Snoop Dogg & Chris Stapleton Cover "In The Air Tonight" As Monday Night Football Theme

BYGabriel Bras NevaresPublished on September 19, 2023791 Views

Snoop Dogg Chris Stapleton In The Air Tonight Football Hip Hop News

New York Yankees/Getty Images & Kevin Mazur/Getty Images

The two kicked off ESPN and ABC's broadcasts of two games, ushering in a creative reimagining of a classic for this new anthem.

The NFL has a new theme for Monday Night Football, and it mixes eras, genres, and fanbases to create a new anthem. Moreover, Chris Stapleton and Snoop Dogg graced fans with a cover of the iconic Phil Collins track "In The Air Tonight" on Monday (September 18). The rendition also featured Cindy Blackman Santana on drums, and made for a pretty grand and unexpected collaboration. ESPN and ABC aired it before coverage of the New Orleans Saints versus the Carolina Panthers and the Cleveland Browns versus the Pittsburgh Steelers, respectively.

According to a press release, this will continue for all Monday Night Football games, plus ESPN's Week 18 Saturday Doubleheader, Super Wild Card, and its first Divisional playoff game. "It was fascinating to me to see how one song could get you in that mode to go kick some tail," the Steelers' Hines Ward told ESPN. "I don’t care if you are the home team [or] the away team. You are hearing that song no matter what [before the game]," the Washington Commandeers' Terry McLaurin remarked, as well. But now for the real question: how's the song?

"In The Air Tonight" Gets A Monday Night Football Makeover

Well, it's just as epic and over-the-top as you would expect for Monday Night Football, and that's by no means a diss. Chris Stapleton provides soaring and passionate vocals, doing the drama of the original Phil Collins track justice. In addition, the country star pulls off a killer guitar solo towards the end, backed up by Santana's expressive and powerful drumming. But you might be wondering: how on Earth does Tha Doggfather fit into this? The answer is a classically smooth and cheeky verse in the middle section, something that "In The Air Tonight" had never featured.

Meanwhile, this isn't the only big musical move from the NFL for Monday Night Football. They also tapped legendary duo Justin Timberlake and Timbaland to curate music for specific games during the season. All of this is fitting for an exciting season of great entertainment and even greater games. For more news and the latest updates on Snoop Dogg and the 2023-2024 NFL season, check back in with HNHH.

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About The Author

Gabriel Bras Nevares

Gabriel Bras Nevares is a music and pop culture news writer for HotNewHipHop. He started in 2022 as a weekend writer and, since joining the team full-time, has developed a strong knowledge in hip-hop news and releases. Whether it’s regular coverage or occasional interviews and album reviews, he continues to search for the most relevant news for his audience and find the best new releases in the genre. What excites him the most is finding pop culture stories of interest, as well as a deeper passion for the art form of hip-hop and its contemporary output. Specifically, Gabriel enjoys the fringes of rap music: the experimental, boundary-pushing, and raw alternatives to the mainstream sound. As a proud native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, he also stays up-to-date with the archipelago’s local scene and its biggest musical exponents in reggaetón, salsa, indie, and beyond. Before working at HotNewHipHop, Gabriel produced multiple short documentaries, artist interviews, venue spotlights, and audio podcasts on a variety of genres and musical figures. Hardcore punk and Go-go music defined much of his coverage during his time at the George Washington University in D.C. His favorite hip-hop artists working today are Tyler, The Creator, Boldy James, JPEGMAFIA, and Earl Sweatshirt.