Rap and Hip-Hop at the game table?

There probably have already been threads regarding "music at the game table". However, I am not sure if the title question has been posed before.

For myself, I am a fan of rap and hip-hop, although I am not expert on the genre. Don't expect me to be able to trace back the origins of hip-hop, but I know what I like, heh.

Anyways, it has always been my opinion that "music at the table" is used to enhance the feel of the game. The particular piece of music that is playing should compliment what is going on during a particular encounter.

Almost all of the examples I have seen point towards "classic" music: the Conan soundtrack, various rock and roll/heavy metal bands, etc.

For myself, while I enjoy rock and roll/heavy metal as well, I also get strong feelings and emotions while listening to rap/hip-hop. While almost every gamer I have come accross either detests rap/hip-hop or at best, is ambivalent, I was wondering if anyone ever toyed with this idea.

On a similar note, I have been enjoying the recent "trend" of mixing kung-fu flix with hip-hop. Do you think the same could be done for DND?

My group is comprised of metalheads. We are sick enough of cRap in the mainstream media that we might hurt someone who snuck any into the CD changer.

frankthedm said:

My group is comprised of metalheads. We are sick enough of cRap in the mainstream media that we might hurt someone who snuck any into the CD changer.

Click to expand...

The same could be said for when all those Hair Bands were running around.

Hehe.

Remember When Metal Ruled the World?
Remember the 80s?

I love those VH1 specials, mainly for the nostalgia of the times. When I hear some of those songs or see how people were dressed back then, it brings tears to my eyes.

I'll bet these guys would listen to rap at the gaming table.

This was one of my favorite scenes from the movie, heh.

Those are real gangstas!

I'm the skinny guy with glasses in the picture.

I loved rap music in my early teens (late 80s - about '91) but fell off until Eminem hit mainstream. Now it's the only music I listen to when I'm driving - I've even been hunting down all the old albums I had on (bootlegged) tapes when I was a kid.

I got 'Paid in Full' a couple of weeks ago.

The most important thing is making sure that your players don't hate rap. Really, I didn't know everyone hated my Indian folk music until I started playing it for my gaming sessions and boy did everyone just drop out of character and let me have it real quick. If your players are up for it though, anything goes. I used to play Ministry and Skinny Puppy for my Cyberpunk game, every so often we'd have to cut the game to go out back and light things on fire and stomp on fruit and other mushy breakables. I think the only rap I've used in my games has been for Mekton and Top Secret/SI games, but I could easily imagine working in Wu Tang or something similar into just about any game where I haven't completely killed that tone with another flavor of music already.

One more hint, sometimes there's another problem with popular music in your games. Playing music that gets stuck in player's heads, encourages them to listen to the music instead of you, or makes them want to get up and dance isn't always a good thing no matter how much you might all like the music. You might do well to find someone on the street selling a 'rapless' freestyle beats-only sort of cd instead.

dreaded_beast said:

Anyways, it has always been my opinion that "music at the table" is used to enhance the feel of the game. The particular piece of music that is playing should compliment what is going on during a particular encounter.

Almost all of the examples I have seen point towards "classic" music: the Conan soundtrack, various rock and roll/heavy metal bands, etc.

For myself, while I enjoy rock and roll/heavy metal as well, I also get strong feelings and emotions while listening to rap/hip-hop. While almost every gamer I have come accross either detests rap/hip-hop or at best, is ambivalent, I was wondering if anyone ever toyed with this idea.

Click to expand...

I think rap/hip-hop would work fine for a modern game, but would be too far removed from the feel of fantasy to be a smooth fit, as would most rock and metal. That said, you might successfully employ it in fantasy anyway if you established it as a characteristic of your game from the outset. The idea reminds me of the "A Knight's Tale" movie, where rock was used as the soundtrack for an otherwise typical "medieval, quasi-fantasy adventure" movie. It's either accepted as a feature or it completely blows any suspension of disbelief.

dreaded_beast said:

For myself, while I enjoy rock and roll/heavy metal as well, I also get strong feelings and emotions while listening to rap/hip-hop. While almost every gamer I have come accross either detests rap/hip-hop or at best, is ambivalent, I was wondering if anyone ever toyed with this idea.

Click to expand...

Obviously, if you just want to have some music on while you are playing just like you would have when doing whatever else, it doesn't matter what music it is as long as you like it. If you know that your friends really dislike the kind of music, don't put it on ever when they are around (it may even de-concentrate then from the game).

If you want a honest opinion about how does rap/hiphop match with a fantasy game of epic battles and intrigue, I honestly say that it doesn't. Just question yourself if you would have liked to watch The Lord Of The Rings with a rap/hiphop soundtrack, or otherwise a modern action movie like The Matrix or Mission Impossible with a classical soundtrack.

Undergroud, trip-hop, and bears - oh my!

Say no to the pop "Bling-bling" tripe that passes for hip-hop on the radio these days! Go independant... or at least quasi-underground.

I highly reccommend Blackalicious's 2002 album Blazing Arrow. You get 17 tracks for your money, too, and the title will make the archers in your campaign happy Seriously though, "Chemical Calisthenics" is an amazing feat, and a fitting sequil to "Alphabet Aerobics" from the A2G ep they put out in 1999.

In all seriousness, I'd probably want to listen to it closely rather than have it in the background as ambient music. A lot of it's really evocative, though - "Sky is Falling" is definately an appropriate RPG mood-setter.

Maybe something by the Beta Band? Their hip-hop influence is tangential at best, but it's there! I've gotta recommend them to everyone. John Cussack decided to feature their single "Dry the Rain" prominently in the movie High Fidelity, but be sure to check our their album Hot Shots II in addition to The Three EPs.

-z