Bruh, I'm just gonna keep it a thouwow. The trailer was dope and so was the track. It fits.
One thing about MK through the years is that it's always been able to adapt to the times when a game drops. It's always been able to tap into what's cool at the time. The trilogy had it's unique style of music that had techno and hip-hop influences, it tapped into that scene a bit and it helped raise it's "cool factor", you get that and the fatalities and yeah MK is cool. The 3D games tapped hard into the rock and metal scenes. The games even had music videos, at that time that was cool and fit the series, MK kept being the cool fighter. With the reboot it went with more dub-step which was noticeable, even Skrillex had that Reptile track and around then that's when more people in the mainstream noticed dubstep. With MKX Wiz jumped on a track which annoyed a lot of MK fans. That type of rap was mostly dominating from say 12-14 with the rise of 2 Chainz, Ye's Cruel Summer era and the consistent evolution of trap. That was in then. Now we see 21 release this track.
21's style of music is what's in today. His flow's popular, his delivery's popular, he's popular and I can see why. Most people don't like all that fast rapping and constant multi-syllable lyrics in their tracks, most people just want to vibe out and chill and that's especially when it comes to videogames. Me personally (a black man who's grown up in the South and with hip-hop) with 21 I see a guy who's just telling his story behind a beat and most listeners today think the same hence why he's so popular. His flow's straight-forward to the listener and the same applies to his lyrics. It's catchy to rap along to and beyond that it's got a vibe to it that most can latch onto. You compare that to someone from the 90s and it's a different story.
Like all the other musical styles used to promote the games they used this one because this type of rap's just in. Hip-hop's the leading musical genre in the US right now. Makes the most sense to go with a track that represents it and the vibe they're trying to give off here aka the "cool fighter is back guys, let's get this real fighting shit" type of feel to it. There's a certain fanbase that they're trying to tap into these things when they create them. Drake? He's dope but Drake's not the MK type of fan. Kendrick? He's dope but Kendrick's fanbase and 21's fanbase are two different fanbases. 21 works. Logic? Lord please. Any old school 90s rap? Kids today don't listen to that shit. As to how it fits well don't tell me you want to hear fighting and screaming and all that stuff when 10 years ago when the 3D games had all that you had some people saying "nah man this doesn't fit MK." Times change.
Honestly responses to threads like this really feels like certain people are crapping on either hip-hop or different styles of hip-hop today that they dislike. Like some kind of "well I don't like the song so lemme say it doesn't fit because it doesn't to me" when the reality is if NRS thinks it fits with their idea of MK, it fits their idea of MK. Their idea just isn't your idea. When I see the trailer I'm seeing 2 dudes fighting at a house party with music behind them and it makes sense. I'm not seeing some "omfg I wanna be hyped about this game" trailer, I'm seeing 2 guys throw down. Given I'm used to that type of hip-hop 21 was secondary compared to MK itself. The same thing happened with the Wiz track as well for me.
If it's not for you it's not for you but don't say it doesn't fit. Just say "nah my idea of MK isn't NRS's idea of MK and my idea think it doesn't fit" and let that be it. They know what's up.
And lastly, 21 is not a mumble rapper. He's a black man born in Atlanta. Fuck out of here with that because you can't understand how he speaks. That's disrespectful as hell.
