2K Sports is gearing up for the release of NBA2K17. As part of the process of rolling out the game, they have now release the complete soundtrack playlist for the game. The full soundtrack for NBA2K17 is available to check out, and to listen to on Spotify.
According to the press release, the soundtrack was curated by Imagine Dragons, Noah “40” Shebib, and Grimes. It also says that “The new soundtrack will feature music across all genres including hip-hop, rock and alternative with songs from JAY Z, Future, Action Bronson, The Internet, The 1975, Santigold, and more.” Oddly, they don’t mention Drake, who has two songs on the soundtrack, “Hype” and “Pop Style.”
There is a lot of hip-hop on the soundtrack, but they mix it up. It’s not all newer songs, as Outkast’s “Rosa Parks” is on there. Even the Santigold song is “Creator,” which was released as a single in 2008. Of course, Santigold is awesome, so who cares? The JAY Z selection is an odd one, as they went with “Heart of the City (Ain’t No Love),” but a live version of MTV Unplugged, presumably because in this version he doesn’t use a gay slur. He does still say “males shouldn’t be jealous that’s a female trait,” but one assumes NBA2K17 would prefer you not focus on that.
Video-game soundtracks are unusually important, given how much you will hear these songs when you play the game. If you aren’t into the soundtrack, it can put a damper on the gameplay experience. While it would be cool if there were more songs like Grimes’ “Kill vs. Maim” in the mix, if you want that kind of stuff, maybe a Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater soundtrack is more your thing.
(Via Spotify)
