Dissect DJs - Kurtis Blow - Basketball

Episode Date: February 27, 2026

Episode 164 goes hard in the paint with a deep dissect on Kurtis Blow's 1984 classic "Basketball". Is it our favorite sport? Did any of the many remakes of the song do it better than Kurtis? (We give 'em ALL a listen). Does the sport of basketball hold up to what it was in 1984? The alley-oop has been lobbed and we're lookin for the throwdown NEXT!Video Podcast Episode: https://youtu.be/pSzsSgFP4MoListeners of this episode also might enjoy: 80s music, hip hop, podcast, sports, Michael Jordan, Shaq, Lil Bow Wow, Master P, The Falling Downs, comedy, Mugsy Bogues, Larry Bird, Magic Johnson, podcast comedy, Dissect DJs, music podcast, reaction, review, Ryan Castle, DJ JAG, bball, LeBron James, Quad City DJs, Space Jam, Barry White, Chris Rock, Basketball Jones. NBAAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

Playing basketball DECD With a BOOD Curtis Bloc with you Rita

said I'm about to make an interest because we playing basketball See with me Steve

We play in basketball Because you went the Dossack Dijs he was your boy DJ MCMC Jigoo Jig

Jig and you know I'm with my boy Stiz What up Steve Because we are the DJs I'd like to spin it, mix it, throw it back, and dissect it.

Today, we are playing football. What? No, we're playing basketball. Playing basketball. As my man Curtis Blow says from this legendary track from, God damn it, I don't have the song. It's okay, 1982. No, you think so? You think it's that old?

I'm going to age. What are you to guess before you go? 86. Okay. So. Wait, wait, wait, wait. Let me get the answer. 1984.

So I think you said 82, I said 86. Right in the middle. It's called that a shake. Even shake. Draw. Can I tell you, Cassidy, basketball was my number two obsession of my life. Number one? Baseball from the age of seven to 12.

I got out of here. From the age of seven to 12, I was lost in baseball. And then I had my first 70-mile-an-hour pitch thrown to me. and I realized I was having a rock thrown in my head and I said, oh, basketball seems nice, right? And then I had my best friend, my cousin Lowe's, who was a basketball player and I was like, I'm going to go play with him.

And we did a travel team called the Dynasty. Mike Garcia, I know you're listening, you were part of that as well. Went to San Diego, went to L.A., went to different places. That was a cool team. And basketball was my life from 12 to about 20, just before you met me, I'd say. You were still doing basketball. I was part of it, and then I tore my ACL and the basketball was done.

You still played after that, but yeah, you were gimpy after that. Yeah, and you still had that broken-ass shot that you never fixed. I never had a good shot, but I was a passer. Coach used to tell me, he was like, hey, Jay, hey, bullethead, you're a passer. They called me bullethead in high school. That was my head, because I used to shave my head with a razor. And now you just do it just for fun. I use a thing that it's not as bad.

But in high school, it was a razor, so it would be shiny, and people would, they would all slap my head. hated that shit. Yeah, you would not like that at all. I hated it. I was 12th man on my basketball team. Maybe 11th. Me and Christian used to battle for who was worse.

He had a better shot than me, but I was a better passer. So either way, my team was full of guards. We went all the way to quarterfinals of Division I, CIF, with a guard team. Our tallest guy was 6-2, and we still made it to quarterfinals.

That's how fast everybody was. So I was playing with a bunch of guards. I go to any other high school, I'm starting. But, you know, it is what it is. A.B. Miller. Oh, hot kids. Pup-a-pup, pooh-da, pooh-da.

No, basketball was my favorite sport growing up as well. Like, I was very sports-tastic as we're, like, love playing all of them. You have to seasons, right? Play soccer in the fall and basketball in the winter and then baseball in the spring. I remember I would get most, like, jammed up for, like, basketball games, like coming out. Because, like, of all games, it was the one that I felt like I could, like, maybe take over. Like, I would have some games or suddenly I'm getting hot. You felt like that?

Yeah, what age? Or, like, high school age? No, because when I was high school, I was mostly just, I became like a wrestler. You were a beast wrestler. Yeah, yeah. And that was like what became like my whole athletic thing. I even played basketball up to my sophomore year as just like in a league. Okay.

And then I realized by the time I was a junior, I was like, I cannot devote energy to that anymore. Like all of my, because I would do these tournaments where I'd be fucking wrestling 10 matches in like two days. And then the next day it would be like, oh, I have a rec league basketball game. I'd be like, this shit doesn't matter. This shit doesn't matter. I would, like, drag myself to it and just, like, slog my way through it. And I was just like, I need to, like, put this on ice. And I did until college.

You know what sucked about that is I used to have a wet shot. And then when I... Yeah, when I stopped playing for two years and I came back to it, I played college, you know, innermiles, like, with you guys. My shot was just never the same. Wow. Yeah. So similar to happen to me.

Seventh, eighth grade, I was... And you may not believe this because you've seen my shot. I was the best three-point shooter. Anybody saw. You give me the ball? It was ween wet. And then I broke my wrist and teeth going into freshman year. And then my wrist just never was the same.

It's like, you know, I can never get it. That's why you shot like Sean Mary. Yeah, it's like launched the ball. It was terrible. Anybody that's seen Justin's shot knows what I'm talking about. It's really bad. Corey probably, Corey don't listen to shit. But Mike does.

Mike knows I didn't have a shot. He commented on one of our things once talking about how you were a liar about Coach Billy. I remember that. No, he knows Coach Billy was nobody, dude. Coach Billy sucks. Only because he got playing time, I did it, and I should have when we're up 20. Fuck you, Coach Billy.

I hope you're listening, Coach Billy. Another shitty coach, Coach, who I had for my friend, he was my freshman coach. Shitty coach. And then guess what? They moved him to the JV coach my sophomore year. So not only did I have to deal with Coach my freshman year, now my sophomore year. Now my sophomore year. And then my junior years, because I didn't make varsity because a freshman came in and shook me with one of these.

He did this. Midair, he said, and then... Get you with that? What the fuck is that? Dude, he held the ball midair, shook it. He palmed it like Michael. And then I was like, what is that? That's illegal.

And I fell. And then they were like, you're off the team. Michael is the first one that made me realize that, like, Michael Jordan. First one made me realize the effects that, like, palm in the ball. Oh, my goodness. Do you realize, like, what an effective ability. Like, the two, when I think of players that could palm the ball, I think of two players off the top of the head.

I think of Michael Jordan. I think of Shaq. But mid-dribble, mid-dribble? Well, that sounds like traveling. Exactly. But it was try-out, so there was no referee. So he made me look like absolute shit. He held the ball, shook it on me.

I said, that's not legal. Oh. And then made, in his game. No, but the way Michael used to be able to hold the ball out here. Oh, yeah. And just like while that, like, you realize, like, as like a player, like that is such an effective ability to be able to do that. Yeah.

It's such an advantage to be able to, like, just put the ball over here while you're doing whatever you're thinking and you're looking at the whole thing and you don't have to keep your dribble going and like him and Shaq are the only two guys that could like hold the ball out like that and just hold it with one hand like Yeah, there's that famous picture of him and Mugsy Boggs

where Mugsy Bokes is way down here And he's holding it above him Yeah And I always imagine like, wait Mugsy Bokes is like pretty much my height Yeah well I mean I think he's smaller now I think it was like 5-3 Yeah he was like 5-3

He was you know That's crazy to have 53 territory That he's the reason I had hope To be in the NBA Yeah you have I think Mugsy Bokes gave a lot of us short people like, no, we can make it. Look at Mugsy.

That man was the next level. Like, I mean, you'd have to be so aggressively nasty on defense, which he was, which is like, filthy, like, anytime somebody puts the ball on the floor, look out. It might be stolen. Yeah, yeah. I was not that, but I hope to be. And, yeah. And I think I've said the story before.

LeBron came, saw him on TV, and he was dunking on people that were my size. And I was like, oh, I have no chance. Basketball's done. Sorry, Curtis. Let me try badminton and flag football in fraternity and see if that works out. But I guess what? Basketball, I still love you. And I can't explain it.

I can't explain it well, but you know who can? My man, Curtis Blow. Curtis, tell us about it. That's not right. Rockwood. Curtis, show us. That was Basketcase. I fucked that up.

You really did fuck that up. I'm going to keep it in. too. Number one. Here he comes. My favorite's phone. I like the way to drool up and down the court. Just like I'm the king on the microphone.

So a doctor J. and Moses Malone. I like slam dogs and take me to the home. My favorite play is the alley. I like the picking road. I like to give him and go because it's basketball of Mr. Curtis. All the ballers of the 80s.

I know this song was made in 1984. If I listened to the lyrics a little bit more before I guessed 1986, I would have been like, all right, definitely 84 because 84 was the very beginning of rap music. And back then, rap, basic was the name of the game back then. Like, you didn't have to actually be really, like, flowy. You didn't have to be creative with your rhymes, which, by the way, is now an infection that rap has rediscovered that I don't see them getting out of for, like, the last 10 years. saying something like intelligent with your rhymes. But back in the beginning days, like 1984, when rap was still very new,

you could just say the most basic shit and it played, such as Curtis Blow explaining why he loves basketball. Real quick, as you're getting into lyrics, look at Curtis Blow. Just let you so glow. He really done. He's not a good old baby. Look at Curtis. Do you think that was his real name or do you think he thought he's

being clever. No, it's definitely clever. Nobody. Nobody. Why you tell us the lyrics. I'm going to name his real name. I'm going to name myself Curtis Blow and nobody's going to even know. I like the flow that you just did, yo.

Wasn't that good. Anyways, okay. Tell us the lyrics, go. I mean, basketball is his favorite sport. He likes a dribble up and down the court. He likes the dunks, the give and go, the alley-you. Those are, like, he just says the most elementary shit about, like, what basketball is. And then in the verse two, he just starts naming his play.

players. Earl the Pearl, Wilt, Big O, Jerry West, these are all players from the 60s. Then he starts to like naming Bernard King, Magic Larry. I don't know Bernard King myself. He was in 80s. He was in the 80s with the Knicks. Okay. I think 70s too.

Yeah. Real quick, his real name was Curtis Walker. Hmm. Yeah. All right. Well. And he had three kids. Random facts. I wonder why he went to blow. Go ahead and pull up that Soglow image right now and I feel like

back and forth they were just showing me of him doing that like it looks like he's looking at how big his eyes are who could ever figure out why he was Curtis Blow in 1984 allegedly

that kind of thing was not very prominent Balzzy move to make that your artist name like I'm going stage name with it going stage name with it All right that was his way louder than for those that don't know Justin decided his basketball

gear today would be the referee calling the fouls I'm gonna be the refraves and blowing the whistle which apparently is a little too loud I didn't realize see it's a little grading

you told me you refed back in the day and you were big on like calling charges I love charges if you responded if you were a defense or you put your body on the line you were getting a call I don't care if you were still moving your feet let's see what it looks like

you do that all right You do the double whistle? Yeah, yeah. I'd slap the shit on my... What age did you... Ref? Yeah, rap. That was like during high school.

Like, because that was 12th. Yeah, but like, what... How old were the kids that you were riffing? I was reffing, like, directly. So during spring league basketball, you either went to track or there was like a spring league for basketball. Okay. And then I could either be on the team, which I did that a couple times.

That was cool. Or I would ref a couple games. and that was always a thing. But yeah, it was usually like eighth grade, I would ref, because I also did those leagues. I forgot about that life. He just reminded me about that stuff. Well, it's basketball season,

so we're all about basketball music to the forefront or basketball movies, which you might have coming to you next week. So stay tuned. You'll like it. Stay tuned. So the way I, basketball for me was a release because if I stayed home, I would have chores to do. Guaranteed, if my dad saw me sitting for more than 30 seconds,

He'd be like, what are you doing? All right, I got weeds for you to pool. Or I got a lawn for you to mow. Or I got a car for you to wash. And I'd be like, so as long as I'm not here, I don't got to do none of that shit. So I'd be on my bike and there was two parks I can go to. And either one of those parks stayed open until about 2 a.m. And people, we were talking about it in the movie you're going to see next week.

People would play till 2 a.m. Maybe. It depends where you live. Where I was. And there would be nonstop pickup games. And then again, I played varsity basketball. I wasn't good on that team. but because I played with a bunch of good guys there,

anywhere else I went, I was a straight baller, okay? So enjoyed myself until 2 a.m., went back home. My dad was asleep, no more chores. So fuck you, dad. Okay? I'm not doing your chores for you until the morning when you would wake me up at 6 a.m. with your coffee and then I have to do more chores.

I love you, Dad. I'm just messing with you, but yeah, fuck that shit. I hated your shorts. I hated those chores. All right. All right, so I just liked basketball because I didn't have, have things going on outside of like school and whatever. So I would just spend my days playing in my front yard and I had a basketball hoop.

Depending on the season, I would either. That's why you had stroke. Yeah. I would either just shoot hoops in the driveway or I would turn it around and we had a friend yard that kind of had went up the hill. I would hit tennis balls with a wiffle bat and I would play baseball. Those are my two sports that I used to play all the time because those are both sports that you can play bar is especially basketball.

You know what I mean? Yeah, basketball is definitely, you know, You could do three, two, one. And then every now, then I'd have, I'd have challengers. I'd have friends coming around. I had my brother. Like, we'd have, we'd have some one-on-ones. But it was a sport that you could literally just play all the time and just work on your shit.

Yeah. And I got to a point when I was like, my shot's pretty good. I really need to work on my ball handling. And I usually used to spend hours just like fucking trying to handle, get my handles right. Yeah, yes, I do it. Get good at the handles. I try to do it without looking. I was like, I don't need.

So anyways, also, Curtis, blow hit this in 1984 at the perfect time for when the NBA was really beginning to take off 1984 was right in the crux of when we had bird versus magic Michael just got drafted the NBA is coming y'all and there was a huge lift of the game of basketball on NBA itself pistons are showing up they're starting to get aggressive and they're about to get in there yeah and so of course because this became the anthem of basketball that you still hear I hear it today on like peacocks either peacock or NBC or one of the next networks that plays basketball now.

Yeah, yeah, yeah. This is still the song that they play as like their main song. So, oh, by the way, Grant Hill represent. I haven't even- I haven't even called out the teal, the teal Grant Hill jersey with the flaming horse. The 90s just knew how to fucking do alternate jerseys. There wasn't even alternate jerseys at that time. They would just change for a whole season.

The Pistons went from always being like blue and red and white. And then all of a sudden in like- N-quoise. Yeah, 95. They're like, what if we went turquoise? Red and orange. With a giant flaming horse And everybody will just deal with it

And this is still works It's a good one So I point was And I like the ref jersey And he likes being the ref He's really good at calling charges So obviously A song like this

That he created That was just a tribute to basketball Was bound to have some remix Some remix Some people were gonna redo this So we got a few What I want to do is play them And then you tell me

Which one actually plays the best All right I like it All right First up is little bow wow let's hear we it just decided he was bow wow and this was coinciding with his movie like mike he was tired a little yeah hit it yeah up and down the court i keep it so fresh on the microphone i like no interruption when the game is on i like slam dunk to take me to the hoop my favorite

Play is the alley Youth I like to pick and roll I like to give it go And it's basketball Bow Wow Let's go Wait a minute Why do you feel confused

Did he just say the exact same lyrics And Kurtz bloated? No, because he said Bow Wow You better say some different basketball players right here Let's hear it come on Oh I got the rock in my hands

Ain't telling what I'm gonna do with it When I got position I'm like the fool with it I might cross you up And fake one way Turn around and hit you with the M-G Jay Fade away Humped on

Passes Like Jay Kid That's A Pets to the rack and I'm dunking on a right. FAPE FETL FIPA

FEE L WERET but I could go blast too When I'm in the paint The defense so shook They don't know If I'm put up a slow hook A dish up a no look

To drive the lane Would be dumb though Cause I send it back at you Then give you the finger like the tumbo Show they over the summer You might have boost to the inch But as long as fabulous is playing Get used to the bench

And see my game Consist of a whole lot of moves You would think I learn From the Harlem blow trotters JD going lead us to a ring Fab and Bow Wow is the only players That make chairleaders want to sing Hey

Put it up now Put it up Put it up now Put it up put it up So that remix right there You know what that one reminds me of When we were in Vegas and me, you and Greg were all wearing, like, our basketball, like, gear.

Oh, yes. And it was during Halloween season, so we're like, one of these days we're just going to be basketball players. Like, that's going to be our thing. And I think Greg was actually wearing that ref shirt. So he was the ref. You were wearing the Penny jersey with, like, your black whole, like, blue man suit or whatever. Yeah, I was Shadow Man with a part penny. And I had my mellow jersey when Carmelo Anthony was on the Nuggets and, like, the white and blue one.

Yeah, that was a good one. And I remember when we were getting ready in the room, we kept playing that song to get ready to. It was like, I think we were going back and forth to team that and like a space jam song. We just had like two basketball songs in our playlist and we just kept playing both of them while we were like getting ready and like taking shots in the room. And then we went out and brought the basketball with us and we were just like schooling fools on the shirt. Be like, oh, what are you getting anything you see? And I got a video of Justin crossing up Megatron or one of those.

I definitely crossed up the guy that was just like. in his Transformers costume. And it was a classic day until Justin got sick because it took too many, too many shots in the room. It happens to me in Vegas. And then me and Greg took over the rest of the day. And like we ended up going to that little bridge over the freeway. And I set up the camera and it was like me, him and some other guy were doing like a version of that.

Remember that basketball video that they used to do where they would be like, boom. Oh, the nice commercial is a good one. Throw it. I had us all dribbling there. And I was like, I'm going to put this video together. But the other two guys both sucked at dribbling. So I was like, this is, when I looked at the footage, I was like, this is going to look stupid. I needed somebody else.

I needed you. I needed somebody else to be there. I would have done my roll on the floor. You like that roll on the floor move. Yeah, yeah. All right. This is the other song we were jamming to everyone, because it gets down. Let's be real.

Everybody get up. It's time to slam now. We got the real jam going down. Welcome to the space jam. Space Jam. Here's your chance. Do your dance at the Space Jam. All right.

Stop that. That song is pretty hype. Hey, you, what's you gonna do? So I'll talk about space sham soundtracks. You know what? It's too bad that we... The basketball movie that we're about to do, I wish it had the vibe that Space Jam.

Space Jam knew the assignment. They just had the cool mid-90s basketball vibe with their music and the feel and the look and the colors. The next one we do, I didn't... Didn't do that. But then Space Jam also had this one that was like a smooth gym. basketball, Joe. Passable. Can we be real?

As I listen to it as an adult, Chris Rock had always made the shit out of you. But we all knew Chris Rock as Little Penny back then, so it made sense and it was fun. Like, the beat on that is epic, right? There needs to be a version without Chris Rock. Actually, I agree.

Because he keeps going throughout the whole song. I remember that. That's just a good hit. R.N.B. I'll listen to that instrumental all day right there. That's a... That's a good one right there. I like that.

Oh, yeah. All right, so let's go to another remix. Who's his by? Another 90s version of it. Another well-known mid-90s artist who actually played a few games in the NBA. Preseason games. Before he was cut by the Charlotte Horns, yes. And that is Master P.

They all use the same tick for all these, huh? That's the song to use. It's a good hook. Come on. That's how he's doing. He's just calling that name. They all used to court. They all used Curtis Blow.

They basically just slightly changed all the beginnings of all those. I've heard enough. You know what's funny? So he played like one or two preseason games in this video is a bunch of like any shots they have of him like running on the court in the Hornet jersey. Oh really? You're all about. And then the rest of it is him in this terrible green screen with like,

and also masterpiece flow fucking sucks, dude. I've never understood how he was able to make so much money. And he has that flow that sounds like he recorded in like a broom closet and the like a shitty microphone when it really, I think he's just, his voice is just not good. But in today's day, it's amazing he did as good as you did because he really, you're right. Yeah. It sounds like one of those rappers that you hear when you're going to Vegas and they handing out CDs and shit. You're like, yeah, that's what the sound. Sounds like, oh, I just put my voice on this other track that's already known.

I don't know. I guess he was good at marketing the, his, like, the people around him and, like, being able to establish himself off other people's abilities. I'm not sure exactly how Masterby did it. But, like, there was a while there where I remember hearing, like, he was, like, the highest paid person in the game, like. Crazy. Yeah.

It was like, it was like, one of those few ones. And then Jay Z still to this day, I'm like, what? At least he has more skills than that. I'll give you that. I'll give you that for sure. But yeah, man. I got one more. Oh, give us one more.

And I, you know what? It might sound similar, but this one at least is a recent one. But you know at this point, they're using the beat. They're using what Curtis Blow brings to the flow. So here we go. This one is, this one's by the falling downs. Playing basketball, we love that basketball. They're playing bad.

That might be it. I don't know if it goes anywhere. We'll see right now. It's a job right now. Here it goes. This is Curtis blow. I don't know what this is. You know what?

They just added a drum snare. Yeah, they added a little girl voice to it. This camera's now fucking up. Oh, man, we're having technicals. All fucking day. All night, all day. It's what you do when you're trying to do your own thing, you know. Shit gets worked out.

We don't pay thousands to rent a studio. Yeah, we don't do that shit. We don't do that shit. But I do want to give a shout out. Everybody likes to hate on it. But LeBron is going. He started when I was young and he's still going. I think he has about one more year left.

Shout out to you, LeBron, with your longevity and your ability to stay in the league as long as you have. That's fantastic. Steph Curry, fantastic. Change the game as far as shooting. I don't like that you changed the game as much as you did because you literally made it a three-point game. And it's no longer fun to really watch. But you, but you yourself, most prolific shooter I've ever seen, do not leave that man open. Olympics, Golden State, anything like that.

So shout out to you. You're almost done. So shout out to the veterans that are on their way out. KD. Although you switch teams like a little bleh. You know, you're still a baller. Like, I'm not going to hate on the fact that you actually ball. But you went from Oklahoma and then joined the team that beat you.

Shut up, dude. Like, shut up. Shut up, man. And you like to get on texting. I hope you do tweet us and be like, you guys would never do anything. You probably get it. Whatever, dude. I don't care.

You know what you did. You've only won two. championships and they were with the team that beat you shut up okay but beyond that you're you're a good players but you're on your way out Chris Paul's done he just finished his thing so all the people we've been watching for the last 20 years shout out to all you guys and then all to the newcomers coming up uh bring it I love seeing the alien Wemby's looking nasty he's like 7 6 or some shit right 7 6 is crazy but Wembe's crazy um Oklahoma City's guy I don't like him he always

trying to go for like fouls and shit our generation sadly they're all like uh they're coming o'an end we just called out all those players yeah and uh you know i'm just happy that we're able to see them in their heyday in their prime time and we're able to feel like we're growing up with them and i'm excited to see where this next generation goes because the thing about basketball is athletes never stopped coming the game never stops getting better and uh that's not true sometimes the game goes through ebbs and flows where all of a sudden it's like Everybody wants to shoot threes. All of a sudden, everybody's hacking.

Go through a hack-a-shack phase. Everybody wants to work the low post. The game moves and ebbs and flows, and we just got to, like, go with it as it does. As long as we don't end up in a point when everybody wants to make it all about free throws, we're golden. What do you think if they had every team had their own three-point line?

Like, similar to the way baseball has, like, everybody in the outfield has, like, their own walls. So, like, you go to, like, in Golden State, it's a 35 points, I wouldn't mind seeing like some four-point circles like they did in a, like, Rock and Jock? Yeah, that shit was always cool. Like that would be cool.

And then like I said, I'm actually really excited to see Wemby's career because if he doesn't get injured, being 7-6 with a court that is 10 feet is insane. The way he's able to get to the room. Trying to get a shot up around him just feels like the most impossible thing. He might get the most blocks. I want to go see him. He will make his way into the next remix of the song,

which is inevitably coming. When we're going to block your back. Yeah, exactly. And I bet you that song begins with, Basketball is my favorite sport. Yeah. I like the alley-up. Yeah.

Shout to Curtis Blow, who made the song back in 1984, has had dozens of people try to redo it, and nobody's come up with a better way yet. They all regurgitate the same shit, and then infiltrate the new players up there. So, Curtis, you're the best. You're still knocking down Jays as far as I'm concerned. and let's go play some basketball

Let's get out of here, man Next New York Superstar in the NBA The ones you see on the bubblegum cards Me and home boy would go one On one cause playing the game Is a lot of fun

Sit by the TV and watch a more Cause courage blow Just rapping basketball