Rumors have been circulating online that the Memphis Grizzlies’ have banned rap music at their basketball games.

While there is no official report from the Grizzlies stating that this has been put into effect, an article by ESPN states the rap soundtrack played during the team’s layup lines was replaced by R&B songs. 

Not only was their playlist adjusted, but the music played during the team’s pregame hype video was replaced with an instrumental.

This led to Grizzlies power forward Jaren Jackson Jr. jokingly complaining in the locker room after the game about having to “warm up to love songs.”

If banning rap music entirely is in the foreseeable future for the Memphis Grizzlies, it would be pointless and make their games boring.

This news follows the suspension of the Grizzlies’ star guard Ja Morant. Morant is suspended for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 season, for what the NBA deemed conduct detrimental to the league.

In March, Morant was seen on Instagram Live holding a handgun in a nightclub.

This resulted in an 8-game suspension during the second half of last season.

Nearly 10 weeks after this incident, Morant was seen on a friend’s Instagram live holding a gun and playing music from rapper NBA YoungBoy.

Rap music isn’t to blame for Morant’s actions. He is a human being who chooses to make those decisions. The music didn’t make him get online and flash weapons. 

Aside from that, rap music, and music in general, is deeply important to Memphis culture.

A subgenre of rap and hip hop was even coined Memphis rap, which is known for having heavy bass and an upbeat tempo that gets people excited.

Some of the early rap pioneers like 8Ball & MJG, Three 6 Mafia, Project Pat and Gangsta Boo all originated from Memphis.

This leads me to my next point, crowd engagement. The basketball team and fans need the fun, catchy beats to keep them pumped and engaged in the game.

I frequently go to Grizzlies games and cannot imagine the FedEx Forum without rap music blasting through the speakers and fueling the excitement.

It’s bad enough one of the team’s biggest stars is suspended for several games. Taking away rap music will turn once-exciting basketball games into ultimate snoozefests.

Not only is rap music a large part of the atmosphere on game nights, but rappers often line the courtside seats.

Key Glock, Moneybagg Yo, Yo Gotti, and several other Memphis rappers are often seen at games. Banning their music would surely result in their nonattendance. 

Lastly, banning rap music would take away from the players’ expression. If they like to enjoy certain music genres to prepare and get ready for games, they should be able to listen to them.

At the end of the day, these players make the NBA millions of dollars, and the Grizzlies bring in so much revenue for the city of Memphis.

The team should be able to have a say on what music is played while they warm up for games.