It's 1986, I'm in the first grade, I'm working really hard to get Mario laid

January 18, 2006 2:38 AM

I'm looking for some nintendo-hop. Gangster shit a plus.

Okay, so here's the deal. I'm looking for some hip-hop/rap that sounds, in some way or another, like oldschool games/chiptunes/nintendo music. The actual lyrical content is less important than the instrumental - i.e. I want it to sound like somebody's rapping over a nintendo game, or something close.

So far I've got a few collected, but I'm looking for more. I'm not looking for anything gimmicky or parody-style, unless the artist has some serious skills.

Also acceptable are songs that are just kinda retro synth-y, or to a random passerby would sound "like nintendo music". I'd prefer underground artists, as I'm gonna be contacting these artists for a project I'm working on. Anyone have any reccomendations, or better yet, mp3s?


I know about Warp to World 6-9, so that's out.

posted by dihutenosa to media & arts (24 comments total)

I know its not quite what you're after but have you heard the mash up of MIA's Galang with the theme from Super Mario Bros?
posted by ninebelow at 2:47 AM on January 18, 2006

Li'l Flip's "Game Over" sparked a lawsuit over the use of uncleared samples from Pac-Man.
posted by Faint of Butt at 3:23 AM on January 18, 2006

mark vii. Check out Commando Jackson.
posted by oh pollo! at 3:24 AM on January 18, 2006

I stumbled onto this great Mario Bros remix of a hip hop track ages ago. I have no idea who it is by though.
posted by stokast at 3:28 AM on January 18, 2006

I like the Supa Mario remix from DJ Clue. Find tons more here, I haven't listened to them all.
posted by milquetoast at 3:32 AM on January 18, 2006

On lack of preview, stokast beats me to it. Also, ninebelow is referring to a DJ named cry.on.my.console, and the track in question is here.
posted by milquetoast at 3:36 AM on January 18, 2006

not hip-hop, but...
jahtari do a dub version of the international karate theme.
posted by stokast at 3:41 AM on January 18, 2006

Cocoa Brovaz-Super Brooklyn.
posted by Cool Alex at 3:52 AM on January 18, 2006

The Molemen put out a great single featuring Slug, Aesop Rock, and MF Doom called Put your Quarter Up - it's an ode to video games over what sounds like a video game sample. Lyrics and a few more video-game hip hop songs here.
posted by Gortuk at 4:40 AM on January 18, 2006

If you can find a copy of DJ Rondevu's "Dirty Business" mixtape, it has a couple tracks where he mixes different rhymes with the "Flip" Pac-Man sounds.
posted by rxrfrx at 4:56 AM on January 18, 2006

According to the phenomenal Ishkur's Guide, you are looking for examples of the microgenre of VGM (Video Game Music), aka chiptunes. Potentially also Casiocore.
posted by cogat at 5:15 AM on January 18, 2006

Check out Scram Jones' "64 Bit." Lyrics have nothing to do with video games, but the beat's definitely what you're looking for. I have it off some mixtape, but it looks like it was released on an album called Loose Cannons. There's dirty and clean versions available (not sure what your use is...)
posted by msbrauer at 5:21 AM on January 18, 2006

micromusic
posted by paradroid at 5:31 AM on January 18, 2006

Prefuse 73 does a wonderful blend of hip-hop and glitchy IDM (sample on iTunes).

There's also the ever-popular MC Chris, who while every song is not video game-esqe, has a few tracks that are certainly video game inspired, such as Robotussin which sampled Gauntlet.

Neither of these are terribly gangster, I'm afraid. While Prefuse is serious, Chris is way way doing the geek rap thing.
posted by Remy at 5:39 AM on January 18, 2006

The Peel Session version of Jimmy Breeze #1 by Clouddead features a sample of the original Legend of Zelda level select screen.
posted by cloeburner at 6:09 AM on January 18, 2006

C-Rayz Walz has a dope freestyle over a Legend of Zelda beat, though I have no idea what it's called. You could probably find it on P2P by searching for "Zelda freestyle c-rayz" or something.
posted by dead_ at 7:05 AM on January 18, 2006

DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince did a rap about video game addiction.
posted by Wild_Eep at 7:16 AM on January 18, 2006

Upon further consideration Clouddead's sample is from one of the dungeons, not the level select screen.
posted by cloeburner at 7:20 AM on January 18, 2006

Hey, thanks for all the info thus far - I'm familiar with a lot of these artists, and some of them aren't quite relevant to what I'm doing, but the samples are great anyway.

Msbrauer, would you happen to have an mp3/link to that particular joint? Dirty is fine.

Keep them coming...
posted by dihutenosa at 7:22 AM on January 18, 2006

Some grime hip-hop has a definite 8-bit feel to me, especially Dizzee Rascal's Boy in Da Corner. Not actual samples from games, but taking the actual music from those games to a much darker place.
posted by rabbitsnake at 7:49 AM on January 18, 2006

Aphex Twin's Power Pill.
posted by robbie01 at 8:06 AM on January 18, 2006

Check out the two Game Over mixtapes, and Beanie Siegel's 'Mac Man,' and Del the Funkee Homosapien's 'Proto Culture.' And 8bitpeoples.
posted by box at 8:09 AM on January 18, 2006

See if you can track down "Galaxy Defenders" by the Computor Rockers. They're an Adam F side project.
posted by ikkyu2 at 8:20 AM on January 18, 2006

ytcracker's album "nerdrap entertainment system" (free download)
posted by suni at 8:58 AM on January 18, 2006