steez you can hear vol. 20: pregame mix

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…

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. 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.
6. Bitch Please II by Eminem, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, Nate Dogg and Xzibit: Re-read that lineup…
7. 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.
8. 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.
9. Bow Down by Westside Connection: This track just makes me feel good and puts me in the proper mindstate to dominate.
10. 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.
11. Where the Hood At by DMX: More screaming, more barking, always hype.
12. Get Your Walk On by Xzibit: Before Pimp My Ride, Xzibit was doing this
13. ‘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.
14. 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.
15. 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.
16. 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.
17. RICKY by Denzel Curry: Pretty new track but Denzel Curry always keeps it hype and this song makes me wanna bang my head.
18. 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.
19. 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.
20. 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.
21. Lose Yourself by Eminem: G.O.A.T.  pre-game track.