A Bristol rapper and the city’s drum n bass scene is celebrating after their biggest single of the year so far was selected to be on the soundtrack of the new FIFA23 video game. The track, called READY4DEM was released by rapper Emz in February, and has moved the Bristol artist to another level this year, which included a breakthrough performance at Glastonbury.
The video to accompany the song was shot at various locations around Bristol, and the tune itself was a collaboration between Emz and Bristol drum and bass crew Watch The Ride. The FIFA global football computer game phenomenon launched its 2023 version yesterday (September 30) and among the songs on the tracklist to accompany the game is the catchy READY4DEM.
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Emz, a rapper who moved to Bristol from London 10 years ago, announced the accolade on his Instagram account this morning, and the placement on FIFA23 - which is set to sell millions of copies around the world - is also a major coup for Watch The Ride, who comprise three of Bristol’s legendary drum and bass producers, DJ Die, DJ Randall and Dismantle.
The track has already been a big hit this year, racking up a million listens on Spotify, and the video on YouTube, which was filmed at various locations in Bristol, including the Lawrence Hill roundabout and the pumptrack and skatepark under the Avon Bridge at Ashton Gate, has also had thousands of views.
Announcing the inclusion of his song, Emz said: “I remember playing FIFA 99 on the PS1 for hours! Fast forward to 2022 and mans part of the soundtrack!! Gassed as I am grateful!”
When the track was released in February, on leading drum and bass label Hospital Records, it was featured straight away on Spotify’s New Music Friday playlist, and on Apple Music’s Dance playlist - one of the first times a Bristol artist recently has got that global exposure. The track has now been picked up by EA Sports to feature on the FIFA23 game, and during the year, Emz has consistently racked up more than 100,000 listeners a month on those platforms, as well as getting airtime on Radio 1 and 1Xtra.
Emz’s next gig in Bristol will be an appearance at Motion’s Halloween event, just after the launch of his next single, The Liege, which is being released on October 28.
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