By working with influential artists in the urban community, such as The Roots and Common, NBA 2K6 - which launches this fall for the PS2, Xbox, and the Xbox 360 - will hit close to home with gamers who understand the relationship between hip-hop and hoops.

"Basketball and hip-hop culture have always been connected at the street level, so we wanted to ensure that NBA 2K6's vibe is as authentic as the gameplay," said Tim Rosa, director of marketing and promotions for 2K Sports. "By featuring exclusive original tracks, accompanied by both a tour and the ability to play as select musicians in the game, our pioneering approach to music integration marks a turning point in what is possible in the video game industry."

One of NBA 2K6's most distinctive features is the soundtrack. While having a custom song in a game is nothing new, NBA 2K6's soundtrack boasts 14 original tracks created exclusively for the game by luminaries of hip-hop culture, such as The Roots, Common, RJD2, Jean Grae, Aceyalone, Aesop Rock, Lyrics Born, Zion I, Hieroglyphics and more. In addition to appearing in the game, these songs will be released by Decon Records on a compilation CD entitled "The Tracks."

Taking the music integration element up a notch beyond the soundtrack is having select-featured artists, in tandem with other renowned hip-hop groups, playable in the first ever video game simulation of The Entertainer's Basketball Classic (EBC) at Rucker Park. Celebrity hip-hop talent are Method Man, Redman, Flava Flav, ?uestlove from The Roots, Common, and Aesop Rock, among others will contribute to this dynamic feature.

Rounding out the music integration campaign, will be the nationwide "2K Sports Bounce Tour" in promotional support of the game and its soundtrack. The tour, which is being headlined by The Roots and underground icons such as RJD2 and Aceyalone, is traveling to more than 30 top markets this fall. This is the first in a series of annual live events that bridge hip-hop, sports and video game culture by featuring renowned music artists, sports gaming kiosks, projection vignettes and celebrity and professional athlete appearances.

The 2K series of simulated sports games are produced by Visual Concepts, a Take-Two studio.