Since Kevin Durant has been in the NBA, he's been one of the most polarizing players in all of sports. That can even be traced as far back as when KD was playing in college at the University of Texas.The All-Star forward has been tearing up the league for the past nine years and is entering his 10th season on a new team, the Golden State Warriors.

His action on the court has caused him to be name-dropped on rap records as early as 2007 -- Wale shouts out Durant on his song “Please Listen,” off the mixtape, 100 Miles & Running. KD's connection with hip-hop goes deep. From constantly expressing his love for the genre throughout his career to releasing his own music since 2011, Durant is no stranger to the game off the court. He's even been spotted in the studio with rappers like 2016 XXL Freshman Dave East and is always pictured hanging out with the biggest stars in hip-hop like Drake.

Just recently at Kanye West’s Saint Pablo tour stop in Oakland (Oct. 23), KD was spotted in the mosh pit on the concert floor, turning up while the rapper was performing. There aren't many celebrities on Durant's level who would even think about doing that. Yet on a number of occasions, the ball player has been seen raging at a show, paying tribute to hip-hop with a tattoo or simply discussing his love for the music.

So XXL looks back at Kevin Durant's coolest hip-hop moments to show why he may be the biggest rap fan in the NBA.

  • Kevin Durant Moshes at Kanye West Show

  • Tupac Shakur and Wu-Tang Are Featured in Tattoos on His Body

  • Drake Is Kevin Durant’s Favorite Rapper

    Kevin Durant and Drake are great friends. When Drizzy was in Oakland for his Summer Sixteen tour this year, it wasn't a huge surprise that he was invited onstage to join Drake for a performance.

    In an interview back in July, KD dubbed Drake his favorite artist. Recently, Drizzy dropped a bar about KD on “Weston Road Flows,” which goes, “A lot of people just hit me up when my name is mentioned/Shout out to KD we relate we get the same attention/It’s rainin’ money, Oklahoma City Thunder/The most successful rapper 35 and under.”

    Durant reacts to that specific lyric by saying, “[Drake] is my favorite rapper. When you get a shout out in a song, you look around and see if anyone else heard it. You feel, ‘somebody recognized me.'”

    KD continues, “Me and a lot of other people were wondering if Drake was coming back with some new music. When I have a game, he texts me or Snapchats me and we talk about stuff. I’m sure when he got in the booth, he was feeling it a little bit and put it in there. It went together nice. I guess he just wanted me to hear it as I was going through the album. Once I heard it, I was like, ‘That was dope.'”

  • Lil B’s BasedGod Curse Is Centered on Kevin Durant

    Lil B and Kevin Durant have a well-documented history. It all started with a tweet in 2011, from Durant, who said, he "tried to listen to Lil B" and his mind wouldn't let him do it. 

    The Bay Area MC then challenged KD to a game of one-on-one, which the NBA All-Star accepted. A few months later, Lil B issued the now-infamous BasedGod Curse against Kevin Durant, proclaiming that the then-Oklahoma City Thunder forward will never win a championship.

    For five long years later, Durant would be eliminated from the playoffs, losing twice to Lil B's hometown team the Golden State Warriors.

    This past summer, KD turned heel and left the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors in his quest to get a championship ring. The BasedGod would welcome Durant with open arms, lifting the curse off of the superstar forward. B took to Twitter to let everyone know he had undone his magic spell. “'The BasedGod' wants to speak, As life unravels and superstars make decisions that change lifes, welcome home KD the curse is lifted,” the rapper posted.

    Elsa / Isaac Brekken, Getty Image
    Elsa / Isaac Brekken, Getty Image
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  • Travi$ Scott, Kevin Durant and Draymond Green Rage Together

    During a preseason stop in Las Vegas,  Kevin Durant and Draymond Green decided to go to a Travi$ Scott show at Hakkasan, the MGM Grand-housed club.

    Fans captured the two NBA All-Stars via iPhone raging by the front of the stage and singing along with Travis himself for "Way Back," from the rapper's Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight album.

  • Dave East Hangs in the Studio With Kevin Durant

    Kevin Durant was spotted in the studio with Dave East. The 2016 XXL Freshman once played AAU basketball with Durant. With the help of KD’s brother Tony, Durant allowed East to record a mixtape at the basketball star’s house.

  • Kevin Durant Drops New Music

    Rapping is a skill Kevin Durant is also trying to perfect. In 2011, fans got to hear him throw a verse on the Watch the Throne track "Gotta Have It" and the following year, he released his own track titled "Worried About Tomorrow" featuring Privaledge. KD even considered dropping a rap album.

    He's even released a track with former NBA player Stephen Jackson titled "Lonely at the Top," new solo tracks called “Tha Formula" and “Whole Life."

     

     

  • Jay Z and Kevin Durant Join Forces

    After announcing that Jay Z's Roc Nation would launch a sports division, the company would go on and sign Kevin Durant along with New York Yankees second baseman Robinson Cano, New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith and WNBA star Skylar Diggins.

  • The Game and Kevin Durant Compete

    In 2014, The Game and Kevin Durant were involved in a huge miscommunication after a 3-point contest turned into a national story.

    The Compton native posted a video of himself sinking a 3-point shot as part of a $20,000 bet with Kevin Durant.

    The caption was, “Bet Kevin Durant $20,000 that he’d have to donate to the @froggallstars & play wit #LaFamilia in the #DrewLeague if I made an NBA 3 pointer all net." But when asked about the bet, the former NBA MVP said Game was lying.

    A few days later, the two stars hashed it out and the rapper later apologized and said it was one big miscommunication.

  • Kevin Durant Calls Jay Electronica "the Best Rapper Out"

    Kevin Durant posted a video of himself rapping along to Jay Electronica's "Victory Is In My Clutches" on Facebook. In the Facebook caption, KD calls his fellow Roc Nation signee "the best rapper out" and continues on with "bar for bar ain't nobody messin with Jay elec, that's real." Peep the video below.

  • Kevin Durant and Nas Sit Down With Bill Simmons

    Nas and Kevin Durant paid a visit to Bill Simmons’ HBO show Any Given Wednesday and offered their thoughts on beefs, new voices of rap and so much more.

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