A Dubai rapper dropped a stirring tribute song to basketball player, Kobe Bryant.
Released on the same day as the star-studded memorial to the Los Angeles Lakers player in the US, Minel's Kobe is an affecting salute to one of the greatest basketball players of his generation.
Bryant and his daughter Gianna, 13, were among nine people killed in a helicopter crash in California on January 26.
The polished video for Kobe, produced by the Business Bay company Alpha Entertainment, was shot at night at a Dubai basketball court, where Minel – wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with Bryant's image – is joined by a crew of local basketball players as he raps an account of the legacy of the "Black Mamba" on and off the court.
Speaking to The National, Minel describes how he was moved to write the song as a way to give thanks to an inspirational figure in his life.
“He was such a big influence on me. I grew up with him and he is really one of the reasons why I started to play basketball,” he says.
“The tribute was a way to give back for what Kobe gave to us. He poured his heart and soul on to that court. He is a true representation of not settling and always being grateful for what he had. For me, it was also bigger than basketball with Kobe, because no matter how much success I reach, he taught me to maintain his 'Mamba' mentality, which is to be hungry but humble.”
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