I started playing basketball in 2014, when I was in grade 4. One of the best gifts I’ve ever received was from my uncle in 2014, when he got my brother and I NBA2k13. The NBA 2k franchise started in the early 21st century, but that was the first NBA game I ever had. “Ali in the Jungle” was part of the soundtrack of the game. Every time I listen to the song I’m reminded of playing the game after school. The entire song is incredibly nostalgic to me. I can remember playing with the new rookies at the time, thinking “who the hell are these people”, except now many have established a career in the NBA today. Considering I still play games from the NBA 2k franchise regularly, I’d say that this song can be related to when I first fell in love with basketball.

This song can be seen as a token “motivation” song. The song starts with the line, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish”(0:31), which I view as something of a cliche. Actually, the entire first verse could be seen as a cliche. It continues with “It’s not where you’re from, it’s where you’re at”(0:45). The big cliche in my mind is the line “everybody gets knocked down, how quick are you gonna get up”(0:58), something I hear a lot in basketball. 

The chorus of the song alludes to major comeback stories from history. The Hours refer to Muhammad Ali, and his win in the “Rumble in the Jungle”(1:25). The line “…Nelson in jail”(1:28) is of course referring to Nelson Mandela, and the next line pays homage to Joe Simpson, a climber who managed to survive multiple injuries, including falling into a crevasse, while climbing in Peru. The next verse goes “like Keller in the darkness, like Adams in the dock, like Ludwig Van how I loved that man.”(1:39) Ludwig Van Beethoven and Helen Keller were both deaf, yet both managed to create a successful career during their life.  The line “Adams in the dock”(1:42) is about Tony Adams, a British footballer from the 80s and 90s. Adams suffered from alcoholism for most of his career before going into rehab after a 4 month imprisonment. All this allusion in the song helps this song become less phoney and cheesy. Without this allusion, the song would be full of cliches and corny lines. 

“Ali in the Jungle” is about overcoming odds. The title of the song is about Muhammad Ali’s victory over George Foreman in the “Rumble in the Jungle”. Foreman was heavily favourited heading into the fight, yet Ali overcame all odds and won. The final words of this song are from a radio broadcast from the fight, “Muhammad Ali has won! By a knockout, by a knockout. The thing they said was impossible, he’s done!”(4:25)