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Editorial Entertainment Games

Rappers the Next Super Heroes? 47

Posted by Zonk from the oi-gevalt dept.
The Guardian's excellent gamesblog has an editorial up discussing the role rappers and rap culture has taken in games. From the article: "Following Def Jam Vendetta and more pertinently Def Jam Fight for New York, this is another game that places real-life Hip Hop artists within a fictitious gangland setting. It's an interesting sub-genre, trading in on the mythologies that many rappers build around themselves in their lyrics, album art and endless feuds - fantasies of gun violence, rivalry and retribution."
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Rappers the Next Super Heroes? More

Rappers the Next Super Heroes?

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  • You knew it would happen sooner or later. How many stupid games are made each year off of movies? Developers are always looking for new ways to milk pop culture for all its worth. I really don't see how they make much money off of these games that no one buys. Maybe this one will surprise us and actually be good.

  • Two comments (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Mike Hawk ( 687615 ) on Tuesday March 08, 2005 @06:59PM (#11882507) Journal
    They have been making crappy games with rappers for a while now. [gamespot.com] Cash rules everything around me.

    And I don't know what they mean about fantasies of gun violence. I bet 2-Pac wishes they only had fantasies of gun violence. And as near as I can tell, 50 Cent didn't shoot himself. Suge Knight isn't really a nice guy when you get to know him. Snoop really did get put on trial for murder. Man rap music is fun.
    • who could forget Michael Jackson's Moonwalker?
      • Mr. Jackson is a pillar of the community and Moonwalker is gaming gold.
        • Speaking as one of Mr Jackson's greatest fans, I consider Moonwalker to be a highly entertaining game. I only described it as unforgettable.

          Actually, I've probably racked up more time on Moonwalker than any other game on an emulator. Every now and then I feel tired, depressed or just in need of a little laugh and Moonwalker is always there for me.

    • Dollar Dollar C.R.E.A.M. ?
    • Shaolin Style is one of my all-time favorite fighting games. It was the first fighting game I played that allowed four combatants in a single brawl. Additionally, the game relied on special moves and combos much more than pure button-mashing.

      Granted, it doesn't measure up to today's fighting games, but back when I was still playing Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat 3, this game was incredible.
  • Experts have been saying this since the late 70s and early 80s. Hip Hop, rap, this street talk is just a trendy thing. It won't last! Its only a matter of time until Kiss makes a sequel to Pyscho Circus and then you can kiss Def Jam, the NBA, and various other hip hop games good bye!
  • I might as well just fsking kill myself now.

  • It's counter-culture really (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Red Moose ( 31712 ) on Tuesday March 08, 2005 @07:31PM (#11882852)
    I mean, Snoop Dogg was actually a crack dealer, so when he is on TV talking about having the Roly on his arm and pouring Chandon and rolling the best weed, with pictures of the RR Phantom in the back, well, of course he will be looked upon as a hero (a workign class hero if you will, the John Lennon of the 2000s).

    So if John Lennon is the working class hero, but he's basically a bad man with a lot of hoes, it's like he is the working class hero meets Wall Street. The modern life is that you must rebel (as usual) but instead of living "free" and so on, you basically live it up with bling and fish-egg coloured $300,000 cars.

    This, ladies and gentlemen, is progress. The "system" has finally ironed out the rebels. This new version of The Matrix means that tyhose that rebel and try and fuck things up by killing people or selling drugs sell out and become pop-culture icons and never do we hear the likes of Snoop complain. Hell no, he's loving it. The modern "system" works. You can no longer rebel against anything.

    I'd also like to add, that as a late 20s white male, I like Snoop Doggs new album a lot. So how's that for street cred? Huh? You badass mofo's like *my* type of Top 40 music?

    • This, ladies and gentlemen, is progress. The "system" has finally ironed out the rebels. This new version of The Matrix means that tyhose that rebel and try and fuck things up by killing people or selling drugs sell out and become pop-culture icons and never do we hear the likes of Snoop complain.
      This is nothing new, society has often been intrigued by rebels, and latched on to them as part of pop-culture. Once they become rich & famous and fit in with society, they sell out.
      The phenomenon isn't new,
  • 'DriveBy' featuring the late 2Pac and Big-E :D

  • Let's compare the messages (Score:4, Insightful)

    by snuf23 ( 182335 ) on Tuesday March 08, 2005 @09:42PM (#11884098)
    Spiderman:

    "With great power comes great responsibility"

    Gangsta Rapper Man:

    "When the bitch don't pay up ma money, the bitch get beat!"

    Yah, at least ideologically the idea seems compatible.
  • This comes as no suprise to me rappers live (actually pretend to) live an exciting gangster life, video games are the next evolution of entertainment.

    Shit, rappers emulate some of the best charictors in great movies aka scarface - and guns and violence is entertaining (on a screen)

    Rappers and video games have always gone together I remeber a verse where B.I.G. was talkin about snes and genesis. It's just the next logical step for them to be the stars of the games now, not just playing them. I know it m

    • I know it makes more sense to see 50 cent in a game shootin someone rather than britney spears :) I say bring it on!

      I dunno... A "Britney Spears vs. Lindsay Lohan" mod for some kind of FPS deathmatch would be kind of fun to see. Maybe even worth paying for.

      -Britney has gibbed herself. "Oops... I did it again."
      -Lindsay has taken the lead
      -2 frags left

      Then again, I was a big fan of "Dead or Alive: eXtreme Beach Volleyball" so take that for whatever you think it's worth.
  • Of course this would happen. Videogames allow wannabe "thugs" to act out the life of crime, money and hookers that they wouldn't dare to live in real life.

  • Here's a Thought: (Score:3, Insightful)

    by superultra ( 670002 ) on Wednesday March 09, 2005 @01:37AM (#11885618) Homepage
    Maybe the many, many white developers finally realized that African Americans are - and have been- playing their games. Or maybe studios finally started hiring minorities, although probably the former is more true.

    There is a long standing tradition of ignoring minorities in video games, save perhaps sports, so it's nice to finally see them being more inclusive of urban culture, even if they are motivated only by profit. Personally, I fail to see how "millionaire ex-drug dealers" are any worse than the ultra-violent, womanizing main characters that have almost universally plagued video games since the PSX.

    Especially that Mario guy and his "princess."

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