Tony Hawk’s Underground & Hip-hop
Tony Hawk’s Underground (1 & 2) overall had a huge impact on the youth whether you were a skater, a gamer, or just a fan of Tony Hawk in general. The reason why these video games are important to hip-hop is that they gained a huge following and helped some of hip-hop’s underground gems be promoted into a some-what mainstream medium that wasn’t the radio or MTV. They were awarded for the best video game playlist in 2004 by MTV, so that helped a shit-ton with capturing an even bigger audience.
Talking about both games and how they helped hip-hop catch traction into a mainstream spotlight should be a topic in hip-hop that is discussed more.
It was a unique time in hip-hop, there were an array of different styles clashing, one of them being skateboarding and hip-hop. You gotta remember this was the era in which hip-hop was heavily in rotation but wasn’t considered a genre as big as Rock or mainstream Pop.
Looking back at the Hip-hop playlist for this video game was nostalgic peep it below.
T.H.U.G 1 Hip-hop Track-list:
Aceyalone - Rapps on Deck
Anacron - A Prototype
Busdriver - Imaginary Places
Cannibal Ox - Iron Galaxy
Dan the Automator (featuring Kool Keith) - Better Tomorrow
Deltron 3030 - Positive Contact
DJ Q-Bert - Cosmic Assassins
Frog One - Blah Blah
The Herbaliser (featuring MF DOOM) - It Ain't Nuttin'
J-Live - Braggin' Writes Revisited
Juggaknots - The Circle (Pt. 1)
Jurassic 5 - A Day at the Races
L.A Symphony - King Kong
Living Legends - War Games
Mr. Complex - Underground Up
Mr. Dibbs - Skin Therapy
Mr. Lif - Phantom
Murs - Transitions as a Rider
Nas - The World is Yours
People Under The Stairs - The Next Step II
Quasimoto - Low Class Conspiracy
R.A. The Rugged Man - King of the Underground
Supernatural - Internationally Known
Wildchild - Secondary Protocol
side note: check out notable songs in bold.
T.H.U.G 2 Hip-hop track-list:
Aesop Rock - No Jumper Cables (DJ paWL Remix)
Atmosphere - Trying To Find A Balance
Audio Two - Top Billin'
Brand Nubian - Punks Jump Up To Get Beat Down
Cut Chemist - Drums of Fire
Diverse - Certified
Grand Puba - I Like It
Handsome Boy Modeling School - Holy Calamity
Libretto - Volume
Living Legends - Night Prowler ft. Slug of Atmosphere
Melbeatz feat. Kool Savas - Grind On
Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Soul Brother #1
The D.O.C. - Whirlwind Pyramid
The Sugarhill Gang - Rapper's Delight
Ultramagnetic MC's - Ego Trippin
side note: check out notable songs in bold.
The main point: These two games were monumental in hip-hop as well as the skate and gamer communities there for being a pioneer in introducing real hip-hop to people from many different backgrounds and perspectives. Do yourself a favor and either enjoy some new content from these track-lists or take in the nostalgia.