could get played again down the line. It didn't want it to only be relevant for that time."

Known as the Mixtape Messiah on Houston's underground rap scene after selling more than 250,000 records independently, Chamillionaire used his freestyle skills to put the song together in about 30 minutes.

In the midst of a promotional tour for his album, Chamillionaire was in Chicago when he recorded the song.

"It's kind of crazy," he said. "At the time I did it I wasn't thinking about any of that."

Despite it being recorded in the opposing team's hometown, Kirby Kander, Minute Maid Park's director of entertainment, said it's a boost for the team.

"Chamillionaire's is kind of a rally song that gets you excited during the game," he said."

[rcpbball30]

Yeah, I saw that, not exactly great rappers, but a nice idea nonetheless.