Get Down with DJ Hero

It's like Guitar Hero, but it gets the party jumpin'. That's what fans are saying about a new turntablism video game, DJ Hero. The game was created by FreeStyleGames, and is published by Activision, the same company that's responsible for current video game mega hits "Call of Duty" and "Guitar Hero." The publishing company consulted some of the biggest names in hip-hop in the formulation of the game, including DJ Shadow, DJ Jazzy Jeff, Grandmaster Flash, and the late DJ AM, among others. AM says he tried to make his mix, "the most fun, unexpecting thing that gets thrown at you, then it gets repeated, so once you kind of learn, then a new one comes, and you have to get the hang of that." For hip-hop heads, the game is a thrill; it sure is nice to have an alternative to Guitar Hero or Rock Band. I'm personally sick of hanging out with kids who spend hours playing Rock Band, a game whose songs utterly fail to have meaning for me. Rock Band and Guitar Hero, the video game industry's two most prominent interactive music games, unfortunately have left hip-hop out of the equation. Nevertheless, the success of these games indicates that Americans are most certainly interested in switching roles from listener to artist, albeit in a virtual setting. DJ Hero enters a market that's already proven successful, but lacks hip-hop. The sky's the limit.

How does the game work? It can be played with either the guitar controller from Guitar Hero, or a special turntable controller created expressly for DJ Hero. Playing the game with the guitar controller is simply a waste of time; DJ Hero is meant to be played with its own specialized controller. The movable turntable controller contains 3 "stream" buttons, an effects dial, a crossfader, and a "Euphoria" button; a hidden panel contains additional controller buttons to interact with the gaming console outside of the game. Notes, color-coded to represent the three "stream" buttons, travel across a spinning record on the screen. The player holds down one of the 3 stream buttons when instructed to do so. Two of the "stream" buttons represent the songs playing in the mix, while the third button controls samples you can sprinkle over the two-track mix. The player must also adjust the crossfader and effects dial in sync with the on-screen instructions. The euphoria button is a carryover from Guitar Hero in which it's called "Star Power." The player collects points by successfully completing sequences of the mix. These points are released by pressing the Euphoria button; in so doing, the player doubles his or her current multiplier, or the amount that points he or she earns count for. No matter how bad you're cutting, you can't fail the song.

The best part of the game, in my mind, is the musical selection. The set list is an eclectic mix of hip-hop, electronica, Motown, R&B, pop, and rock. In this respect, the game appeals to a wide swath of consumers' musical preferences, and, more importantly, brings hip-hop back to its roots: party music sampled and mixed from other genres. The set list includes artists like Marvin Gaye, the Beastie Boys, Grandmaster Flash, DJ Kool, N.E.R.D., Evidence and Alchemist, Gang Starr, Mobb Deep, DJ Shadow, Public Enemy, Little Richard, Motorhead, 88-Keys and Weezer. The mixes are dope, and include classic tracks like Gang Starr's "Just to Get a Rep," Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones, Pt. 2," LL Cool J's "Rock the Bells," and 2Pac's "All Eyez On Me." When you are done with those tracks you can give DJ Hero "Renegade Edition" a try. It includes a turntable, carrying case, and two CD's of new Eminem and Jay-Z mixes. The creators of the game were wise to have consulted real DJ's in putting together a mix that is well-designed to get a party jumping but also pays respect to good hip-hop music.

But the most important question of all is what this game means for hip-hop. It goes without saying that scratching on one turntable in a virtual video game setting is by no means a good substitute for learning how to scratch, crossfade, etc. on real turntables. The game also takes the creativity out of deejaying; the mix is driven by instructions, and removes the live improvisational aspect of deejaying that gives each deejay his or her special flavor. In this sense, its distinctly an American invention; it takes years of training and practice and condenses all that effort into a video game. But, reservations aside, the game could get a lot of people interested in deejaying to the point where they take the next step, buy turntables, and start doing the real thing. Eminem thinks that, "it's challenging kids to become a deejay." So for one, I'm going to leave behind my skepticism and dive in. Anything that could get kids into real hip-hop is positive in my book.