An overlooked fact of life is that video games and rap music are like twins*. Both had their break-out point in the mid-’80s. Both enable the listener/player experience and live out fantasies.
We’ve seen rap-based games in Def Jam Rapstar and Parappa the Rapper, and even Skyrim had its run-in with swag rap. There are also a lot of titles that include some form of rap in their soundtracks.
Back in the day, though, when rap was simply the voice of the young people, video game companies marketed to their customers using catchy bars over generic beats. Some were actually down-right adorable, while others were cringe-worthy and left you wondering what the hell you just heard.
So we compiled a list of video game commercialism built to rap tunes. Enjoy.
* – Also, both are blamed for the corruption and destruction of the youth in America. But that’s for another article.
2. Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening — Dammit, this track needed a full 16 and a hook.
3. Sega Mega Drive — A middle-aged Englishman rapping about video games with not one lick of sense or a rhyming word… #INeedAnAdult
4. Atari 2600 Part 2 — If this commercial was anymore late ’80s/early ’90s cliché, you’d think it was made this year as a parody.
5. Camerica Freedom Stick — The usage of rap beats and middle-American white families seems right here.
6. Legend of Zelda x Nintendo Entertainment System — Since when does the geek hang with the bad boy?
7. Atari 7800 — I guess we know where Jaden and Willow got their swag from.
8. Video Power — “Yeeeeah. That’s right…Wooooorrd.”
9. Super Mario Bros. Super Show! — A perfectly awkward theme for a perfectly awkward show.
10. Toe Jam and Earl x Sega Genesis — The first six seconds sounded like this was about to be a sick ass video, then it kept going.
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Well since this is a lil in topic do y’all remember that Wu-Tang fighting on the PS1?
*in=on
lol I still have it somewhere. That shit was real solid in terms of fighting gameplay. Although the hittin 3 buttons to do some moves sucked especially with Rza. I was nasty with Inspectah Deck, but then became a pretty good GZA player
I used to slaughter niggas with Masta Killa. Creep up on folks with that huge stabbing knife and explode cats to pieces. Very dope game. Wu-Tang was one of the few rap crews to do a successful video game spin-off and could still do one today that would have the potential to be really good.
I used to LOVE the SMB show. But, i have always hated the intro. It was, and still is turrible.
i had vhs tapes of the SMB show..i liked the intro
SMB theme was the SHIT! Haters gonna hate.
“Since when does the geek hang with the bad boy?”
Blowjobs, dude. I mean, that’s gotta be the only explanation for them sitting like that while playing video games…
Toe Jam and Earl was fresh as hell tho, SNES had higher quality sound hardware but Genesis tunes have their own funk that’s impossible to replicate
i love that game
lmao yo man..those old school flows always make me laugh
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Clearly “Down with Zelda” is influenced by RUN DMCs “Down with the King”
“Emospark holds the power to create worlds, and fill them with life”. It also powers your digital world with independent life. EmoSpark is that indefinable, indescribable energy that will make the digital world truly alive, more than mere machines or avatars”