MC Eiht Credits GTA: San Andreas For Bringing His Music To Younger Fans

MC Eiht credited Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas with bringing his music to younger listeners. He said playing Ryder introduced him to people who discovered him through gaming.

In a new interview with The Hip Hop Museum, published November 3, the Compton rapper said the game expanded his audience beyond people already familiar with his records.

“It introduced me to a younger crowd who were into gaming and streaming. So it definitely opened the door and bridged the gap between the newer generation and hearing about MC Eiht and Compton’s Most Wanted,” the legendary rapper said.

“I was able to participate in a few parts of the game, first being on the radio stations and then being able to voice and portray Ryder in the actual game. That just took it to another level, and it opened up the doors on the whole gaming industry. Grand Theft Auto was big,” Eiht said.

He also revisited playing A-Wax in Menace II Society, saying he drew on his own experiences to shape the performance. “I ad-libbed a lot of stuff,” he said.

The conversation covered the East Coast relationships behind his music, too. Eiht recalled connecting with DJ Premier, Guru, Pete Rock and Stretch and Bobbito during promotional trips to New York.

Those connections became part of his recorded work. DJ Premier executive produced Eiht’s 2017 album Which Way Iz West and produced four tracks. Brenk Sinatra produced the rest of the album.

The album brought together Eiht’s Blue Stamp and Premier’s Year Round imprints. Its guests included fellow West Coast rappers WC, B-Real, Xzibit and Kurupt, as well as Bumpy Knuckles. Compton’s Most Wanted also appeared on the record.

His latest album, The Story of My Life, arrived October 22. Apple Music lists 20 songs with a running time of one hour and four minutes, under BlueStamp Group LLC.