A Colors Show has been debuting new songs this month as part of a new partnership with 2K Games. Each week, the popular YouTube channel is bringing a new track to its curated collection in NBA 2K22‘s latest season update. After kicking off the collaboration with Guapdad 4000’s new song “Black Iverson,” the campaign continues today with another new track, this time from Inglewood’s D Smoke.
Titled “Glide,” the boastful new single finds D Smoke in his element, offering lyrics of both encouragement and inspiration on the rapid-fire verses. However, in the chorus, he adds his own swag, bragging, “I look sexy when I’m movin’ through your city.” With a cerulean background, his orange and white ensemble pops right off the screen as he shows off his vocals and proselytizes remaining true to himself.
It’s not the first time D Smoke has contributed a single to a basketball-related piece of media. In 2020, he released the single “Basketball” to coincide with the release of Netflix’s latest hoop-focused season of Last Chance U, while the video for Smoke’s own War & Wonders single “Crossover” has the Inglewood native showing off his streetball skills alongside Compton’s Westside Boogie.
Watch D Smoke’s A Colors Show performance of “Glide” above.
Earlier this week, COLORS Studios announced its partnership with 2K Games to bring a uniquely curated collection of new music to NBA 2K22 for the game’s latest season update. A COLORS Show favorites like Enny, Smino, and more will feature both within the game and on the game’s official Spotify playlist. Today, the collaboration kicked off in earnest with its first artist, Oakland rapper Guapdad 4000, and his brand new single “Black Iverson.”
In true Guapdad fashion, the Bay Area fashionista appears decked out in a brown Marc Jacobs sweater, which complements the tan background behind him and truly pops with its big spot of purple, which matches his sunglasses. Meanwhile, the song is laid-back, with a swirling synth lead and swinging digitized drums that Guapdad uses to relay his rags-to-riches story and winkingly nod to Post Malone’s own breakout single, “White Iverson.” He also makes a slick reference to his Filipino roots, shouting out the savory and sour soup, sinigang.
“They used to try to leave me off the flyer for the shows / Now my trailer say ‘it’s Guapdad’ on HBO,” he rhymes. Talk about a flex; Guapdad recently posted about collaborating with Issa Rae on a mysterious project on Instagram, but the post has since been deleted, presumably to preserve the secrecy of the show in question. Issa’s got a few things in the works with HBO since Insecure wrapped up, so we’ll see which one the 1176 rapper ends up on.
In the meantime, you can listen to Guapdad’s new song “Black Iverson” above and stay tuned to COLORS Studios for the next NBA 2K22 single.
The ninth NBA 2K22 player ratings update was released today, featuring the best players from the last stretch of the NBA season, including Kyrie Irving, Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum, and others.
Kyrie Irving of the Brooklyn Nets: 92 OVR (+1) has improved his play as the playoffs approach, averaging 30.8 points and 6.6 assists per game over his last five appearances. Devin Booker of the Phoenix Suns: 91 OVR (+1) is getting MVP talk after scoring 30.9 points per game in March to lead the Suns to the best record in the NBA.
More major updates include Boston Celtics forward Jayson Tatum: 90 OVR (+1), Charlotte Hornets guard Miles Bridges: 84 OVR (+1), Golden State Warriors guard Jordan Poole: 81 OVR (+2), and more.
You can see some of the changes below and a full list here.
NBA 2K22 JAYSON TATUMNBA 2K22 JIMMY BUTLERNBA 2K22 JORDAN POOLENBA 2K22 BRIDGESNBA 2K22 DEVIN BOOKER
The eighth NBA 2K22 player ratings update was released today, featuring outstanding performers such as Ja Morant, James Harden, now riding shotgun with Joel Embiid in Philly, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum, and more.
Ja Morant of the Memphis Grizzlies (93 OVR +1) followed up his first All-Star Game appearance with a spectacular 52-point performance in a recent win over the San Antonio Spurs. 76ers guard James Harden: 92 OVR (+1) has scored 25 points or more in four of his five games, and the Sixers have won all but last night.
Additional rating pushes include 91 OVR (+1) for Nets guard Kyrie Irving, 89 OVR (+1) for Celtics forward Jayson Tatum, 95 OVR (+1) for Mavericks guard Luka Doncic, and more.
Season 5 of NBA 2K22 will be released on Friday, February 25th, and 2K has released an in-depth look at it today. Players can enjoy ani-mazing attire, a futuristic hoverboard, and a strong Grand Prize in The City and Cancha Del Mar, where anime has arrived. Season 5 also adds new music to the soundtrack thanks to a collaboration with Ninja Tune, as well as a slew of new content and changes to MyCAREER, MyTEAM, and The W modes.
NBA 2K22 Season 5 Paolo Banchero
Players discover a rare, legendary power that only a few possess in NBA 2K22 Season 5: ‘Power Within.’ Two-time champion Kevin Durant, 2019 first-round choice Rui Hachimura, and, if the prophecy is correct, future NBA superstar Paolo Banchero star in the anime-style voyage.
Players of NBA 2K22 will be able to unlock new Level 40 awards, such as a Wildcat, Viper, Knight, or Beast Affiliation Skin for PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X|S, or a mascot for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, NSW, and PC, according to on their affiliation. New thrilling adventures, cutting-edge prizes, and environment changes around the City and the Cancha Del Mar with new paintings and court floors are among the latest additions. MyTEAM includes Dynamic Ratings, which means the cards will be updated on a regular basis for the rest of the regular season, six MyTEAM collections spanning six decades, and an NBA 75 Domination tier, Galaxy Opal. Paul Millsap, Ray Allen, Dark Matter, and many others.
NBA 2K22 Season 5 Paul Milsap
The W introduces additional prizes, including a Takeover Perk Picker and Hall of Fame tier player cards featuring Sacramento icons Ticha Penicheiro and Yolanda Griffith. 4,000 VC, an additional Badge Point, 2K Breakthrough Gear, Seasonal Clothing Bundle, and a Custom Player Indicator are the other three prize tiers. This season’s ‘First Fridays’ offers a variety of great singles from Ninja Tune artists from the United Kingdom. On the soundtrack and at Club 2K, you can listen to the most recent music in-game.
NBA 2K22 Season 5 Ninja Tune
Check out the latest Courtside Report for all the facts on what’s new in NBA 2K22 Season 5.
COMPLEX: Your song “Santa Monica Blvd” is featured on the NBA 2K22 soundtrack, which is a really great look. How did the connection come about?
IDK: I remember: it was, like, 2019, and I made it a goal of mine to be in NBA 2K for the first time, and I got cool with Mike—I forgot his last name—but he’s a guy that used to work up there. I was cool with him on Instagram. I was like, “Look. I’ll come up to the office and meet you.” And from there, our relationship became what it was. So, you know, we’ve been in the game for the past three years now.
How nice are you on NBA 2K?
Truthfully, I’m not the greatest player. I think a lot of any skill that I have comes from playing it for years—since I was younger. But I know so many people who are better than me so I have to be honest and say that I’m not that nice.
Have you played NBA 2K with any of your rapper friends? If so, who’s the nicest that you’ve played against—and, be honest: who won?
I don’t remember, but I’ve watched KD play—all day, for hours—and I feel like he’s the nicest person I know, in general.
You grew up in Maryland, but a lot of people might not know that you were born in England. Do you feel any affinity to London? Is it special when you come out here?
I feel like it’s special when I come to London because, you know, the roots of where I’m from definitely exist there. I’m very proud of the fact that I have two passports. I think that’s cool. It’s an interesting fact that many people don’t know about me. But yeah, I feel good when I come out there—there’s a lot of family that I visit and there’s a particular vibe, musically, that we don’t have in America.
Are you tapped into the British music scene? Anyone you’d potentially collaborate with?
Yeah, I love the British music scene. Pa Salieu is somebody I’ve been listening to for a while!
Over the years, we’ve heard many rappers say they had two options growing up: rap, or aim for the league. Was it the same for you?
No. I think going to school was an option because my parents went to school and had degrees, and that’s what they pushed on me. So I had that in my mind, to be honest.
What do you think, if any, are the transferable skills between rap and basketball?
I think, from problem-solving, strategically putting things together in a fast manner and working with a team, they’re all transferable things.
If you played pro ball, what would be your position?
I would probably be a point guard or shooting guard.
What’s the rap starting 5, and what positions do they play?
I’ve played ball with 21 Savage, Quavo and a few other people. I think Quavo would be a good point guard, me shooting guard… Damn! Who else would be good? Who’s tall? I don’t know. Anyway, all rappers are short. I have to come back to that question.
Who’s the best rap-basketball player that you’ve come across?
That I’ve come across and actually played with? I’d say Pressa. I played with Pressa at 24Hour Fitness in North Hollywood and he was pretty good. I didn’t even know who he was—I didn’t know him as a rapper. He was just good when I played against him.
If you were on an NBA team, which team would it be and why?
If I were on an NBA team, I would probably play with the Lakers because it is the best franchise in basketball history.
What is it about musicians that athletes idolise and vice versa?
I think it’s the ability to do something that we both think is very hard. But it’s very easy for us, you know? So seeing someone make music as a basketball player probably seems challenging, fun, and cool. And then seeing someone play basketball is also a similar thing.
Tell me more about SubTrap.
SubTrap is a project that I put out many years ago that is basically trap music from my perspective as a suburban kid.
Where does IDK fit in amongst today’s rap music industry?
I don’t know if I fit in with anybody. I think I’m cool with everybody, but I think I’ve been focused on creating my world and inviting people if they want to come and hang out.
What do you have coming that we should be tapping into this year?
This new album that’s about to come out any day now!
In addition to being one-third of Atlanta rap trio Migos, Quavo is becoming increasingly well known for his love of basketball. He’s participated in the NBA’s All-Star celebrity game multiple times, winning the MVP award for the game in 2018, and helped launch Bleacher Report’s inaugural All-Star adjacent two-on-two game last year alongside 2 Chainz, Jack Harlow, and Lil Baby. Now, not only is he participating in the celebrity game again this year, but he’s also going to play in actual NBA games — NBA video games, that is.
Quavo was announced as the latest playable character in NBA 2K22, which is out now via 2K Games. The rapper made the announcement in an Instagram post showing off his character model during gameplay, and from the clips provided, it’s a frighteningly good likeness, right down to Quavo’s signature, iced-out glasses frames — which he would probably never wear in a real game. However, judging from the caption he added, it seems he has one major quibble with his in-game presentation.
“@ronnie2k why are u one point away from being rated the same as me?” he wondered, tagging 2K Games’ infamous digital marketing director Ronnie Singh, who was also added to the game as a playable character. “Who Rated Me??” Of course, players always tag Ronnie with qualms about their in-game player ratings, something the social media star made clear is always tongue-in-cheek and orchestrated to hype the game up (he, of course, probably has a lot of say in how he’s rated in-game, despite being far from NBA-ready). So, it really wouldn’t be official without some light griping from the game’s newest star, would it?
Check out Quavo’s announcement and in-game likeness below.
West Coast rapper Game is living up to his name. The hip-hop star is putting the studio sessions on pause this weekend and clocking time into the newly released NBA 2K22. Game’s Clocking In NBA 2K22 Goals The California native hit up Instagram with a snapshot of his in-game status. He revealed a created player […]
The wait is finally, finally, finally over – the best NBA and WNBA basketball game on the market has arrived in NBA 2K22. Personally? I couldn’t wait to get the chance to game and yes, as a true diehard and real-life gamer, it was only right to try out the must-play title on the PlayStation […]
