The NBA 2K game series has unveiled the DJ A-Trak mixed 2K Beats soundtrack for the fourth season. The official social media channels of the game shared the news and also posed a question to the players, asking about their most loved tracks from the list. Nonetheless, gamers’ responses have been overwhelmingly negative, with a significant portion of the players feeling that the selected tracks were not only disappointing but also out of sync with the contemporary music trends.
So it occurred. The NBA 2K Twitter account made the Season 4 soundtrack list public, which was fully curated by DJ A-Trak, a legend in the mixing world. They released the poster displaying all the tracks and inquired, “Which song from the list is your favorite?” It seems a pretty ordinary and exciting post for the audience. A new season, new tracks to enjoy… but instead of celebrating, the gamers just sneered through the list and decided to spin the negativity back at 2K.
No doubt the reactions would be seen as one loud en-masse expression of disdain. The whiners are not only one or two spots but rather a whole mass of voices saying “not a chance.” One of the players, who goes by the handle Big House, bluntly said, “Killed and made gameplay garbage. Now when the game ends I gotta hear more garbage.” Ouch, that’s really tough from the part of the players. Another user, called Truth Degenerate, simply threw a general insult at it and branded it a “Bunch of slop.” The vibe is clear: this selection is not worth it.
At the same time, the hatred from the whole community isn’t universal only. Gamers are pointing at the elements that they do not find listed. Where is the nostalgia vibe? “Where are the Greatest Hits tracks at?” was the question raised by Rex Power Colt. Mylo Dior was also quick to respond and he said, “What about the nostalgic soundtrack that’s what we really care about.” It seems the game community is pretty much in the same boat and wants those classic 2K jams from earlier releases to come back—the songs that have mingled with the basketball culture. Instead, they get… a list of unheard artists as many put it. “I don’t know a single song… I am officially unc,” tweeted Cisroz, which could very well be the most relatable tweet of the whole bunch.
This leads players to the often-repeated… let’s call it a meme at this point. The persistent attempt to always include E-40 in the playlists. “E-40 must have signed a contract with you guys, why the hell have you been adding this old-ass dude to the playlist,” said jaiimyre, while Dieselwavy just pleaded, “STOP PUTTING E-40 IN 2K. 😭” It has become such a huge issue that players are now just expecting it and complaining about it. At the same time, others are asking for extremely popular current artists. “Uzi just went plat and still not one Uzi song on this game bruh 😭or a recent Carti song Shid even sum new by drake like wtf is these songs,” this player continued. There is a very strong feeling that the soundtrack is not at all reflective of what is currently trending in hip-hop and rap, which has always been the essence of 2K’s music.
Some of the comments are just funny in their disgust. FinnDaFish885 was offended by an artist named “Vincent the Owl,” and remarked, “A guy named fucking ‘Vincent the Owl’ I wish I’d bought a physical copy so I could put it on a bonfire.” That’s a kind of pettiness we can all understand. And the player known as SPxCE expressed a decline: “last couple seasons yall were adding heat this shit is all getting muted what happened bro.” So it is not just that this list is a bad one, but it is also that it is a downward shift from previous updates, which hurts even more.
The backlash even turned into suggestions for compensation. BiggLynch proposed, “Give us locker codes for being forced to listen to this trash 🗑️.” And PolosPickzTN declared the simplest solution: “Turning my music off this season.” When the main action of your player base is to hit the mute button that means the soundtrack did not deliver. It is crazy because the soundtrack is so important to the overall 2K ambiance. It’s everywhere: menus, neighborhoods, and it makes the overall environment. And this environment, according to the players, is a plain note.
This whole episode illustrates a bigger discussion to be had regarding the players’ demands from NBA 2K as a live-service game. TheRealfouriin articulated it very succinctly: “Add music no one knows and wonder why the community is upset.” The frustration is palpable, and it extends to the platforms players use, with many hoping for better integration and features on their PlayStation and Xbox consoles.
