We're now at the point, generationally speaking, where the 35- and 40-year-olds among us are not only familiar with hip-hop, but were in many cases raised with it as a significant genre of music and culture. So I guess I shouldn't be all that surprised that Syracuse assistant Rob Murphy put together a freestyle rap song, titled "Shut It Down," that relies heavily on basketball nomenclature. But I can't help it. I still feel sort of surprised, because basketball coaches are usually stern, angry guys who wouldn't just be hanging out in a music studio rapping with friends. Except for Coach K. He's a terror on the mic, son.

Shut it down! Pick and roll! Shoot the lights out! Mismatch! You see, these are basketball terms, but they could also double as imperative slang, or what original rap artists called "boasts" or "toasts." I learned that from a hip-hop class I took in college. (Yes, I took a hip-hop class in college. It was awesome.)

Anyway, Syracuse basketball has already adopted this as its theme song, and plenty of students in attendance at Tuesday night's game were sporting the signature "Shut It Down" t-shirt you see in the video above. LeMoyne, apparently, did not get the memo.

(HT: Troy Nunes)

Related: Moving Pictures, Big East Basketball