The National Basketball Association is launching a new “signature audio identity” that will serve as a connective tissue between the league’s media and social coverage and in-arena experiences, using a new NBA Finals promo scored by Succession composer Nicholas Britell and voiced by Nas to introduce the sound.
“There was no model for what we were trying to create here,” Britell tells The Hollywood Reporter. “There is of course a tremendous history of music in sports — in the NBA from John Tesh’s ‘Roundball Rock’ and the Chicago Bulls’ use of Alan Parsons Project ‘Sirius’ — to all the amazing scores of sports films in history, Chariots of Fire, Rudy, He Got Game — the list goes on and on. Our goal was to begin a process of exploring what the sound of the league could be. The first piece we’ve released, which is playing in the playoffs and finals spots we’ve created, is a springboard for more music that we’ll be releasing around a whole sonic landscape for the NBA.”
You can watch the promo here:
“Thirty teams start this journey, but only two are left standing,” Nas says in the voiceover. “The math is simple. The quest… anything but. This isn’t just a series, this is legacy. Everything’s on the line, because history is calling. This… is the NBA Finals.”
For Britell, the opportunity to develop an original sound for the NBA was too compelling an opportunity to pass up, not to mention the chance to work with Nas.
“I’ve always been fascinated by the intersection of music and sports, and I’ve also always loved the art form of sonic identities.” Britell says. “Nas is an all-time hero of mine, so it was a true honor to get to collaborate with him on this. To me, basketball represents drama, power, beauty, and intense emotion: the dedication and ability of these athletes is staggering. Finding a way to encapsulate all this in sound was very exciting.”
