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When the rapper-actor General There was a kid, he kept towels and sneakers Chicago Bulls The ball boy who was close enough to hear the sound and roar of the shoes inside the court.
Decades later, Common is helping set a different kind of tone for basketball: He teamed up with his longtime collaborators to create “Victory” as the official theme. nba But mainThe streaming platform made the announcement on Thursday. He worked with Kareem Riggins and James Poyser on the song, which will be part of Amazon’s first season special of NBA coverage.
Common said that he took some inspiration for the song from watching basketball.
“Basketball has a soul,” said Common, who is also a three-time Grammy winner, an Emmy and an Oscar. “It’s nostalgic but forward. The rhythm, the harmony, the speed, the teamwork, the star players. We wanted to capture all of that in sound.”
After learning that Amazon wanted him as a musician, Common said his first call was to his mother to share the news. It was a moment he described as a perfect partnership from the beginning.
“You never know where God will take you,” Common said. “You just have to stay open and stay true to your craft, because now I feel like I’m a part of the NBA the way I’m meant to be.”
The song will serve as the signature sound of the NBA every week on Prime starting in the upcoming season. It was recorded in a studio in Nashville with a 70-piece orchestra.
The trio – whose credits span hip-hop, jazz and soul – created three versions of the score, including orchestral, hip-hop and rock.
Grammy-winning engineer, Manny Marroquin, will mix the final recordings before the theme debuts during Prime Video’s opening-night doubleheader on October 24, featuring the Boston Celtics and Minnesota Timberwolves at the New York Knicks. los angeles Lakers.
Poyser said it was important for the team to create a musical that would stick in the minds of fans long after it aired.
The three-time Grammy winner said, “We knew it had to be something you could just hum along to.” “Like when you hear it, you’re able to remember the melody.”
“When you hear the orchestra playing and the drums playing, it’s just like a game,” Riggins said. “It’s got soul, energy and speed. Just like basketball.”
Prime Video executive Amina Hussain said the streaming platform wanted a “sonic identity” that was consistent with the culture of the game.
“One thing that’s the baseline for what we do is authenticity,” said Hussain, executive producer of the NBA on Prime. She is also the head of US sports on-air talent for Prime Video, “We really want people to feel like they’re part of the broadcast. You want the viewers at home to believe you, sit up, nod their heads with you, and feel like they’re watching the game with friends.”
For Common, the project felt like destiny fulfilled.
“I wanted to play basketball growing up, became a ball boy for the Bulls and went there to Michael Jordan’s first exhibition game,” said Common, whose late father Lonnie Lynn played in the American Basketball Association. “But now as a musician, I feel like I’m a part of NBA history the way I’m meant to be.”
The collaborators hope “Victory” will resonate across multiple generations – like NBC’s “Roundball Rock” – and open doors for more performers of color in sports scoring.
Common said, “Three black guys are making a theme song for the NBA on Amazon. It’s unprecedented.” “We hope some kids will grow up hearing this and think, ‘We can create, too.'”