World Hip-Hop Day: remember 9 times rappers appeared in games

Known as one of the main movements started in the ghettos, this Sunday (12) the World Hip-Hop Day. And despite being known mainly as a musical style, the manifestation of hip-hop has become cultural and influences clothes, films, dances, visual arts and even speech (through slang).

And as expected, the style known by the synonym of rap (although the two words do not mean exactly the same thing) also reached video games. In addition to the dozens of songs that are on the games’ soundtracks, the movement’s artists themselves represented the scene in several titles.

To honor the date, the Voxel listed 9 times rappers appeared in games. Check out the complete selection below!

1. Travis Scott no Fortnite

Rapper Travis Scott has become an audience phenomenon in recent years. Realizing that he draws crowds to his shows, Epic Games was quick to plan a collaboration between the singer and its main game.

In 2020, during the pandemic, the author of hits such as Butterfly Effect, Antidote, Goosebumps e Wake Up held a virtual presentation within Provided. Whoever was playing at that time had a different experience that featured a giant version of Scott singing hits like Sicko Mode.

2. Dr. Dreem GTA Online

A speech by Snoop Dogg in October last year left fans GTA on alert. The rapper had said that music producer and colleague Dr. Dre was producing music for a new game in the franchise and that the songs were great.

The information left many people excited about the possibility of a possible GTA 6 be on the way. However, as it turned out, Dr. Dre was actually producing content for The Contract, a DLC for GTA Online.

In addition to the exclusive soundtrack, Dr. Dre himself appeared in the game and appears helping the character Franklin.

3. ScHoolboy Q em PGA Tour 2K21

Considered a not-so-mainstream rapper, ScHoolboy Q is the stage name of Quincy Matthew Hanley. He has important collaborations with musicians such as Kanye West, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis and Kendrick Lamar, with whom he forms the hip-hop group Black Hippy (along with Ab-Soul and Jay Rock).

Having loved golf since he was a child, he realized a dream when he was invited to participate in the game PGA Tour 2K21. Not only did he appear in an advertising video for the game, but he was also a playable character.

4. J. Cole em NBA 2K23 Dreamer Edition

J. Cole, who is the winner of the Grammy Awards for Best Rap Song in 2020 – for the song A Lot, with 21 Savage – became the cover of the main basketball game. The Dreamer Edition of NBA 2K23 appears printed by the artist, who is a self-confessed fan of the sport.

But J. Cole didn’t just lend his face to the cover. He participated in the soundtrack and appears as a character in MyCareer mode. “NBA 2K has been a place to discover new musical talent through and continues to be a gold standard for showcasing all things basketball culture.”

5. Stormzy em Watch Dogs Legion

Watch Dogs Legion is a game that divided opinions when it was released in 2020. Despite this, the Ubisoft title brought notable moments such as the appearance of British rapper Stormzy.

The singer – who became quite popular through partnerships with bands like Linkin Park – appears specifically in the mission Fall on My Enemies. In the side quest, the player needs to protect a counterterrorism drone while the game plays a song with a new clip starring Stormzy.

6. 21 Savage, Snoop Dogg e Nicky Minaj em Call of Duty

On August 11, 1973, Jamaican artist DJ Kool Herc used turntables and a microphone to rhyme over improvised beats. That night in the Bronx neighborhood of New York, hip-hop was born.

Activision decided to honor 50 years of this cultural movement and launched no less than three new skins for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II. Snoop Dogg, Nicki Minaj and 21 Savage became playable characters, with the rapper becoming the first female operator in the game’s history.

And it’s worth remembering that Snoop Dogg himself had already appeared in CoD: Vanguard e CoD: Warzone as operator, in 2022.

7. 50 cent em 50 Cent: Bulletproof

Many people don’t know, but Curtis James Jackson III was not only present in a game, but in a game with his own name and story. 50 Cent: Bulletproof was a game released in 2005 – the height of the rapper’s career – for PS2, Xbox and PSP.

In addition to the shootings, the title had a soundtrack with more than 13 new songs by 50 Cent. The launch was so surprising that it even got a sequel called 50 Cent: Blood on the Sandwhich arrived for PS3 and Xbox One in 2009.

8. Logic em The Last of Us Parte 2

Sir Robert Bryson Hall II is rapper Logic’s given name. Born in the state of Maryland, in the United States, he is a typical 90s nerd.

A video game fan and frequent user of social media, he has spoken on more than one occasion about his appreciation for the franchise The Last of Us. As any fan of Ellie and Joel would like, he managed, almost by luck, to participate in the sequel to the original PlayStation 3 game.

After some contacts and even a rejected audition to play the character Jesse, he at least managed to voice a villain in the Cascavels group. Check out the musician telling the story on his YouTube channel below:

9. Busta Rhymes, Ice T, Sean Paul, Xzibit e outros em Def Jam: Fight for NY

The list could not be closed in a better way if not for the game that brought together several of the main notables from the rap world of the first decade of the 2000s. Def Jam: Fight for NY was, in fact, the second game in the fighting franchise between rappers.

Borrowing the name of the record label that revealed several important names in rap, the title ended up becoming a complete classic for the PS2, Game Cube and Xbox.

In addition to giants like Flavor Flav, Freeway, Ludacris, Busta Rhymes, Ice T, Sean Paul and Xzibit, even actors like Danny Trejo and Carmen Electra appeared as playable characters.

So, what’s your favorite appearance by rappers in games? Do you think someone was missing? Don’t forget to follow the Voxel no X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram to find out all the latest news from the gaming world!