Big beats and rules of the streets are the core principles of hip-hop culture. Rock’n’roll aside, it’s safe to say that hip-hop has had the largest influence on our society as a whole. It’s a culture that’s found itself a home in clothing, art, and other facets of society, including online gaming. In recent years, slots have found themselves a home in online slots, which were previously thought unsuitable for the big beats from the streets.
As it turns out, they mash pretty well. Just like hip-hop which mixes great with any genre, the blend of hip-hop and reel spins makes for a compelling narrative. Let’s take a look at how hip-hop culture found its way to the slot industry.
From Concrete to Digital Streets
Nowadays you can find many online slots based on hip-hop artists or the culture itself. However, things weren’t that way before. Hip-hop has just recently entered the mainstream slot world, after a few successful releases in the past few years. For many slot fans, it was long overdue.
Music-themed slots are not a strange concept at all. We’ve seen many rock-themed slots released by major studios in the past decade or so. Many of them came with a set rock concert stage and big bonus rounds, as is the case with NetEnt’s Guns’N’Roses slot. Even before the branded releases, Microgaming released its music-themed Karaoke Party online slot, which most likely had developers consider branded music releases.
While rock bands and rock’n’roll icons were most suitable for the part, hip-hop artists were unfairly left out. That’s until some developers realized that this culture is more than suitable for the spinning reels, and after some consultations with premier hip-hop artists, the stage was set.
A Gritty Take on Slot Gaming
Baggy pants, the whole street culture, graffiti as an art form, and massive sound beats fit perfectly into slot releases. Controversies and the East Coast vs. West Coast feud are a perfect theme for slot studios to explore and develop. In fact, this long-lasting feud has already been explored in one of the best hip-hop slots by Nolimit City in East Coast vs. West Coast. The slot is a real banger and a true representation of the hip-hop culture, with graffiti, big beats, and great winning potential included.
This was one of the industry’s first bangers and it didn’t take long for it to catch fire. Other developers were put on notice now that NLC’s slot became a major hit. Studios were lining up to secure deals with the biggest hip-hop superstars, and several of them have had their branded releases so far. The great Snoop Dogg is the latest in line, partnering up with BGaming for the iconic Snoop Dogg Dollars.
If you’ve never tried hip-hop slots before, here are a few to get you started.
East Coast vs. West Coast
Nolimit City’s slot based on the iconic feud is easily one of the best slots in this genre. It’s also one of the earliest to make a dent and was released in 2021. This game comes with 243 ways to win and several trademark NLC features including xWays and xNudge. What’s even more impressive is the audio-visual presentation, which is deeply rooted in hip-hop culture without any brands involved.
The reels are filled with a lot of green, mean dogs with chains, and graffiti on the walls. A 4-finger gold ring is the wild, substituting for other symbols in winning combinations. NLC’s specials can open up the playing field and provide more ways to win, and with the maximum win projected at over 30,000x the bet, this slot is certainly a rapper’s delight.
Snoop Dogg Dollars
Snoop Dogg Dollars is a BGaming slot based on one of the most iconic rappers of all time. Snoop himself makes his debut in the world of slots, and it’s just as charismatic as his album debut. The Cluster Pays slot comes with many interesting features, including tumbling reels that keep the action going.
The mean dawgs on the reels are there to back the Doggfather up, who stands on the right side in a graffiti-scribbled background. Features include cell multipliers as well as the dig-up feature, which can modify the gameplay in different ways for even juicier outputs. With maximum possible wins up to 10,000x the bet, this is one mean Dogg of a slot.
Pimped
Remember Snoop Dogg’s and 50 Cent’s track P.I.M.P from 2003? Snoop’s perm and scenes from the music video are on display in Play’n GO’s Pimped. The 5×3 slot has all the bling you can think of and some juicy specials too. Symbols include flashy wilds and dollars in addition to the two main characters.
Feature-wise, Pimped may not offer that much. However, it pays homage to the luxury lifestyle rappers enjoy and one of the hottest rap hits of the 2000s.
Top Dawgs
Relax Gaming’s Top Dawgs takes hip-hop culture to a different level. Instead of rappers, it has dogs as the MCs. The slot may have just 15 paylines, but the specials such as streak mystery respins and the sticky wilds in the bonus round make it more than worth your while.
Despite the high variance, this rough neighborhood offers great entertainment. The maximum win is projected at over 25,000x the bet, so you should give it a try.
What’s Next?
With the hip-hop culture making its long-awaited debut in the slot industry in recent years, the road ahead is brighter than ever. We fully expect developers to continue exploring this genre. If Snoop Dogg signed up for a slot, others will follow his example. We look forward to seeing more stories from the hip-hop world, which are no less valuable than any other music theme.
There are plenty of ideas to explore and even more special features to mash them up nicely. The world of hip-hop is always classy, and considering its pull among numerous age groups, it will surely find an even bigger audience in the world of slots.