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Wayback Wednesday: Rappers in NBA Live 2003

Unlocking Busta Rhymes in NBA Live 2003

Welcome to Wayback Wednesday, your midweek blast from the past! This is a feature where we look back on yesteryear, digging into the archives to indulge in some nostalgia, and in some cases, wonder just what we were thinking. Check in every Wednesday for features and retrospectives on older versions of NBA Live, NBA 2K, and other basketball video games, as well as old NLSC editorials re-published with added commentary, reflections on big announcements from years gone by, and other flashback content.

Basketball video games have had their fair share of hidden players over the years, from the secret characters in NBA Jam to the dummied out and unlockable players in NBA Live and NBA 2K. In the case of NBA Live 2003, there were six players who were unlockable via codes, all of whom were rappers.

Granted, they weren’t as useful as the hidden rookies in NBA Live 2004, or the dummied out historical players in NBA Live 08. Nevertheless, the rappers in NBA Live 2003 were kind of a cool bonus, and could still be put to good use in special roster patches, such as the NBA Live Street mod. To unlock them, users simply had to input specific codes as the last name in Create-a-Player.

Do you remember which rappers were included in NBA Live 2003? Let’s take a look back…way back…

Busta Rhymes

Busta Rhymes in NBA Live 2003

 

Busta Rhymes was featured on the track “Here We Go“, by Flipmode Squad. To unlock him, enter FLIPMODE.

B. Rich

B. Rich in NBA Live 2003

B. Rich performed the track “Whoa Now“, which combined the NBA’s slogans from the 80s and 90s: “NBA Action: It’s Fantastic!“, and “I Love This Game!” Appropriately enough for his moniker, he can be unlocked with the code DOLLABILLS.

DJ Clue?

D.J. Clue in NBA Live 2003

Interestingly, DJ Clue?, who hosted a couple of NBA Street DVDs, is not credited on any of the songs that appear in the NBA Live 2003 soundtrack. Nevertheless, he could be added to the roster with the code MIXTAPES. Meanwhile, Snoop Dogg – who performs the game’s title track, “Get Live” – is not available as an unlockable player.

Hot Karl

Hot Karl in NBA Live 2003

Hot Karl’s contribution to the game’s soundtrack was the rather distinctive “Blao“. He’s unlocked with the code CALIFORNIA.

Just Blaze

Just Blaze in NBA Live 2003

Just Blaze’s “Let’s Go” (featuring Freeway and Memphis Bleek) is on the NBA Live 2003 soundtrack, and he also has a producer credit for the aforementioned “Here We Go”. Entering GOODBEATS will unlock him.

Fabolous

Fabolous in NBA Live 2003

The last rapper who can be unlocked in NBA Live 2003 is Fabolous, with the code GHETTOFAB. His contribution to the soundtrack was “It’s In The Game“.

Did you play with any of these rappers back in the day? If not, you might have to dust off NBA Live 2003, and punch in their codes; you’ll find that they all have rather generous ratings! If you’d like some more info on getting the game to run in Windows 7, check out this tutorial.

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tgsogood
tgsogood
March 20, 2016 9:02 am

this game had my favorite live soundtrack