Hip Hop helps motivate Michael Phelps

Michael Phelps will go down in history as one of the greatest Olympians ever.  This week America's golden boy went 8 for 8 and broke the record for most gold medals in a single Olympic game.  The 23 year old Baltimore native, with the midas touch, broke six world records on his gold rush this week in Beijing.  Phelps now holds a record 14 gold medals overall, counting his 2004 Olympic haul of 6 gold medals, the most of any Olympian in history.    

The biggest Olympic mystery of the Beijing Games is, what is Michael Phelps listening to on his iPod?

In nearly every camera shot of Michael Phelps on dry land, he can be seen with iPod headphones dangling from his ears. The earbuds are a ubiquitous presence in the ready room and on the starting block; they're just as much a part of Phelps' 'uniform' as goggles and a swim cap. About two minutes prior to the start of a race, Phelps sheds the iPod along with his warm-ups. So, what is he listening to?

Phelps listens to hip-hop music on his. He says it helps motivate him before a race.  While his pre-race tracklist varies, Phelps has said that "I'm Me" by Lil' Wayne has been on his playlist in Beijing. The track, off Weezy's EP "The Leak."  

Other artists that populate Phelps' iPod include: Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, Eminem and Outkast. (What, no 'Pac?) Occasionally, he'll throw some techno into the mix, but usually keeps things rap-centric. Phelps doesn't speak much about the specific songs he's listening to, but he did tell NBC in 2004 that Eminem's "'Til I Collapse" was on his most-played list at Athens. In 2005, he created a playlist for the website Rhapsody that included the songs "Roses" by Outkast, "Burn" by Usher, "Overnight Celebrity" by Twista and  "Smile" by G-Unit.

Michael Phelps' Gold Medals In Beijing

400-meter individual medley

4 X 100-meter freestyle relay

200-meter freestyle

200-meter butterfly

4 X 200-meter freestyle relay

200-meter individual medley

100-meter butterfly

4 X 100-meter medley relay

Source: Yahoo Sports