Hip-hop and gaming culture have collided over and over throughout the history of both mediums. Big titles use hip-hop and rap songs in trailers, to fill out licensed soundtracks, and as templates for original music in game. Fighting games likeStreet FighterandMortal Kombatare especially tied to the culture as well. From alternate costumes based on classic hip-hop outfits, and remixed songs to play at big competitive events, fighting games and hip-hop go way back.
Street Fighterhas an especially long history with rap and hip-hop culture. The relationship goes all the way back toStreet Fighter 2and its impact on popular culture at the time. The game featured many aesthetics inspired by late 80’s hip-hop culture and music that oftentimes mirrored the exploding popularity of hip-hop and rap music. Years later, rappers still make references to the game and famously Lupe Fiasco ended up winning an exhibition match against one of the most famous pro fighting game players Daigo Umehara at a pre-launch event forStreet Fighter 5.
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WhenCapcom releasedStreet Fighter 2: HD Remix,many of the songs utilized were remixed versions of original soundtrack songs. Several remixes pulled and included music from some of the most famous names in hip-hop and rap music, like members of the Wu-Tang Clan. Hip-hop and rap have consistently been the most popular forms of music for American audiences, so it would seem natural for gaming franchises to use songs in the genre to promote their games.
Mortal Kombat 11was revealed with a trailer featuring a 21 Savage song, one of the more popular modern artists.Megan Thee Stallion recently livestreamed aMortal Kombat 11matchon Twitch and the artist was featured in the trailer for the recent Kombat Pack that added Rain and Mileena, drawing millions of views. Hip-hop artists continue to hold close ties to the fighting game community to this day. The relationship goes both ways as well. Rap songs have been peppered with references to fighting game culture for as long as there have been fighting games.
Lupe Fiasco in particular is a clearStreet Fighterfan, as the artist’s albumDrogas Lightreleased in 2017 with a cover that is heavily stylized to resemble Akuma’s kanji fromStreet Fighter. References toMortal Kombatcharacters made by Danny Brown in his feature on the song “Ego Death” by Busdriver are incredibly common in rap music at large.Tekken, Street Fighter,andMortal Kombattournaments are often visited by rappers, and are among the most referenced games in the culture. With the success of events and ads from Megan Thee Stallion, it’s safe toexpect more events like this fromMortal Kombat 11in the future.
Fighting games aren’t the only genre to embrace hip-hop and rap culture,Call of Dutyused Eminem tracks for their release trailers for several years in a row, andCyberpunk 2077featured a promotional single from Run the Jewels called “No Save Point.” The rap duo is one of the most popular hip-hop acts and the song has already received millions of listens. Fighting games likeStreet Fighter,Mortal Kombat, andTekkenhave an especially close history with the genre though with most of thebest fighting games of last generationinclude references to hip-hop and rap culture in some form or another.
The relationship between the two mediums is likely to only grow moving into the future, especially with the success of streaming events and other tie-ins between fighting games and hip-hop culture.
Street Fighter 5is available on PC and PS5.
