Pitchfork

Okay, this is officially a trend. In April, Matador contributed music to 2K Sports' Major League Baseball 2K6. Then Sub Pop went ahead and lent tunes to 2K Sports' NHL 2K7 earlier this month. And now we have NBA 2K7, released just yesterday (September 26), also a 2K Sports product. This time, however, it's not indie rock that will soundtrack your hoop dreams. It's Ghostface, Lupe Fiasco, E-40, A Tribe Called Quest, Rhymefest, Mos Def, and more.

Dan the Automator produced the soundtrack to 2K7, which hit stores September 19 and features a whole roster of fly MCs performing totally new ball-themed songs from the game and an Automator remix of Tribe's "Lyrics to Go".

The press release for the soundtrack features the usual back-patting on both sides, including praises for Dan the Automator's "solid gaming skills," but that stuff is nothing compared to the revelation that "select featured artists appear in the game as playable characters, including Phife from A Tribe Called Quest, Dan the Automator, and Slim Thug, among others." So wait, I can play as or against Phife Dawg? Awesome, because I don't know the last time I played a funky diabetic.

Since we're on a roll here, I'd like to suggest a few more future musical pairings for some of 2K Sports' other games: an all Scott Walker soundtrack to the Amped series of snowboarding games, Saddle Creek Records and Top Spin (tennis), and an Absolutely Kosher backed World Poker Tour. Wouldn't you love to hear the Wrens sing "This Is Not What You Had Planned" just as someone's full house trumps your flush?

Alley-oop:

01 Dan the Automator - "Intro"
02 Slim Thug - "I Love This Game"
03 Rhymefest - "Bang the Ball"
04 Hieroglyphics - "Don't Hate the Player"
05 Fabolous - "Ball Til You Fall"
06 Aceyalone & Rakaa of Dilated Peoples - "Champions"
07 E-40 & San Quinn - "Baller Blockin'"
08 Ghostface & A.G. of D.I.T.C. - "2K007"
09 Lupe Fiasco & Evidence of Dilated Peoples - "Catch Me"
10 Mos Def & Anwar Superstar - "Here Comes the Champ"
11 Chali 2na of Jurassic 5 - "Anchor Man"
12 A Tribe Called Quest - "Lyrics to Go (Remix)"
13 Zion I - "Fade Away"