This year’s NBA 2K9 soundtrack continues the tradition with an eclectic mix of artists. Standouts include N.E.R.D, Santogold, Gnarls Barkley, The Pharcyde, and Beastie Boys with an exclusive track by DJ UNK, along with an original recording by The Cool Kids titled “2K Pennies.” Beyond the soundtrack, 2K Sports continues to embrace its artists in a myriad of ways, including in-game characters, national tours, music videos, gameplay trailers, radio promotions, mix tapes, community promotions, music downloads and digital sales.

"Every year our NBA 2K soundtrack features music innovators that push boundaries in the same way our franchise does," said Tim Rosa, director of brand and lifestyle marketing at 2K Sports. “With NBA 2K9 we’re continuing the tradition with The Cool Kids representing our deepest music integration. They will appear in the game’s NBA Blacktop streetball mode, will perform on the 2K Sports Bounce Tour, and they recorded an original song which we’re giving away for free on the 2K Sports website.”

“Video games are an important part of culture and our lifestyle. For years we’ve been playing games, but have never been inspired by the songs in them,” said Chuck Inglish and Mikey Rocks of The Cool Kids. “When 2K Sports presented us with an opportunity to create an original song for NBA 2K9, we knew we had to create a song that embodied the sport of basketball. We had to make kids everywhere appreciate the song as much as the game.”

Along with special The Cool Kids integration, NBA 2K9 will include in-game character likenesses of other past and present 2K music artists including ?uestlove (from The Roots), DJ Steve Aoki, Aceyalone, the legendary Bobbito Garcia, and Phife Dawg (from A Tribe Called Quest). Fans can now listen to and purchase individual songs from the NBA 2K9 soundtrack through the new 2K Beats channel at www.2ksports.com/beats/games/nba2k9.

Below is the full list of tracks in NBA 2K9:

• Beastie Boys - Root Down
• Blackwizard - Dem Nah Ready fe We
• Blockhead - Duke Of Hazzard
• Bloody Beetroots - Mac Mac
• Dangerdoom - Sofa King
• Dawn Penn - You Don’t Love Me (Extended Mix)
• DJ Rasta Root - RootZilla Beez
• DJ UNK - In Yo Face (exclusive track)
• Gnarls Barkley - Going On
• Jamalski - That Undaground (Remix)
• Mochipet - Sharpdrest
• Mommy and Daddy - Pretty Loser
• Money Mark - Silly Putty
• N.E.R.D. - Spaz
• Nickodemus - Funky In The Middle
• Santogold feat. Switch & Freq Nasty – Creator
• Skeewiff - Light the Fuse
• Spank Rock & Benny Blanco - Loose (inst.)
• The Brand New Heavies - Jump ‘N’ Move
• The Cool Kids - 2K Pennies (exclusive track)
• The Heavy - Coleen
• The Limp Twins - Moving Closer to The Sofa
• The Meters - Cissy Strut
• The Pharcyde - Passing Me By
• Ursula 1000 - Step Back (Deekline & Ed Solo Remix)

Back for its 10th season, NBA 2K9 is the premier basketball game for serious players, and will deliver the most realistic and feature-rich simulation experience ever available in the NBA 2K franchise – from gameplay and graphics to presentation and online features.

NBA 2K9, rated E for Everyone, will be available on October 7 for the Xbox 360, PS3 and PS2 on Oct. 7, 2008.