Playlist for the week of May 27, 2019:
It’s been a minute since I’ve done one of these but I felt inspired… This steez you can hear is all about getting ready for a game. Ideally, a sporting event (hopefully basketball), this playlist has tracks I’ve been listening to since I was a kid at Tustin NJB to tracks I listen to before my rec league games. Check it out and feel free to tell me to add your favorites to the mix…
- Still Ballin’ – Nitty Remix by Trick Daddy and 2Pac: 2Pac is the first person I ever listened to before a basketball game. It was on a walkman.
- Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing to F’ Wit by Wu-Tang Clan: First time I heard this song was the “edited” version. Needless to say, once I heard the real one, I got the message.
- Shook Ones, Pt. II by Mobb Deep: Even before 8 Mile, I knew that first Prodigy verse by heart and would be reciting it in my head throughout NJB games.
- No Vaseline by Ice Cube: My first foray into a “diss song” and I was not disappointed. Mean and violent, it’s a perfect pump-up song.
- Gangsta Nation by Westside Connection: As I got older, I started discovering my own artists away from the classics. I always stayed loyal to the West.
- Bitch Please II by Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Xzibit: Re-read that lineup…
- X Gon’ Give it To Ya by DMX: First time hearing DMX was a unique experience: there’s barking, there’s screaming but the energy of this song is timeless.
- Patiently Waiting by 50 Cent and Eminem: 50 Cent’s first album Get Rich or Die Tryin’ is a masterpiece and this was one young Sean’s favorite tracks. I had this on every “pump-up” mix from 8th grade through high school.
- Bow Down by Westside Connection: This track just makes me feel good and puts me in the proper mindstate to dominate.
- My Name by Xzibit, Eminem and Nate Dogg: The Eminem/Xzibit duo is a very underrated unit in Hip Hop history. Throw in Nate Dogg with a Dr. Dre beat and this song is a classic.
- Where the Hood At by DMX: More screaming, more barking, always hype.
- Get Your Walk On by Xzibit: Before Pimp My Ride, Xzibit was doing this
- ‘Til I Collapse by Eminem and Nate Dogg: This is probably my favorite pump-up track of all time. It hits all the buttons: motivational, rabble-rousing, braggadocious and most importantly, it makes you feel like you can run through a brick wall.
- Hate It or Love It by The Game and 50 Cent: While not as aggressive, as other songs on this playlist, this track always makes me feel good. It’s an affirming track that leaves me feeling calm and ready for battle.
- I Can by Nas: And this song builds me right back up. While some Nas-stans think this song is corny, I think the positive messages and positive images make this a perfect pre-game song.
- Hussle & Motivate by Nipsey Hussle: RIP to Nipsey Hussle but the marathon always continues. This is off his phenomenal 2018 album Victory Lap. I haven’t found a more perfect modern song for before a basketball game.
- RICKY by Denzel Curry: Pretty new track but Denzel Curry always keeps it hype and this song makes me wanna bang my head.
- Isis by Joyner Lucas and Logic: Fresh off squashed beef, the two spitters go off together setting a pace that I hope I’m playing at whenever I step on the court.
- 4L by 21 Savage: Something about 21 is just so swaggy and confident that makes his music perfect for basketball highlight tapes and pre-game mixes.
- Suge by DaBaby: Right when I heard the first few lines of this song I knew it was a banger. If this doesn’t make you get up, I can’t do anything for you.
- Lose Yourself by Eminem: G.O.A.T. pre-game track.
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