Behind the endless rows of CDs, vinyls, and movies, the record store shook with bass, as everyone from children to seasoned fans cheered to the tune of hip-hop. Yet, this was not just any hip-hop music, but the soundtrack to the acclaimed fighting video game “Street Fighter 6.”
The artists behind the game’s music took the stage at Amoeba Music in Hollywood on Tuesday to promote the soundtrack’s release on vinyl with a performance and autograph session.
Last summer, the iconic game franchise made its return with “Street Fighter 6.” Eight years after the last mainline release, the newest installment sought to revamp the entire game aesthetically.
“Street Fighter 6″ promoted itself with graffiti-style artwork, vibrant colors, and even new game mechanics that utilize paint splatter to accentuate movement. All of this fits within this new urban look to the game, really putting the “street” into “Street Fighter.”
One of the biggest shifts in terms of its creative design was its music, as the team worked to collaborate with American artists, specifically those working in the hip-hop space.
While the series is no stranger to the genre, with “Street Fighter III: Third Strike” incorporating some of these music elements, the latest game took it to another level. Heavy beats coupled with rap sought to hype the player up for their next battle.
A keyboard and a small mixer were set up on stage, as the lineup walked in. The first was GRP, a producer and songwriter for “Street Fighter 6.”
As he began to play, the vocalists joined him. L.A.-based hip-hop artist Randy Marx opened the show before being followed by Genta Jamal Hammani, who performed the main theme, “Not On the Sidelines.” Artist Jayy Starr closed out the set as fans bobbed their heads to the music.
It is not rare for a video game series to embrace the contemporary, and “Street Fighter 6″ is no exception.
The performance was followed by a panel, featuring game director Takayuki Nakayama, lead composer Yoshiya Terayama, game producer Shuhei Matsumoto, and soundtrack executive producer Koyo Sonae.
“‘Street Fighter,’ being a series that’s been going on for several decades now, has always had this hip-hop element to the aesthetics of the game. That was something that [we] wanted to bring in,” explained Nakayama, through a translator.
Game producer Shuhei Matsumoto added that the international collaboration was key to developing a unique sound for this game.
“The intent was to work with North American hip-hop artists who are ingrained in the culture, and [we] also wanted to incorporate different types of tastes and sounds to the game soundtrack,” said Matsumoto. “‘Street Fighter 6′ is such a new challenging game that [we] wanted to collaborate and work with a lot of different people while leveraging different elements of hip-hop.”
Like with many fighting games such as “Street Fighter” or “Tekken,” they always sought to have global representation in terms of its characters. Developing unique themes for the entire roster serves as a heavy undertaking, but the team behind “Street Fighter 6″ fit its unique musicality into this, combining electronic music with a global perspective on music.
For example, the latest DLC character Ed’s theme fits in line with the hip-hop feel of the rest of the soundtrack but incorporates German lyrics given his nationality and Dee Jay’s theme has hints of reggaeton as an homage to his Jamaican background.
“Street Fighter” as a franchise continues to evolve. From the 8-bit melodies of the classic games, to the hard rock of “Street Fighter V,” to the modern sensibilities of the latest game, there seems to be endless musical potential for this long running series.