Music and gaming have long been intertwined. Hip-hop and Activision Blizzard’s first-person shooter franchise, Call of Duty, exemplify one such relationship. In fact, for the uninitiated, the Call of Duty franchise has long celebrated hip-hop as a music genre. The latest Call of Duty release, Call of Duty: Black Ops 6, used The Prodigy’s “Firestarter” in its campaign trailer, showing off the game’s all-new Omnimovement feature in perfect sync with the song’s beats.
So far, the new entry in the CoD franchise is looking like a solid addition to the series, revolutionizing how multiplayer lobbies can be played. Aside from introducing the Omnimovement feature, old-time CoD fans may also enjoy the new game mode, Kill Order, where one player on each team is designated a high-value target, and opponents must take them out to score.
Today, Call of Duty remains a fan-favorite among shooter enthusiasts, as well as various hip-hop figures in the music industry. Below, we’ll take a closer look at the Call of Duty franchise and how it continues to celebrate hip-hop music and culture through the years:
The Call of Duty franchise
Since the birth of Call of Duty in 2003, fans have been gifted a new title in the series annually, each aiming to improve on core gameplay mechanics and featuring graphical upgrades aligned with hardware developments. Just as hip-hop continued its rise in the music industry in the 2000s, Call of Duty quickly made its name in the video game industry.
Nowadays, aside from yearly releases and pop culture-aligned in-game content, Call of Duty also has one of the most active esports scenes. The Call of Duty League (CDL) is the official esports league for the franchise, and it is operated by Activision. It features city-based teams like recent champions OpTic Texas and Atlanta FaZe competing in a seasonal format. These tournaments can be watched live in esports arenas as well as via live online streams for greater accessibility.
Many CoD fans aren’t content with watching CDL tournaments these days, opting to participate in esports betting as an added layer of entertainment. Thunderpick is a popular Call of Duty betting platform for viewing CDL live streams, letting users place bets in real time as matches unfold. Opening the platform’s “Live” tab opens a Twitch stream of the game, where you can bet on odds like Futures, Match Winner, Map Winner, and Under/Over as a way to show off support for your CDL team. CoD esports teams like Atlanta FaZe are also inherently connected with hip-hop, including minority FaZe owner Kaysan, who boasts a hip-hop discography featuring artists like Future and Lil Durk.
Now that we’ve laid out the general information on Call of Duty and hip-hop, we’ll be looking at more specific examples of this relationship below:
Rappers who play Call of Duty
One of the best examples linking Call of Duty with hip-hop is the number of artists who enjoy the franchise. ScHoolboy Q has previously spoken about his love for gaming, from Nintendo 64 classics like Mortal Kombat and Mario Kart to grinding Call of Duty. Post Malone also had a stint on Twitch streaming Call of Duty gameplay to tens of thousands of viewers. Most recently, we highlighted Dreamville rapper Bas‘ appearance in 2023’s Call of Duty: Next event. At the annual event, Bas was able to get his hands early on Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. In fact, Bas revealed in our interview that his first CoD game dates back to 2008’s World at War and its zombie mode. Like Post Malone, Bas also spoke about his love for streaming the game to connect with his fans.
Hip-hop Operator skins
In 2023, Nicki Minaj sent the Internet into a frenzy when she became Call of Duty’s first-ever self-named female Operator, officially becoming part of the Call of Duty universe, hitting the battlefield in high heels and her signature pink colors. Aside from being an in-game skin, Nicki’s Operator debut also introduced deadly finishing moves like “Get Bodied”, in which she grinds her stilettos into downed enemies’ spines, as well as other finishers like a karate chop and a roundhouse kick. Her Operator bundle also included weapon blueprints called The Baddest and Super Freaky, which are in a default pink. Nicki’s skin was featured in Warzone and Modern Warfare 2 as part of CoD’s “50 Years of Hip-Hop Celebration”, joined by fellow hip-hop names Snoop Dogg and 21 Savage.
Hip-hop Call of Duty soundtracks
Finally, another prominent way that CoD and hip-hop connect is through the game’s growing list of soundtracks. In 2023, 21 Savage’s music video featured player footage and his in-game skin. The song “Call Me Revenge” featured in the preview trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare III. CoD developers at the time also emphasized the importance of making 21 Savage a focal point of the game’s launch. Other than 21 Savage’s prominence in Modern Warfare III, previous and current titles in the franchise feature music from artists like Jack Harlow, DMX, and Salt-N-Pepa. 2019’s Modern Warfare was also scored by veteran composer Sarah Schachner and hip-hop producer Mike Dean, ensuring the beats of the game perfectly match Dean’s hip-hop background.