Rockstar Newswire

Emicida, a leader of the rap scene in Brazil's hip-hop capital city of São Paulo - and winner of Act of the Year in the 2011 MTV VMB Awards - has just released his original track, "9 Círculos (9 Circles)" composed and produced exclusively for Max Payne 3 to his fans at www.emicida.com. Produced by Emicida's in-house beatmakers Casp and Nave Beatz, you can now listen to the song in full above and at the Rockstar Games Soundcloud page.

The inspiration for the song according to Emicida, is his hometown city of São Paulo itself, where Max Payne 3 is set - as he explains:

"O caos da maior cidade da América Latina, a insegurança, o medo envolto nessa atmosfera de corrupção, crime, pobreza, luta por justiça e todos os elementos que compõem este ambiente... A composição é dividida em duas partes. A primeira é algo como um conflito interno, e a segunda é uma visão mais política, com um olhar sobre fatos recentes, uma vez que o jogo é lançado neste momento que estamos vivendo agora. Acho que a música faz jus à São Paulo que vemos hoje... Ter uma canção cantada em português num lançamento mundial é muito especial para a música brasileira. ‘9 Círculos’ passeia por uma brasilidade bem interessante, flerta com maracatu e samba. É um texto bem cru sobre a realidade das ruas, estou feliz com isso."

("The chaos of the largest city in Latin America, the insecurity, the fear that revolves around this atmosphere of corruption, crime, poverty, the struggle for justice, and all the elements that are part of this environment... The song is divided into two parts. The first part is something along the lines of an internal conflict, and the second is a more political insight, with a glimpse over current events that we are experiencing right now as the game [Max Payne 3] is released. I think the song lives up to the São Paulo that we see today... To have a song sung in Portuguese in a project released worldwide is quite significant to Brazilian music. ‘9 Círculos’ contains a Brazilian flavor that is quite interesting, and it flirts with the maracatu and the samba. It possesses a raw content covering the reality of the streets and I am really happy about that.)"

We're very proud to have this original composition in Max Payne 3. For all of our non-Portuguese-speaking fans, you can check out a faithful transcription of the lyrics into English after the jump - and stay tuned for a special remix of the track as well, to be released soon.

For a lot of the crew here at Rockstar, the Beastie Boys were a fundamental part of discovering what music could be and could do. A bunch of NYC kids who started out punks, embraced hip-hop and completely rewrote the book from 'Cookie Puss' to 'License To Ill' to 'Paul's Boutique' to 'Check Your Head' - creating (along with their mentors, Run DMC) rock-rap, evolving it to record the most ridiculously amazing sample-filled record ever made, then turning it all over again with live and raw tracks like 'Sabotage' and 'Gratitude.' The Beastie Boys MC and bass player Adam Yauch passed away today at the age of 47. We salute you. Still too many rappers, not enough MC's. Above, in Adam Yauch's honor, we've posted a fine moment in Beastiedom - the music video for 'Gratitude' - and below, a recording of the late Mr. Magic's radio world premiere of 'Hold It Now, Hit It' in 1986 - the official debut of the Beasties to the rap world.

Beastie Boys – Hold It Now, Hit It (Mr Magic World Premiere)

Today, we are proud to announce that the Max Payne 3 Official Soundtrack will be available digitally on May 23rd. Composed and recorded by LA-based band HEALTH, the soundtrack features the song "TEARS" which is due for release as a single on iTunes on May 15th, coinciding with the game’s console launch.

“Working on the soundtrack to Max Payne 3 was a great experience,” said John Famiglietti of HEALTH. “Rockstar gave us the freedom to bring our own sound to Max’s dark story, and we’re really proud of the results.”

HEALTH’s unique blend of rock, powerful drums and electronic soundscapes lends itself perfectly to the score for the game. Taking influences from Brazil, Max’s native New York and the themes of the original games, HEALTH have put together a fantastic soundtrack that perfectly embodies the tone and the atmosphere of Max Payne 3. Distinctive arrangements unique to each level accompany Max on his journey through the game's locations, perfectly framing the game's epic action sequences and the dark and gritty story.

“By using a band instead of a traditional composer, we’ve created a soundtrack that sounds completely unique,” said Ivan Pavlovich, Rockstar soundtrack supervisor. “HEALTH have created hundreds of hours of amazing music for the game’s score, and distilled it into a devastatingly moody and atmospheric soundtrack album."

Excerpts from "TEARS" can be heard in the new Max Payne 3 TV spot and you can hear more of what the band have to say about the game in their exclusive Q&A with Pitchfork.

The Max Payne 3 soundtrack will also feature a new and exclusive track from São-Paulo-based Brazilian hip-hop artist, Emicida.

DJ mixes heard during Max Payne 3's Nightclub chapter were compiled and mixed by Brooklyn based DJ collective Trouble & Bass, and will be available free as a digital download following the game's release.

Stay tuned for more info coming soon...

Earlier this week, we brought you some first details about Max Payne 3's soundtrack with word of L.A. rock ensemble HEALTH's work crafting the game's unique original score (heard in dramatic fashion in the most recent Official Trailer).

Today, we're proud to announce that another key contributor to the game's aural action is celebrated São Paulo rap star Emicida - one of the leaders in a movement that's helped make São Paulo a veritable hip-hop capital for Brazil. Emicida is known for his tough and raw rhymes and freestyles ('Emicida' being a fusion of the words 'emcee' and 'homicide') and for his dedication not only to aesthetics but to imparting important messages of social justice as it relates to the downtrodden of his city and country. Winner of Act of the Year in the 2011 MTV VMB Awards, Emicida's regarded as one of the biggest icons in Brazilian music today and has rocked mega festivals around the world from Rock in Rio to SWU, Sonar, Planet, Atlantis to Coachella.

We reached out to Emicida last week for his candid thoughts on what it's been like working on original music for the game:

"Antes de mais nada, sou fã de video games, como disse nas primeiras reuniões sobre o jogo, temos aqui na Laboratório Fantasma uma admiração muito grande pela Rockstar pois todos, sem excessão somos fãs de GTA, entre outros titulos lançados por eles. Ter a oportunidade de fazer parte do Jogo Max Payne 3 foi muito especial, compor para o jogo então, foi como um sonho, trabalhar com uma história tão densa, obscura onde temos uma trama que se passa na cidade de São Paulo, minha amada São Paulo, é nisso que eu quis me apegar, no inferno astral do personagem somado a paisagem caótica da maior cidade da américa latina, com seus contrastes e cenários, tensão, violência, corrupção, principalmente em um momento tão delicado da história de São Paulo, onde presenciamos uma onda de ataques politicos contra a população de menor renda... estou ansioso para o lançamento e vai ser foda!!" - Emicida

("Before anything else, I’m a huge fan of video games as I shared with you guys during our first meetings regarding the game. Here at Laboratório Fantasma (Records), we have a great admiration for Rockstar and we are, without exception, fans of GTA, among other titles that Rockstar has released. Having the opportunity to be part of the game Max Payne 3 was really special. Creating a song for the game was simply like a dream. We worked along a storyline that is dense, obscure and that takes place in the city of São Paulo, our beloved São Paulo. My intention was to hold on to this idea, that of an astrological inferno – when all the planets are aligned against you – of a character immersed in a chaotic landscape in the largest city of Latin America, with its contrasts and scenarios of tension, violence, corruption, and especially at this very delicate moment in São Paulo’s history where we witness a wave of political attacks against our low-income communities... I am eagerly awaiting the release of the game and it’s gonna be f***ing awesome!!! - Emicida)

We'll have more details including info and a first listen of the original song he created for the game soon...
 

John Famiglietti (left) and Jupiter Keyes (right) of HEALTH recording Brazilian percussion for the original score of Max Payne 3. Special thanks to Rockstar soundtrack veteran composer Woody Jackson for the use of his studio. Photo by Eric Coleman.

We received a ton of fan inquiries regarding the powerful music heard in the recent official trailer for Max Payne 3, and today we're proud to reveal the artists responsible. Los Angeles-based rock band HEALTH are currently in the process of composing for both the score and soundtrack to the game, as revealed on music website Pitchfork.com today.

"Video games are redefining entertainment and whether people like it or not, they are becoming as culturally relevant as films,” said the band's Jake Duzsik. “We feel that Rockstar’s projects have an undeniably raw and tasteful aesthetic. It's vitally important to us that we be involved in things we respect artistically. Max Payne 3 has a complex story that unfolds mercilessly and we are excited to be a part of it." 

HEALTH's distinctive style perfectly suits Max's dark story, and the band went to great lengths to ensure that unique sounds and motifs were used to represent each specific locale featured in the game. In addition to composing the dynamic in-game score, HEALTH is creating exclusive songs for the game’s forthcoming soundtrack (which you can get as part of the Special Edition package). 

Look for announcements of more soundtrack details - including contributions from some of Brazil's own, and behind the scenes information about the music's creation - here at the Newswire very soon.
 

Recently, when we released the music from the Head Radio and Lips 106 stations in Grand Theft Auto III on iTunes, some fans asked when the Liberty City Stories incarnations of the original music from those stations might also become available.

Today we're happy to announce that those tracks have also been remastered and are up now on iTunes for download - with individual songs priced at only $0.69 each and each station's complete 7-track album at $2.99.

Lips 106: Complete Album

• Rudy La Fontaine – “Funk in Time”
• Sarwarr – “Love is the Feeling”
• Sunshine Shine – “Mine Until Monday”
• Credit Check – “Get Down”
• Cool Timers – “Tonight”
• Nina Barry – “Bassmatic”
• The Jackstars – “Into Something (Come On, Get Down)"

Head Radio: Complete Album

• Conor & Jay – “Train”
• Cloud 19 – “The One For Me”
• Purser – “Feel the Pain”
• L-Marie (feat. Raff) – “Free Yourself”
• 15 Ways – “Drive”
• Rosco Stow – “Welcome to the Real World”
• Vanilla Smoothie – “Keep Dreaming”

Additionally, Official Playlists featuring all the other music stations found in both Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories are also now available - containing all of the individual tracks that are currently on iTunes. Stay tuned for more digital soundtrack releases in the future and grab songs by visiting the links below.

Vice City Stories Playlist | Liberty City Stories Playlist

Previously:
Grand Theft Auto III: Head Radio & Lips FM Station Albums Now Available on iTunes

A bizarre treat we had to share.
 
Bona fide polymath Paul Williams, one of America’s most underappreciated talents with legendary contributions to the worlds of music, stage and screen - performing the jazz standard “Here’s that Rainy Day” in full ape makeup while promoting his appearance in “Battle for the Planet of the Apes” on Johnny Carson’s show one night in 1973.