It’s time to turn up the bass and make it rain on the haters and fakers. Move your head to the beat and get lost in time to these digital rhythms and rhymes. In search of hip-hop perfection and dedication, I bring the best original rap songs written for a video game. Whether it’s a hit, miss, or diss, this list is sure to bring bliss.

WARNING: SOME SONGS CONTAIN EXPLICIT LYRICS 

#10 Madden 2000 – Theme Song 

We start things off with Ludacris and football. No further explanation is needed. 

#9 Tekken Tag Tournament 2 – Knocc ' Em Down

Apparently the Snoop Dogg has been a huge Tekken fan since the original game came out. He was honored to bring his new Snoop Lion flavor to this year’s tournament.  

#8 Sonic Adventure 2 – Wild Canyon

It’s tough growing up on the lonely streets of Angel Island. With a shout out to Rouge the Bat and multiple references to destroying his enemies and protecting his emeralds, Knuckles shows why he is an O.G. 

#7 Dead Island – Who do you Voodoo, B****! 

What do you do when you’re a down-and-out rapper and a zombie outbreak hits? You pick up a bat, hop in your ride, and blast the new mix tape you just made when everything goes to hell. If you’re going to keep it gangsta, might as well do it while killing zombies. 

#6 Persona 3 – Burn My Dread

Mix the well-loved RPG with some RAP and you get Burn My Dread. You can’t beat this boss battle theme. Fresh beasts and a killer hook carry you through your final confrontation in style. 

#5 Wu-Tang Shaolin Style – Shaolin Temple 

Yes, the Wu-Tang Clan made a fighting game. Yes, it contained an original soundtrack. Yes, the Wu-Tang clan ain’t nothing to mess with. 

#4 Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare – Deep and Hard

Mark Grigsby, former lead animator at Infinity Ward, felt so good about the work he and his team were doing that he wrote a song just for the game. Talking about their work ethic while taking shots at the competition, this song deserves some respect.  

#3 Rogue Warrior – Credits Song 

Some people say rap stands for rhythm and poetry. This song has rhythm and, while it may be about killing and a whole lot of nonsense, Mickey Rourke delivers a mash of phrases into a nice spoken word. 

#2 Donkey Kong 64 – DK Rap

Talk about a song to get the party started. We got Cranky on the ones and twos, each Kong playing their instrument in the background, and DK, Donkey Kong. Everybody do the Diddy. 

#1 PaRappa the Rapper – Stage 1

No video game rap will ever match the lyrical teachings of Chop Chop Master Onion. You didn’t even need to own the game to hear this awesomeness because it was featured on the demo disc. You may never get past stage one, but who would want to? For anyone who doesn’t agree, all I have to say is, “Kick, Punch, Chop!”

Now that we kept it cool, what are some songs that didn’t make the cut?