With the recent announcement that we’re finally getting an official GTA 6 trailer next month, the hype for the next instalment of the iconic series has reached fever pitch. Anyone who has played any game in the legendary GTA series, will know what an important part the music plays. The soundtracks that the games have spawned have arguably become as important as the games themselves.
In light of this GTA 6 news, we thought we’d round up a selection of the finest tracks from various corners of UK Black music. We’ve got Grime, we’ve got Rap, we’ve got Drill – these tracks will fit perfectly onto any radio station that is dedicated to representing the culture.
1.Ruff Sqwad – “London”
There are plenty of tracks which are an ode to London, Devlin has his track “London City”, Kano has “London Town” and Lowkey has his track “London” which professes his love for the city he grew up in. However of all these tracks, the east London grime collective pioneers Ruff Sqwad might have been the first with their track, an early grime anthem which provides the perfect driving music through its eerie piano led instrumentation. The track featured on their infamous Guns and Roses Vol.2 mixtape.
2. Dizzee Rascal – “Stop Dat”
The intense energy encapsulated in grime is also perfect for those inevitable GTA rampages. We’ve all delved into our capabilities as a one man army, taking on the police, and eventually military, as the wanted level reaches the infamous 5 star rating. Well as one of the most intense and hardcore grime anthems “Stop Dat” by the legendary Dizzee Rascsal had to be on the list. Take in our interview with Dizzee right here.
3.Skepta ft Giggs – “Look Out”
One of the greasiest tracks in history, which appeared on Skepta’s second album Microphone Champion, “Look out” by Skepta featuring Giggs, saw North and South London meet in an iconic collaboration. “Look Out” is the perfect track to ride out to.
4. Wiley – Gangsters
We’ve had Giggs, Skepta, and Dizzee, but radio station dedicated to UK music, fictional or not can ignore the Godfather of grime, aka Eski Boy, Bow E3’s Wiley. Whilst Wiley has plenty of greasy and hype tracks, we felt the most appropriate track for GTA 6 would be “Gangsters”, which appeared on his 2007 album Playtime Is Over.
5. Klashnekoff – “Murda“
In a similar vein to the inclusion of Dizzee’s “Stop That”, we couldn’t help but add UK hip-hop legend Klashnekoff’s anthem “Murda”. This track will make you wanna grab the burner and hit the streets on GTA 6 for some carnage, but perhaps with a bit more panache than the straight rampaging frenzy Dizzee’s song would throw you into.
6. SkinnyMan – “Council Estate Of Mind“
Another UK hip-hop classic, one cannot leave out the legendary Skinnyman’s “Council estate of mind”, a true underground UK anthem, which gives you a proper feel for the gritty side of life; something that we imagine the protagonist of GTA 6 will be all too familiar with
7. Nines – “Metalic Black”
Another perfect riddim to cruise through the streets is Church Road head huncho Nine’s “Metalic Black”. This track featured on his classic debut project From CR to Hollywood and brings a slick cold vibe which makes for perfect night time driving music.
8. D Double E – “Bark It“
Another legend we couldn’t leave off the soundtrack is East London’s Newham General, D Double E. “Bark it” something you will undoubtedly be doing a number of times on GTA 6. This is the second track from the seminal debut album Jackuum which came out in 2018.
9. Wretch 32 Ft Badness & Ghetto – “Ina Di Ghetto”
There’s nothing better than having two of the greats going back to back, and “Ina Di Ghetto” brings you just that. We’d imagine that GTA 6 might begin in the gritty part of town, that Wretch and Ghetts do so well in describing on this iconic joint.
10. Dizzee Rascal – “Sirens”
For anyone who’s played GTA before, a staple part of the game, something you’ll have to do countless times, is getting away from the authorities. This track by Dizzee seems like the perfect soundtrack to accompany your attempts to evade the boys in blue on the streets on GTA 6.
11. Casisdead Feat Merky Ace – “Livin Dat”
North London lyricist Casisdead linked up with the greasy South London MC Merky Ace back in 2014 on his debut mixtape The number 23. In a similar vein to artists like Pusha T, Rick Ross, and Jay-Z, Cas is an example of hip-hop drug dealing music, but his art is done with such panache and a British essence, rendering him a perfect candidate to appear on a GTA soundtrack.
12 AJ Tracey-“Swerve and Skid”
This high energy grime riddim from the West London MC who burst onto the scene some time ago now carries a theme which can be related to playing GTA. If your quite a dead eye and manage to take out the drivers of vehicles which are pursuing you, like AJ chats in this grimey rendition, you can make any car “Swerve and Skid”.
13. 67 – “Take It There”
The inclusion of some seminal UK Drill tracks is a must, especially if its on a GTA game. The South London drill scene is packed full of bangers that are almost ready made for a Grand Theft Auto soundtrack, so to kick things off we’ve included the colossal drill anthem “Take it there” by 67.
14. Reekz MB x SDG x Reeko Squeeze – “Lock Orff”
Another drill banger we felt to include is “Lock Orff”, which saw three huge names of the drill scene collab on an ill beat produced by Colvers. This track also has a gully video you should deffo check out.
15 The Streets – “Has It Come To This?”
Another track perfect for roaming through the streets of London, is The Streets’ (see what I did there) seminal track “Has it come to this” off of the legendary Original Pirate Material album. Mike Skinner was a pioneer of British music, combining sounds from UK hip-hop, garage, and grime, but glossing it over with his cockney twang to produce a fresh new and original sound that no radio station claiming to represent UK music can ignore.
16. J Hus – “Bouff Daddy”
The Hustler is without a doubt one of the most important artists to come out of the UK in the last five years at least. His ability to seamlessly weave the melodic waviness with credible hard barring has set him apart from those who have tried to plagiarise. GTA isn’t always about the grittiness, you need some tunes to celebrate your victories, this tune would be the perfect backdrop to a clean getaway.
17. Fredo – “Change”
One of the hardest UK rappers by a country mile. Fredo’s lyrics are always a celebration of the age old rags to riches story. “Change” comes from his Rated Award winning mixtape Tables Turn; and in familiar Fredo fashion he bodies the track with his straight to the jugular rhymes. As you embark on your fictional come up, Fredo will most definitely be some motivational music.
18. Casisdead – “Play (Faze Miyake remix)”
This track by the masked Tottenham artist was revamped by serial hit maker Faze Miyake for a high energy banger than will make you want to rob your own nan.
19. Giggs – “Whippin Excursion“
Another artist who could have countless records on a radio station dedicated to UK music . Its rather obvious why we included this track. For anyone who’s played any GTA in the past, you will know that the games story modes over the years will have sent you on a variety of whipping excursions through your game time.
20. Kano – “Layer Cake“
A criminally slept on track by one of the game’s pioneers. The track lyrically embodies the struggle you’ll have to embark on in the virtual world if you wish to reach the fabled rarefied atmosphere. Like most of the other artists featured, there most certainly would be a whole heap of Kano tracks on a UK rap radio station on GTA.
21. How’s Life in London – “London Posse”
Perhaps a hint of American influence in this track, but one cannot leave out Rodney P’s infamous London Posse track “How’s life in London”. An old school UK rap classic which paved the way for the rest of these tracks to exist in their own right, this track still has a quintessentially British feel, and remains legendary.