The Los Angeles Dodgers and New York Yankees each brought in rappers with close ties to their respective cities to give pre-game performances during the 2024 World Series, with Ice Cube appearing before Game 2 and Fat Joe having the honor prior to first pitch in Game 3.
Reactions to each mini concert were on opposite ends of the spectrum, as Ice Cube was praised while Fat Joe was mostly criticized. MLB arranged for the performances to take place, but there was a perception that the Yankees were copying the Dodgers.
Furthermore, the production value as a whole was not up to snuff as well, according to the players in the Dodgers dugout.
The performance by Fat Joe became somewhat of a rallying cry for the team, with Kiké Hernández also being outspoken in his criticism of Fat Joe’s performance.
During an appearance on “7PM in Brooklyn” show with Carmelo Anthony, Fat Joe responded to Hernández and fun the Dodgers had at his expense:
“I’m entertainment. I don’t play the game. If we had won, I would’ve been the savior of the Yankees. What do you want me to do? It’s a dream come true, I grew up five blocks away, it was one of the biggest honors of my life to go perform at the World Series for the Yankees.
“I don’t give a [expletive]. Let me tell you something about me, I keep it real with myself. I’m not delusional. So whether we won or lost, I knew the honor of performing for the Yankees at the World Series, 28 million people watching, this and this and that.
“I don’t care what they said. I knew what time it was. Now, I respect that. My wife came with me to the Rucker one game. She never came again. The type of [expletive] they tell you outside make Kiké look PG-12. …
“So when he’s talking, getting his [expletive] off, he deserves to do that. I just didn’t know there was rap beef in baseball. I’m like, ‘Yo, how the [expletive] I found rap beef in baseball?’ My X still going off.
“I do understand the Dodgers, because not only am I a sore loser, but I’m a worst winner. These guys won and they’re cursing me out every chance they get a microphone. It’s the craziest [expletive].”
As for Ice Cube, he was invited back to Dodger Stadium to give another performance as part of the World Series parade celebration. During the performance, Dodgers manager Dave Roberts danced and sang along.
Kiké Hernández’s: ‘main priority’ is re-signing with Dodgers
While Hernández still remains a free agent, he repeated the sentiment that his main goal is re-signing with the Dodgers.
Getting a deal done makes sense for both sides as Hernández discussed his desire to continue playing in October, while the Dodgers would certainly miss his production in the postseason if he were to play for another team.
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