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The KAT Challenge: Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns needs his own theme song

Karl-Anthony Towns, No. 32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves, photographed during a game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on October 15, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
Karl-Anthony Towns, No. 32 of the Minnesota Timberwolves, photographed during a game against the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on October 15, 2019 in Indianapolis, Indiana.Andy Lyons/Getty Images

by Jeffrey Bissoy-Mattis

November 05, 2019

Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns has been on a tear this season. His recent two-game suspension aside, Towns' otherworldly play has propelled the Timberwolves to a 4-1 start to the 2018-19 NBA season.

Towns has always been capable of putting up gaudy stats, but it's his play on both sides of the court that have been impressive. So impressive even, that it might be time that the "Big Meow" gets his own song.

Late one evening, before the season started, I was thinking about how KAT doesn't yet have his own theme song. That same night I tweeted:

I knocked out and thought nothing of the tweet, but then Karl himself commented:

With the season well underway and the Timberwolves in the running to compete for a Western Conference playoff spot for the second time in three years, I think it's time Minnesota creates a bangin' anthem for its own superstar, Karl-Anthony Towns.

I reached out to the Minnesota Timberwolves to ask KAT what type of song he'd be interested in, but sadly didn't get a reply, so I'm taking matters into my own hands.

When working on a player anthem, consider their background: Where are they from? What do they like? What's their vibe? Make sure the beat is out of this world — you don't want something dull that nobody wants to listen to.

Most importantly, when recording the song, make sure the player's name rings like a thunderous dunk off a fast break.

A song that comes to mind was the hypnotic banger out of New York, "Mo Bamba," by Sheck Wes. The Senegalese native made the song in honor of Orlando Magic Center Mo Bamba, before he was even drafted.

Study this song! Why? One, because it absolutely slaps, the bass is crazy, the beat is smooth, but mainly because Sheck Wes made Mo Bamba seem like the next big thing. Any time you hear this song, you get amped — it's one of the highest bars for a player anthem.

Mo Bamba is not the only NBA player to have a boppin' song. The reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo of the Milwaukee Bucks had two theme songs that also deserve recognition.

Here's Burna Boy's "34."

Unlike "Mo Bamba," there's not a lot of name recognition for Giannis in the song, which to be honest, was a little bit of a letdown. That said, Burna Boy more than makes up for it with hypnotic Afropop.

Remember what I said about knowing the player's background? Although he hails from Greece, Antetokounmpo's family is from Nigeria. Being Nigerian himself, Burna Boy pays homage to his compatriot.

The second Giannis song I want to mention here is Minnesota's Nsikak and Rich Garvey's single, "Antetokounmpo."

I gotta give Nsikak and Rich Garvey props because they joined forces for "Antetokounmpo" in the offseason prior to Giannis' MVP season. They were riding the wave, well before anyone knew what was to come. Unlike the previous two songs, "Antetokounmpo," isn't your typical slapper, however; it's a smooth track, much like the MVP.

Given some of the examples above, there are many ways to tackle making the perfect Karl-Anthony Towns banger. For all the artists and producers who will take on the KAT Challenge, consider where Towns is from: He's a New Jersey-born hooper that plays for the Dominican national team.

If I were making a track, I'd probably try to make some sort of Latin trap/Hip-Hop banger or something with some East Coast flair.

Something like this:

Or this:

I may even dabble with a classy beat like Jay-Z's "Death of Auto Tune" to celebrate the come up of the young don.

OK — I may be getting ahead of myself, but Karl-Anthony Towns is off to a hot start ,and if he continues his dominance, he'll undoubtedly be a candidate for MVP.

KAT needs a theme song, so Minnesota, let's make it happen!

Jeffrey Bissoy is a former assistant producer at MPR News. Born in Yaoundé, Cameroon, raised in The Twin Cities and now based in Mexico City, Jeffrey has grown a passion for representation and identity, Hip-Hop, and the impact of sports on society. He's also the host of the podcast — The Come-Up — which stays current with the weekly drama of the NBA and also covered the Women's World Cup.

Minnesota Timberwolves - official site

Karl-Anthony Towns - Timberwolves' official stats/bio page