Nappy Roots rapper writes defiant song about Louisville's 2013 NCAA title

If Louisville Cardinals fans ever wanted a protest anthem, now they've got one.

Rapper B. Stille, of Louisville-based group Nappy Roots, dropped a new track Monday night. Titled "Still Got It," the song is a defiant tribute to the Louisville men's basketball team's 2013 title, which in a landmark decision last year was vacated by the NCAA as punishment for the school's escort scandal.

B. Stille told the Courier Journal he wrote the song to express the anger he and other Louisville fans felt at the ruling.

"I just wanted to be a voice for the people, to give us something to brag about," he said. "People who actually went to the games like I did, you can't delete that. I felt it was my duty to translate from the fan’s perspective." 

B. Stille's lyrics reference multiple milestones of the Cardinals' 2013 NCAA Tournament run, from the regional championship in Indianapolis to confetti falling in Atlanta after Louisville defeated Michigan in the title game.

The song mentions a dozen Louisville players including Peyton Siva, Gorgui Dieng, Russ Smith and Luke Hancock, and shouts out guard Kevin Ware for the gruesome leg injury he suffered.

The song's title comes from the hook, which repeats: "Still got that ring, still got it."

Singing the hook is Jamal Brown, twin brother of former Louisville football player and current Atlanta Falcons guard Jamon Brown.

More:Paying for Louisville child's funeral, Jamon Brown 'has not forgotten where he came from'

B. Stille said he was "hot under the collar" when he penned the song in April 2018 immediately after the ruling and that it only took him about 15 minutes to write.

He found the beat online and recorded the song with local artist Rudy Slug. Jason Mudd from Yes Louisville, a creative content and marketing agency, helped put together the lyric video that was released online this week. B. Stille said he intends to film a full music video at some point.

More than just the memory of the 2013 NCAA Tournament itself, B. Stille said he wants the song to serve as a reminder of how the championship run brought the city together.

"I want people to know that we should be proud of it because I witnessed it," said B. Stille, who still lives in the Highlands. "I took my daughter to the Duke game where Kevin broke his leg, and the drama in that game alone, I will never forget that. When we won the national championship I ran around the house, jumped in the car, rode down Bardstown Road. We just enjoyed the fun of winning the title."

B. Stille and Nappy Roots are no strangers to writing songs about U of L. The group released "Cardinal Chomp" in 2007, and their tune "L1c4" was played at football games during the 2014 season.

Also:Louisville's Nappy Roots are the soundtrack for NFL's Cincinnati Bengals

B. Stille said Tuesday he had yet to receive feedback on "Still Got It" from any Louisville players or athletics officials, but that he hoped it would resonate with the former Cards players who can look down and see their championship rings.

The rapper added that he supports a group of 2013 players who are suing the NCAA in an attempt to restore the title. He also praised the university for turning over a new leaf under athletic director Vince Tyra and president Neeli Bendapudi, and for the hires of men's basketball coach Chris Mack and football coach Scott Satterfield.

"I love the new direction, the way Louisville's been resilient and bouncing back," B. Stille said. "When people say, 'Hey, your program's down,' I say, 'Nope. We were.' You have to understand that the phoenix rises from the ashes. Sometimes you have to burn it down a bit to get to something greater."

Danielle Lerner: 502-582-4042; dlerner@courierjournal.com; Twitter: @Danielle_Lerner. Support strong local journalism by subscribing today: courier-journal.com/daniellel.