The Jams Are Def

Def Jam Rapstar is gearing up to drop this October.  As the newest title in the RockStarBandHero genre to hit the market, despite the karaoke-style stigma, it looks surprisingly fun.  I fully expect to be listening to my friends butcher some of THE DOPEST RHYMES in hip hop history come October 5th when it hits US shelves.  Produced by up and coming 4mm Games and published under the Konami umbrella, this rap karaoke title is a truly revolutionary step for gaming.
 
An exciting addition to the standard karaoke gameplay is called Freestyle Mode, which allows players to freestyle rap over instrumental beats from some of today’s hottest producers, letting you take control of the mic and the stage.  Also new, Def Jam Rapstar will feature one of the newest facets of gaming culture: social networking.  With a console camera, the player can share video of their gaming experience with the online gaming world.  Able to upload clips of the player directly to the Def Jam Rapstar community, this game actually provides the next big thing in rap: a way to get their name recognized.  No other title has that kind of potential, and it is impressive to see the future of gaming becoming more user-driven.

Some of the biggest stars in rap are promoting this thing, from Method Man & Redman to Lil’ Jon.  Seven new artists have added tracks to the game’s library; big-time hits from Outkast, Young Jeezy, DMX and one of my all-time earworms: Busta Rhymes with “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See.”  Tracks already included represent some of the biggest names in Hip Hop from 2Pac to Snoop Dogg to The Notorious B.I.G.  Even Fat Joe chimes in with his own words of praise in the video below:

Personally, I think it will be a blast.  Who can deny the inner desire to belt out Wu-Tang at a party?  And I especially can’t wait to see videos of girls re-enacting one of the best karaoke scenes in recent cinema.  Who can forget when Linda Cardellini tries to lick her own nipple while belting out “Push It” by Salt-N-Pepa in the movie “Grandma’s Boy”? I know I can’t.

The newly announced tracks are as follows:

-Busta Rhymes – “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See”
-DMX – “Ruff Ryder’s Anthem”
-Fat Joe featuring Terror Squad – “Lean Back”
-Ja Rule featuring Ashanti – “Always on Time”
-Lil’ Jon – “Get Low”
-Public Enemy – “Can’t Truss It”
-Twista featuring Kanye West and Jamie Foxx – “Slow Jamz”