Read by Will Damron

“Brilliantly audacious…written with the profundity of a sage baller and the acuity of a seasoned journalist.”—Kiese Laymon, New York Times bestselling author of Heavy 

An award-winning journalist's behind-the-scenes account from the epicenter of sports, social justice, and coronavirus, Can't Knock the Hustle is a lasting chronicle of the historic 2019-2020 NBA season, by way of the notorious Brooklyn Nets and basketball's renaissance as a cultural force beyond the game.

The Nets were already the most intriguing startup in the NBA: a team of influencers, entrepreneurs and activists, starring the controversial Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. But this dynasty-in-the-making got disrupted by the unforeseen. One tweet launched an international scandal, pitting the team's Chinese owner and the league's commissioner against its players and LeBron James. The sudden death of Kobe Bryant, after making his final public appearance in Brooklyn, sent shockwaves through a turbulent season.

Then came the unimaginable. A global pandemic and a new civil-rights movement put basketball's trend-setting status to the ultimate test, as business and culture followed the lead of the NBA and its empowered stars. No team intersected with the extremes of 2020 quite like the Brooklyn Nets, and Matt Sullivan had a courtside view.

Can't Knock the Hustle crosses from on the court, where underdogs confront A-listers like Jay-Z and James Harden, to off the court, as players march through the streets of Brooklyn, provoke Donald Trump at the White House, and boycott the NBA's bubble experiment in Disney World. 

Hundreds of interviews—with Hall-of-Famers, All-Stars, executives, coaches and power-brokers across the world—provide a backdrop of the NBA's impact on social media, race, politics, health, fashion, fame and fandom, for a portrait of a time when sports brought us back together again, like never before.

CAN'T KNOCK THE HUSTLE by Matt Sullivan

Stream here ⏬
https://orcd.co/ajap4kr

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Life is Like a Dice Game

Nas - Life is Like a Dice Game feat. Cordae & Freddie Gibbs

Biggie at 50

Brooklyn's Finest (w/ Jay Z) [ Remix]

Scarface - Smile

IsthatCJ - Mobb Deep Quiet Storm

Ghostface Killah Feat Raekwon, Method Man & Superb - Flowers, Produced by RZA (DJ M.O.S. REMAKE)

Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) – Live from N.Y. State of Mind Tour at Climate Pledge Arena

Bring Da Ruckus (Live from Climate Pledge Arena)

mastered

https://dimitrimonev.bandcamp.com/track/outkast-atliens-dimitri-monev-edit

OutKast - ATLiens (Dimitri Monev Edit)

Reasonable Doubt

D'Evils

Jay Z - D'Evils (instrumental with chorus)

Stream: https://Nas.lnk.to/illmaticlive

Two decades after the album's critically-acclaimed release, hip-hop icon Nas teamed up with the National Symphony Orchestra to stage a symphonic rendition of illmatic, one of the most revered albums in hip-hop history. 

Vinyl released on Record Store Day 2018

Shop Nas merch bundles at shop.massappeal.com

illmatic: Live From The Kennedy Center

Nas - Represent (illmatic Live)

RAGE IS BACK [The Mixtape]

Street Dreams (J.PERIOD ReFix) [feat. Nas]

Harper Audio proudly traces its roots back to 1952, when Dylan Thomas first recorded for our Caedmon label. For more than five decades, HarperAudio/Caedmon has been synonymous not only with distinguished poets reading their works, but also with equally distinguished authors and readers performing classic and contemporary texts.

CAN'T KNOCK THE HUSTLE by Matt Sullivan

HarperAudio US