Jay-Z Partners With 2K Sports As Executive Producer for 'NBA 2K13' [PHOTOS]
When Jay-Z stepped down as president and CEO of Def Jam Recordings in 2007, he explained to reporters, "It's time for me to take on new challenges."
He may have meant he was hoping to start a family, which he eventually did this year when his wife Beyonce gave birth to their daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. Or maybe it was to search for a new musical direction, like the supergroup album he finally made last year with
Kanye West, "Watch The Throne." But now Jay-Z has added another line to
his resume — on top of owning clothing lines, record labels and sports
teams, the 42-year-old rapper and media mogul is officially entering the
videogame industry as an executive producer for "NBA 2K13," the game's
publisher announced in a press release this week.
"This has been a unique opportunity to collaborate with 2K Sports and
be a part of one of the best sports video games in history," Jay-Z said
in 2K Sports' official statement. "'NBA 2K13 will be the next
evolution in sports and basketball culture, and I'm ready to usher in
the new era of the franchise."
Jason Argent, vice president of marketing, said 2K Sports aims to
make sports videogames far more culturally and artistically relevant. As
an enormously successful musician and part-owner of the Brooklyn Nets,
Jay-Z seemed like a natural fit for the company's expanding brand
identity.
"We aren't content with just being the best, and we will continue to
grow the NBA 2K franchise into one of today's premier entertainment
experiences," Argent added. "Jay-Z's role in NBA 2K13 represents a
unique fusion of basketball, music, art, and entertainment, and
illustrates the evolution of NBA 2K into something much bigger than
simply the best basketball video game series ever made."
The press release promises that Jay-Z's presence "will permeate the experience" of the game, "from
the overall look and feel ... to the hand-picked soundtrack,
interactive in-game menus and more." But while Jay-Z has been credited
with curating the game's soundtrack and contributing some of his own
music to it, what exactly "executive producer" means is otherwise
unclear.
Speaking to the videogame website Kotaku,
Argent assured readers that Jay-Z was not simply placed atop a finished
product as a figurehead. "I don't want to get too into detail right
now, because we've got a lot of stuff coming down the road," he said.
"But when we got into this, we really wanted everyone's expertise to
lead us, so the things Jay-Z is an expert at are what we weighed the
most."
"We're looking on it as NBA 2K, but through the eyes of Jay-Z,"
Argent added. Sadly, that doesn't mean that gamers will be able to play
as Hov himself in "NBA 2K13"; Argent explained that "didn't feel
authentic to the game of basketball." Nor is the rapper involved with
the design of the actual gameplay. Rather, Argent stated, "We chose each
other as partners on this to add to the presentation side of things."
While Jay-Z joining the production of an AAA videogame title is
indeed novel, rappers partnering with game development is not entirely
unprecedented. Oftentimes, the musicians lend their image to what is
essentially a rebranding of traditional gameplay mechanics. Def Jam
itself partnered with EA Sports in 2003 to produce "Def Jam Vendetta,"
for example, which was essentially a wrestling game that starred the
music label's stars (though not Jay-Z himself, curiously) instead of WWE
stars. Two sequels," Def Jam Vendetta: Fight for NY" and "Def Jam:
Icon," were released during Jay-Z's tenure as president of the titular
music group.
Talib Kweli voiced the protagonist of the 2006 adventure game "Marc
Ecko's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure." And fellow New York rapper
50 Cent has starred in two shooters — "50 Cent: Bullet Proof" and "50
Cent: Blood on the Sand" — that cast the musician as the star of his own
Rambo-esque exploits throughout New York City and later Iraq. Critics,
when playing the games, were generally confused.
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