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The NBA playoffs play out differently when the New York Knicks are involved.
The Knicks are in the conversation to represent the Eastern Conference for the first time since 1999, but first they have to go through the Atlanta Hawks.
The Knicks and Hawks have had a bit of a rivalry since the 2021 postseason after Trae Young became a Knick killer and ultimate nemesis.
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Kazeem Famuyide and The Kid Mero attend Netflix’s “The Rip” New York Premiere at Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center on January 13, 2026 in New York City. (Cindy Ord/Getty Images)
The teams begin their series on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, but for New York radio host Kazeem Famuyide, the battle began several days ago.
Famuyide, part of “Mornings with Mero” on famed New York hip-hop station New Hot 97, said Monday that his station “shouldn’t be playing any Atlanta artists until the series is over.”
That means no Usher, Ludacris, TI, Lil Baby and numerous others.
“The first day of my music protest in Atlanta starts today, we try NOT to hear ANY of it until the first round is over lol,” Famuyide wrote to X the following day.
Jalen Brunson of the New York Knicks dribbles the ball during the first quarter against the New Orleans Pelicans at Madison Square Garden on March 24, 2026 in New York City. (Ishika Samant/Getty Images)
The station became Atlanta-less Monday, and Famuyide said the music was “still good and current.”
The Athletic noted that Famuyide said he wanted to “show some solidarity in New York” on Friday’s show. Famuyike also hosts a podcast with Knicks legend Carmelo Anthony.
If Atlanta decides to pull off the same protest, they would be turning away some of the biggest artists of all time, including The Notorious BIG, JAY-Z, Nas and Fabolous.
A general view of the New York Knicks logo before a game against the Los Angeles Lakers on February 6, 2017 at Madison Square Garden in New York City, New York. (Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE)
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New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani weighed in on the Knicks-Hawks rivalry earlier this week and blamed the aforementioned Young for expensive playoff tickets at the Garden. However, Young no longer plays for the Hawks.
The Hawks defeated the Knicks in five games in their last playoff meeting. New York has the third seed in the conference, while Atlanta finished with the sixth.
