Grand Theft Auto's creators take a look at one of the key elements to this franchise's success: The soundtrack.
Courtesy of Rockstar Games
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
(PlayStation 2 - October 2004)
Bounce FM - Funk
Playback FM - Classic Hip Hop
Radio Los Santos - Gangster Rap
Master Sounds 98.3 - Rare Grooves
K-Rose - Country
CSR 103.9 - New Jack Swing
K-Jah West - Dub and Reggae
K-DST - Classic Rock
Radio X - Alternative Rock
SF-UR - House
WCTR - Talk Radio
With Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar set their sights on the West Coast circa the early 1990s, once again delivering an exhaustive account of the radio dial from the Alternative Rock found on Radio X, pumping out Rage Against The Machine's "Killing In The Name Of" to the Country styling's of K-Rose with Ed Bruce's warning "Momma, Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up To Be Cowboys". In particular for a game about early 90s 'gangsta' culture, the game showcased the best of early 'Gangsta Rap' along with the various genres of music that had influenced its evolution, including West Coast funk, rare groove, and classic Hip Hop.
San Andreas also featured an array of celebrity DJs, from Guns and Roses own Axl Rose manning the boards at K-DST as Tommy "The Nightmare" Smith to George Clinton of Parliament keeping the Funk alive as "The Funktipus" at Bounce FM, while the West Coast Hip Hop station was hosted by Julio G of K-DAY fame. San Andreas also debuted procedural radio stations which changed and evolved as the game was played.
Following the success of the Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Official Soundtrack Box Set, Rockstar teamed up with Interscope Records to unleash the Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas Official Soundtrack Box Set, a monster 8 CD compendium that featured over 100 songs that captured the California soul of the early 1990s.
Seminal Moment: Cruising in a low rider down Grove Street while the Gap Band's "You Dropped a Bomb on Me" lifted over the airwaves.
Since the release of Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, Rockstar has released Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories for the Sony PlayStation Portable, and though the size of the screen may have been reduced, the sheer scope of the sound waves in these handheld crime epics has not. From fan favorites such as Lips 106 (Pop) to V-Rock (Heavy Metal), the addition of new channels such as Radio Del Mundo (World Music) and VCFL (Soul), as well as continuing to evolve the idea of Talk Radio in a videogame.
Posted: 14 Dec 2007
