During the opening credits of Grand Theft Auto V, you are immediately met with a funk-inspired bassline and a blaring trumpet melody backed up by wild electric guitars. It's a sound that is unmistakably West Coast. After all, the game is set in Los Santos, a fictionalized version of Los Angeles. Meanwhile, the aforementioned theme song is produced by Oh No and The Alchemist, who have worked together before as part of the hip-hop duo Gangrene.
"Welcome To Los Santos" serves as your introduction to the city. A montage of beaches, million-dollar homes, nice cars, boardwalks, and vapid influencers helps immerse you in the setting of the game. Given Rockstar Games' history with hip-hop, it comes as no surprise that the studio chose Oh No and The Alchemist to create the first song you hear. It's a level of authenticity that Rockstar Games has always strived for. An authenticity that has been shown in its previous titles, and an authenticity that fans are anticipating in GTA VI.
Hip-hop has played a massive role in the Grand Theft Auto games. Whether it be through the in-game radio or the characters themselves, Rockstar Games has never shied away from the genre. One could even argue that their representation of the culture is the best in the business. Perhaps it has something to do with Rockstar Games founders Dan & Sam Houser's love of music. According to a piece from Red Bull, this love was derived from the fact that their father owned a Jazz Club. From there, the brothers became enamored with Rick Rubin and his New York hip-hop bona fides. This subsequently transitioned into jobs at BMG Music before they went into game development.
Sure, there have been plenty of video games that have paid homage to hip-hop and its most famous talents. Games like 50 Cent Bulletproof, Def Jam: Fight For New York, and Wu-Tang: Shaolin Style are all iconic titles. You even had Snoop Dogg appear as a secret character in True Crime: Streets of LA. Moreover, artists like Travis Scott have helped curate soundtracks for games like NBA 2K.
However, Rockstar Games remains the gold standard. In an era where every game is either a Triple-A title or a fledgling indie art piece, hip-hop has lost ground in gaming culture. No one wants to make games like 50 Cent Bulletproof anymore. It's unfortunate, but it's the world we live in now. Not to mention, there can only be so many NBA 2K titles regurgitating the Rap Caviar playlist every year.
Rockstar has always done right by hip-hop, and the inclusion of the Dirty South Classics radio station in GTA VI suggests they have no plans to slow down. With the game coming out on November 19, we are taking a look back at past GTA titles and how hip-hop helped define them.
Grand Theft Auto I & II: The Pre-Licensing Era
Before we get into the 3D games, it's important to take a second to acknowledge Grand Theft Auto I & II, which had a minimalist top-down aesthetic. At the time, this was the best Rockstar Games could do with the resources available to them. The PlayStation 2 wasn't out yet, and for the most part, open-world 3D sandboxes weren't a thing.
Regardless, the gameplay principles are the same. Steal cars, take on missions, earn money, and try not to get caught by the police. It's a simple concept, albeit one that has turned Rockstar Games into a $20 billion company.
Unfortunately, during the top-down era, Rockstar Games couldn't really do much with their music. At the time, they didn't have the money to license songs. Instead, they built each radio station around three original songs. In GTA I, the hip-hop station was called N-CT FM and included songs from fictional groups like Slumpussy and Da Shootaz.
In an interview with Louder Sound, Rockstar Games' in-house composer Colin Anderson explained how hip-hop laid the groundwork for their entire radio system. “I had to win a lot of arguments to get GTA its radio stations,” Anderson stated. “That first hip-hop track played a big part in convincing potential supporters and silencing the nay-sayers.”
Subsequently, the hip-hop station in GTA II, KREZ, got four songs, including one track from Flytronix. It wasn't a lot, but it was still a precursor to how the radio system would eventually develop in future titles.
GTA III: Royce Da 5'9" And The Introduction Of Licensed Songs
While the radio in GTA III wasn't anywhere close to what it would someday become, there is no doubt that this was a massive leap forward. After all, GTA III was the franchise's introduction into the 3D world. The game follows the silent protagonist Claude, who gets set up by his own girlfriend and must work his way through the criminal underworld in order to get revenge.
It takes place in Liberty City, a fictional version of New York. At the time, Rockstar Games was throwing things at the wall to see what would stick. The radio stations in that game stand out, as they helped create a grimy atmosphere that matched the game's grey, dreary aesthetic.
Game Radio serves as GTA III's hip-hop station, and it is hosted by the likes of DJ Stretch Armstrong and Lord Sear, who are staples of the New York hip-hop community. Meanwhile, the station's tracklist contained three songs from Royce Da 5'9", including "We're Live (Danger)," "I'm The King," and "Spit Game" with Pretty Ugly. Other songs included Black Rob's "By A Stranger" and Agallah & Sean Price's "Rising to the Top."
It was a fine introduction into the world of music licensing. With the fictional New York backdrop, Rockstar Games knew it had to come correct with the hip-hop station, and they did what they could with the resources available to them. The inclusion of Royce Da 5'9" certainly gave them the credibility they were seeking. It should also be noted that the game had a station called Flashback 95.6, which would foreshadow their foray into the world of 80s Miami.
GTA Vice City: The Soundtrack That Changed Everything
GTA: Vice City is the game that made us all realize what a video game soundtrack could be. With Vice City, Rockstar Games wanted to make you feel like you were in an episode of Miami Vice. The very first song you hear on the radio is Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" on the pop station Flash FM. Change the station to Emotion 98.3, and you'll hear some Luther Vandross, Cutting Crew, Kate Bush, and Mr. Mister. Wave 103 also has some heavy hitters thanks to Animotion, Gary Numan, Tears For Fears, and Spandau Ballet.
While Vice City is mainly known for its pop, power ballads, and new wave offerings, Rockstar Games made sure to pay homage to the forefathers of hip-hop. Wildstyle FM is where you can find 80s rap classics. "Get It Girl" by 2 Live Crew, "Rock Box" by Run DMC, "The Breaks" by Kurtis Blow, and "The Message" by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five are all on this soundtrack. They offer the perfect soundscape for speeding in your PCJ 600 motorbike on the beach as the sun sets in the distance.
The game also pays homage to the artists who would eventually find themselves sampled by hip-hop's most famous producers. Fever 105 is a station dedicated to disco, soul, funk, and R&B. Rick James, The Pointer Sisters, The Mary Jane Girls, Kool & The Gang, and many others are represented on this station.
Vice City was a true love letter to the music of the 80s, regardless of genre. It's a soundtrack that informed the music tastes of millions of young gamers. In many ways, it was a history lesson in the music their parents partied to. With their next game, Rockstar Games would deliver a similar history lesson, just in a different decade.
GTA San Andreas: A Love Letter To 90s West Coast Hip-Hop
GTA: San Andreas is easily the series' first and most iconic love letter to rap. The original 3D trilogy includes GTA III, Vice City, and San Andreas. Of the three, San Andreas was by far the biggest technical achievement. The map included three different cities, including fictionalized Los Angeles, fictionalized San Francisco, and a fictionalized Las Vegas. Meanwhile, you could gamble, go to various clubs, get your haircut, eat food, buy tattoos, and even get shredded in the gym.
The avatar for all of this was Carl "CJ" Johnson, voiced by West Coast artist Young Maylay. An artist whose 2011 album The Real Coast Guard features a young Jelly Roll, if you can believe that. However, Maylay is not the only rapper who lent his voice to the game. MC Eiht voices Sweet, Ice-T is Madd Dogg, The Game plays B-Dup, Yo-Yo is CJ's sister Kendl, and Chuck D is a DJ for Playback FM.
In an interview with The Hip-Hop Museum, MC Eiht spoke about the power of San Andreas and how it inspired a younger generation to check out his music. “It introduced me to a younger crowd who were into gaming and streaming. So it definitely opened the door and bridged the gap between the newer generation and hearing about MC Eiht and Compton’s Most Wanted,” he explained.
As for the game's narrative, it is inspired by movies like Boyz N The Hood and Menace II Society. Officer Tenpenny is voiced by Samuel L. Jackson, a corrupt cop modeled after Rafael Perez and the Rampart Scandal of the late 1990s. All of this is backed up by an incredible soundtrack featuring a who's who of early-90s West Coast rap pioneers. One can just look at the tracklist for Radio Los Santos to see what we mean.
Radio Los Santos Tracklist:
- 2Pac (feat. Pogo) – "I Don't Give a F*ck" (1991) *
- Compton's Most Wanted – "Hood Took Me Under" (1992)
- Dr. Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg) – "Nuthin' But A 'G' Thang" (1992)
- Too $hort – "The Ghetto" (1990)
- N.W.A. – "Alwayz into Somethin'" (1991)
- Ice Cube (feat. Das EFX) – "Check Yo Self (The Message Remix)" (1992)
- Kid Frost – "La Raza" (1990)
- Cypress Hill – "How I Could Just Kill a Man" (1991)
- Dr. Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg) – "F*ck wit Dre Day (And Everybody's Celebratin')" (1992)
- The D.O.C. – "It's Funky Enough" (1989)
- N.W.A. – "Express Yourself" (1988) *
- Ice Cube – "It Was a Good Day" (1992)
- Eazy-E – "Eazy-Er Said Than Dunn" (1988)
- Above the Law – "Murder Rap" (1990)
- Dr. Dre (feat. Snoop Dogg) – "Deep Cover" (1992)
- Da Lench Mob (feat. Ice Cube) – "Guerillas in tha Mist" (1992)
Additionally, DJ Pooh was a co-writer and co-producer on the game. He served as the architect of the game's authenticity. Rockstar Games fed its ideas through DJ Pooh, who then filtered those ideas down into something more refined. Something that truly captured the experience of Los Angeles in the early 90s.
In an interview with GTANET, Pooh explained just how important the music and the radio stations are to the GTA experience. Without it, San Andreas isn't the iconic success it is today. For DJ Pooh, Rockstar Games are masters of their craft when it comes to soundtrack and ambiance. All of these years later, they remain the gold standard.
"But then the music – nobody in gaming does music like Grand Theft Auto," DJ Pooh said. "I’ve always been a huge fan of how music goes in the game, but also how good it is. People out here love the radio stations. Some people say GTA radio is better than real life radio. It’s so crazy, you notice like you want to make everybody happy with such a broad game and that’s a hard thing to do, something nobody can accomplish. But I feel like GTA does that better than anybody."
Clifton Powell, the voice behind the iconic character Big Smoke, spoke to HotNewHipHop in 2019 for the game's 15th anniversary. It was here that he revealed Tupac and Biggie were being played incessantly by the other voice actors. Everywhere you turned, the game was being influenced by hip-hop in some way, shape, or form.
Playback FM was another celebration of hip-hop. This station features rap from the East Coast. Big Daddy Kane, Slick Rick, Public Enemy, Eric B & Rakim, and Gang Starr are just some of the artists you will hear on this station. Chuck D of the aforementioned Public Enemy being the radio host is just icing on the cake here.
All of this music provides greater context for the world of San Andreas. In the early stages of the game, Grove Street becomes your home base until missions begin taking you out into the middle of nowhere. While the desert landscapes between San Fierro and Las Venturas entice you to listen to America's "Horse With No Name," Radio Los Santos allows you to bring the spirit of Grove Street wherever you go.
Sure, in Vice City, there are a plethora of genres you can listen to on the radio. But everyone remembers that game for its 80s pop aesthetics. As for San Andreas, the playlisting is just as expansive and as expressive. However, it is the rap stations that make this game's soundtrack what it is.
Meanwhile, it is the game that most millennials have all of the nostalgia for. It's the game they needed to have on their PlayStation as soon as it came out. If you had San Andreas, you were the popular kid on the block. A generation of hip-hop fans were born on this game, and even with GTA VI on the horizon, some will argue that this is the best GTA to ever do it.
GTA IV: Funk Flex, "Arab Money," And Fictionalized New York
Rockstar Games absolutely loves to add satire into its games. While GTA IV had arguably the darkest story of the entire series, you could also argue that, bar for bar, there isn't a single other GTA game with as much satire as this one. Much of that satire can be found on the radio stations within the game.
Given that this game is set in Liberty City, it should come as no surprise that Rockstar Games went all out with the rap station, The Beat 102.7. In the base version of GTA IV, the station was hosted by DJ Green Lantern and DJ Mister Cee. Songs included "Flashing Lights" by Kanye West, "War Is Necessary" by Nas, and "Getaway Driver" by Maino.
However, expansions like The Lost & Damned and The Ballad of Gay Tony proved to be where The Beat 102.7 really shone. This is all thanks to the inclusion of Funk Flex and Statik Selektah as the station's hosts. The first half of the playlist would include Flex, and the other half would include Statik. As you can imagine, Funk Flex would immediately go down in infamy as one of Grand Theft Auto's best radio DJs of all time.
Two years before Funk Flex would turn Kanye West and JAY-Z's "Otis" into 21 minutes of sound effects and interjections, he was yelling at Liberty City Swingers slugger Ernesto Asaltacunas to "stop touching the little ones." Ironically enough, this is all happening while Kanye croons the intro to "Love Lockdown" in the background.
One of GTA IV: The Ballad of Gay Tony's most iconic characters is Yusuf Amir, a wannabe real estate tycoon who is living in Liberty City on his father's dime. The man loves hip-hop and has convinced himself that it's appropriate for him to use the N-word. Luis, the main protagonist of the expansion, thinks Amir is a complete moron. However, he puts up with him because the man provides a steady paycheck.
That said, Amir's inclusion in the game also leads to one of the more iconic hip-hop-related moments in the Grand Theft Auto franchise. In one cutscene, he can be seen rapping and dancing along to Busta Rhymes' "Arab Money." A song that was universally maligned at the time for being offensive. In recent years, the song has received a re-appraisal of sorts. While some still find the song offensive, and understandably so, there are others whose only cultural context for the track is GTA IV and its infinite satire.
GTA IV certainly is not the love letter to hip-hop that San Andreas was. However, the game still allows for rap to hold significant weight in terms of its most memorable moments. It's a testament to not just hip-hop's general cultural cache, but Rockstar Games' understanding of that cache as well.
GTA V: Back To The West Coast
With the franchise heading back to Los Santos, it only made sense that Rockstar Games would come through with an expansive hip-hop tracklist. The hip-hop in the game is spread between three stations. You have Radio Los Santos, which is contemporary rap. Subsequently, there is West Coast Classics, which is essentially what Radio Los Santos would have been in the era of San Andreas. Lastly, there was Blonded Los Santos, which was a special station hosted by Frank Ocean. This station was added to later versions of the game.
What makes the GTA V rap soundtrack so special is the sheer volume of songs. The radio stations are jam-packed with material. Of course, this comes with a trade-off. If you like certain songs, you will have to wait a long time to hear them. However, you also have so much to choose from that it almost doesn't really matter.
YG, Ab-Soul, ScHoolboy Q, Kendrick Lamar, Future, Travis Scott, Freddie Gibbs, Vince Staples, and many others serve to accompany you across fictionalized California. Without the hip-hop stations, the game simply wouldn't have the same atmosphere or level of immersion. Instead, you would be stuck with trendy alt-rock stations and country music that simply get too old, too soon. Not to mention, hearing Mike Dean and Schoolboy Q on Radio Los Santos always blows our minds a bit.
It should probably also be noted that Dr. Dre is a character in GTA Online. In one DLC, you interact with Dre, Scott Storch, and even Jimmy Iovine. This specific DLC also brought back one of the game's protagonists, Franklin. Franklin is voiced by Shawn Fonteno, who actually recorded some NPC voice lines for San Andreas back in the day. He's also the cousin of Young Maylay.
While speaking to Screen Rant, Fonteno expressed just how cool it was to work with Dre. As someone from Los Angeles, it was an absolute dream come true. Yet another example of Rockstar Games keeping their finger on the pulse of culture and keeping things authentic.
"When I first found out I was working alongside Dr. Dre was when we got on set to shoot. It was overwhelming to know that I was going to be working alongside of this guy, man. It’s Dre, man! I come from the west coast, I'm an LA dude and [Dr. Dre] is a west coast legend. He's everything, man," Fonteno explained.
GTA V serves as Rockstar Games' most expansive representation of hip-hop so far. However, in just a couple of weeks, that is about to change once and for all.
GTA VI: An Ode To The Dirty South
Going into GTA VI, there is still a lot that we don't know about the radio stations and what the hip-hop offerings are going to look like. The inclusion of Sexyy Red and Kodak Black suggests a contemporary rap station will be included in the game. Furthermore, it seems as though Florida and the South more broadly will be represented. However, there is still a lot that has yet to be unveiled. For instance, we don't know the tracklist, and we don't know the host(s).
What we do know is that GTA VI will include Dirty South Classics, a radio station hosted by Trick Daddy and Trina. Of course, The Trick & Trina Morning Show was a staple in Miami during the early 2020s. Now, they are back and will be the voices behind what could end up being one of Grand Theft Auto's best radio stations in franchise history.
Florida, Atlanta, Tennessee, Texas, and Louisiana are all expected to get representation on this station. In a teaser shared by Rockstar Games in October, we learned that "Like A Pimp" by David Banner and Lil Flip will be in the game. We also have "Who Dat" by JT Money and Sole, as well as "Born N Raised" by DJ Khaled featuring Trick Daddy, Rick Ross, and Pitbull.
Additionally, GTA VI has collaborated with a plethora of artists on an original soundtrack. It features Cardi B, Travis Scott, Future, Metro Boomin, Yung Lean, and many more. Yet another example of how Rockstar Games is tapped into the current music landscape.
The aforementioned Kodak Black appears to be a character in GTA VI. The extent to which he is in the game is currently unknown. That said, he has his very own character model. He may not be the only rapper to receive this treatment, although it's impossible to say for sure. In two weeks from now, we will be getting our answer.
After 24 years, the franchise is headed back to Vice City. A good chunk of GTA fans will tell you that Vice City had the franchise's best soundtrack. With Dirty South Classics coming to GTA VI, it feels as though hip-hop fans might just have a new favorite.
But again, the inclusion of Trick Daddy and Trina just proves Rockstar knows what it's doing. They understand the culture of the cities they depict in their games. The soundtracks have always reflected this, and with each iteration of the franchise, Rockstar Games develops the resources necessary to paint a fuller picture.
Hip-hop remains at the core of these games, and Rockstar hasn't forgotten that.
