Net Ten: The 10 Best Hip-Hop Game Soundtracks (page 1) Subscribe to this RSS feed

While the film and game industries have been awkwardly attempting to mate for a good ten years now, the music biz has largely stayed within its historical confines. In the past few years, though, they've been making rapid progress, to the point where one couldn't imagine an EA Sports game without someone gettin' ill on the mic. Fight Night is particularly notable for its hip-hop influence, and it turns out that it's just one of many games that have brought muscular grittiness, conscious lyrics, and thug life odes into the homes of millions of gamers. Below is a choice selection of the best stuff we've seen yet.

#10 Scarface: The World is Yours - [ PS2 ]

Vivendi's been pretty coy about who's going to show up in the game, but the information is out there if you have the Google fu. We have a thick review guide from the publisher that lists every single track and performer, and we can tell you that the notables listed above are just the tip of the iceberg. In the game, you'll be able to choose mix tapes that corral everything into the 1983 film's soundtrack, genre playlists, or custom goodness.

#10 Scarface: The World is Yours
64% average
critic
score

#9 Def Jam: Fight for NY - [ Xbox ]

Not only is FFNY a who's-who on the soundtrack, but these loc'd out luminaries are characters in the game. The sequel to Vendetta< has Snoop Dogg, Ludacris, Flava Flav, Erick Sermon, Busta Rhymes -- just about every name that someone like Russell Simmons could call on for a favor. The gameplay is also an improvement from Vendetta's wrestling-heavy style -- a combination of mixed martial arts and brawling that prevents these MCs from looking goofy in the ring.

#9 Def Jam: Fight for NY
83% average
critic
score

#8 Saints Row - [ Xbox 360 ]

Over 40 hip-hop tracks are packed into Saint's Row, not including unlockables -- and that's just a slice of the action. You could play the whole game and never get tired of this heaping plate of rhymie goodness. And unlike the GTA games, the music keeps going when you're outside a vehicle, so your thug life never looses steam.

#8 Saints Row
86% average
critic
score

#7 NBA 2K6 - [ Xbox ]

While other soundtracks pick big names and stick them on the same disc -- no matter how little they may complement one another -- NBA 2K6 takes a holistic and aggressively underground tack. There's the moody, sample-heavy instrumental work of RJD2 and the genre blending of Blackalicious to help this one from looking like "just another rap album." And 2K7's soundtrack is designed by Dan the Automator, featuring Ghostface, E-40, Mos Def, and A Tribe Called Quest.

#7 NBA 2K6
87% average
critic
score

#6 Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure - [ PS2 ]

Rhymefest might not ring a bell, but he was the guy who collaborated with Kanye West for "Jesus Walks," one of those radio songs you'll recognize within moments. Go ahead, we'll wait. He also won a Grammy for it. Then he put out his first album, just a few weeks ago. Meanwhile, his fellow hip-hoppers are wrecking the mic and dropping knowledge in equal measure.

#6 Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure
74% average
critic
score