
Janky gameplay and street violence clichés prevent 25 to Life from fulfilling its aspirations as a video game hood epic, but the game had a killer soundtrack that surrounded its musical centerpiece, Ghostface Killah and Jadakiss’ “Run,” with other vital mid-'00s tracks from veteran rappers, like Juvenile’s “Nolia Clap,” Geto Boys’ “Yes, Yes, Y’all,” and DMX's “Where the Hood At.” Wu-Tang, Ruff Ryders Entertainment, and Terror Squad are all represented here.

There’s only one rap station – The Liberty Jam – but it’s a perfect encapsulation of that dusty, mid-'90s era in Liberty City (read: NYC) rap when songs regularly spanned over five verses. Rockstar conceived the Liberty City soundtrack as music that would have appeared on the city’s radio stations in 1998. Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories (2005)

DUB Edition incorporated rap music and leaned heavily on artists like Big Tymers, Fabolous, and Twista to underscore the game’s domestic, American settings (San Diego, Atlanta, and Detroit). The game’s unenthusiastic reviews likely had nothing to do with the soundtrack, which featured several of the year’s most exquisite anthems, like Pusha-T’s “Numbers on the Board,” Travis Scott’s “Upper Echelon,” ScHoolboy Q’s “Man of the Year,” and Action Bronson “Strictly 4 My Jeeps.”Īs a street racing adventure set in Los Angeles, Paris, and Tokyo, Midnight Club 2 included a superb soundtrack composed almost entirely of electronic music. The extremely 2004, all-rap main menu soundtrack for the timeless Need For Speed: Underground 2 included Chingy’s “I Do” and Terror Squad’s “Lean Back,” and was anchored by one of the the best exclusive gaming rap songs ever: Snoop Dogg and Fredwreck’s slick remix of The Doors’ “Riders on the Storm.”Īfter three years of literal non-existence, the NBA Live franchise emerged like a phoenix from the ashes with NBA Live 14. FNR3’s compact 11-track loop featured ‘00s staples like Akon, Dipset, Consequence, and Obie Trice.

But the games had some rock-solid soundtracks that quickly got anyone holding the sticks into the pugnacious, haymaker-throwing spirit. The greatest musical legacy of the four-part Fight Night boxing franchise is that it inspired the 2014 Migos song of the same name.
