Bad Bunny is celebrating the life of one of his heroes the only way he can – with a song. The Puerto Rican rapper released a song on Tuesday, January 28 entitled 6 Rings in honor of Kobe Bryant. The surprise track comes two days after the NBA great, his 13-year-old daughter Gianna and seven others died in a tragic helicopter accident. In the song, the 25-year-old alludes to Kobe’s five championship rings and the ring he gave to his wife Vanessa Bryant in honor of their marriage.
“You won 6 rings, 5 with the NBA and one in a marriage that gave you your daughters,” he rapped. In another line, Bad Buddy alludes to the final moments Kobe and Gianna spent together. “Thinking that one of them left with you, got me outta control/ But nah, it’s so you don’t play ball alone in heaven.”
The two-minute song ends with a clip from the Laker legend’s speech after his final NBA game in 2016, in which he says “Mamba Out.” Before the song’s release, Bad Bunny took to his social media to write and emotional tribute to the late athlete.
“I would never have imagined that this would hurt me so much!" he wrote in Spanish. "I still remember the first time I saw a basketball game, at age 7 with my dad, and it was a game of this genius. From that day on he became my favorite player forever!! I have never mentioned it because it does not necessarily have to do with music, but this man has been an inspiration in many ways for me to be what I am today.”
On Sunday, January 26, Kobe and Gianna were on board the helicopter with seven others on their way from Orange County to his basketball camp in Thousand Oaks for a basketball tournament when the helicopter crashed in Calabasas. The former athlete and Oscar winner was 41.