This is the new breed of gamers, here; consider Superior Tek as representative of a growing population that is just as comfortable playing Final Fantasy or Madden 2006 and just as comfortable rapping about women and money as they are about Marvel Comics or Halo 2. The rap game is just as visceral as a game of Street Fighter to them; they're about sick combinations, whether it's mixing verses and beats or hitting that M. Bison custom combo consistently. They are discriminating gamers, and the industry best take notice not to slap 50 Cent on the cover of a PS2 game and simply expect it to sell like GTA does. Just because they do hip hop and fighting games does not mean that they are guaranteed to like Def Jam Vendetta. In other words, these guys are living proof that the worlds of hip hop and gaming are becoming ever more relevant to each other in a way that seeing Xboxes on MTV Cribs simply cannot convey.
I dodge Robocops, this ain't OCP
rockin a nice outfit so the hoes see me
these n****z ain't ready best be-lieve me
That isn't to say that some people haven't picked up on this. While Electronic Arts may not have the greatest music choices in their games sometimes (please refer to any hockey game ever; maybe that's why people weren't too sad to see them skip a year), they do own their own record label. Next Level Music, a business venture allegedly developed after Universal Pictures approached EA for permission to use the Medal of Honor orchestral theme in the Seabiscuit movie trailer, is set to turn one year old in a few weeks. For better or for worse one of the American gaming giants is somewhat cognizant of the relationship between gamers and their music.
But what is far more impressive than EA throwing their weight around is the presence of something like Yosumi Records' Video Game Breaks and Sound Effects Volumes 1 and 2, which neatly packages assorted samples. These include old-school Super Mario Bros. to not-quite-so-old-school Shenmue, with a little bit of everything in between. I don't think I'll be hearing any Metal Gear Solid remixes on the radio any time soon, but at least it's there.
Alpha, Beta
Swisher, Sega,
Halo, Madden,
Make it happen
Superior Tek are still relative newcomers to the hip hop scene, and their album belies that fact. Even a casual music listener can tell from a few minutes with their promotional album, Level Up, that their beginning tracks feel forced in both production and lyrics. At their best, though, they show promise in both facets of hip hop music, something that can only be learned by those who are willing to study everyone from Kool Herc to Kanye West.
If Level Up is any indication, we can expect that Dr. B and the rest of the Superior Tek crew are taking their rap game into training mode, just like any seasoned fighting gamer, and dissecting their beats and flows with scientific precision. "It doesn't matter what we use," Dr. B tells me. "Our newer material uses elements from gaming, rock, techno, et cetera. We're soul music gone futuristic." Street Fighter or hip hop, these guys are playing to win. Take heed, all. Gaming and gangster are now coming hand-in-hand.
Check out Superior Tek at http://myspace.com/SUPERIORTEK
Pat Miller has been doing this for way too long.
