Some of the significant pioneers of trap beat included the likes of Lex Luger, Shawty Redd and Zaytoven, Southside 808 mafia. They made trap beats using the drum samples from the Roland 808 machine. These drum sounds were layered with more modern hip hop drum samples for a harsh and aggressive sound. Since its conception in the mid 1980’s, Video Game Music has always had a profound impact in our popular culture, and Hip hop didn’t hesitate in sampling its sounds. Enimem sampled SoulCaliber for his “Hellbound” track. Logic sampled the ending theme from the 2012 video game Persona 4, for “Welcome To Forever”.
Childish Gambino sampled from Donkey Kong Country for “Eat Your Vegetables”. J.Cole sampled from Kingdom Hearts II for “Dolla & A Dream III”, while Drake sampled from Donkey Kong Country 2 for “6 God”. The list is endless for sampled video game music that made it into hip hop.
Currently DJ Creeper is a Trap artist and producer who makes beats with video game samples. One of his recent releases is “Act 2 Mini Boss Beat (Remake)”, which samples from Sonic Mania Sega Game.
So for a genre filled with a hard attitude that launched itself to the sound of the brass, triangle, triplet hi hats, loud kicks, snappy snares and low end 808 bass samples, DJ Creeper gives it the video game twist. And within seconds, the track is reminiscent of the 16-bit era, pushed ahead with its banging drums.
The hip-hop genre as a whole is certainly no stranger to paying respect to the video game industry. Specifically, various old school games and more technically advanced RPGs have served as the sonic basis for come certifiable bangers in the past.
But DJ Creeper is planning on taking these aspirations a few steps further, in the mold of Madlib madness, as he manages to concoct something special here. DJ Creeper holds his own on the instrumental, so now all “Act 2 Mini Boss Beat (Remake)” needs to fully complete itself, is someone who shines with effortless bars.
The track is dark and ominous, as DJ Creeper sets up the atmosphere for a bone-chilling street narrative from anyone who has what it takes to step up to the plate and ride the beat. Clearly DJ Creeper is developing his style his own way, while building a reputation for technically solid beats.
From the looks of it, DJ Creeper’s videogame sampling trend won’t be dying down anytime soon, and we’ll probably see some more innovative ways from him, in capturing the essence of videogame samples in the future. As long as videogames keep dazzling us, chances are DJ Creeper is going to keep referencing certain classics for nostalgia’s sake. And for the sake of a trap beat!
OFFICIAL LINKS: SOUNDCLOUD – YOUTUBE
