Grading the 2012 NFL Team Theme Songs

It all started with Wiz Khalifa.  Over the last year and a half, theme songs and anthems for various professional sports teams have been popping up all over the place, especially during playoff runs. The "big bang" of this trend was Wiz Khalifa's smash single "Black and Yellow".  Featuring an incredibly catchy, uptempo beat which made it an instant staple for various workout playlists and basketball game warm-up music, it was the chorus prominently stating the colors of Wiz's hometown Pittsburgh teams that made it ripe for various covers. Soon after in fall of 2010, San Francisco rappers Bailey, Da Vinci, Roach Gigz, San Quinn, Big Rich, & Cellski released various "Black and Orange" remixes to soundtrack the San Francisco Giants eventual World Championship run.

Then Lil Wayne released "Green & Yellow" for the Green Bay Packers, and then just about any competitive pro team had a theme song, especially come playoff time.  Of the 8 teams left in the NFL playoffs, 6 have theme songs released in the past couple of months that have at least a few thousand Youtube views. But how good are these submissions as songs?  The report card is below.

Denver Broncos & New England Patriots - Grade: INCOMPLETE

Neither of these teams have a 2011-2012 theme song from what I could find. Denver I can understand because they don't really have a very large Hip-Hop scene out there, but New England surprises me.  Rappers like Termanology, Reks, and Sam Adams are all pretty popular on the underground circuit, but none could support Brady and the gang? Shameful.

Baltimore Ravens - Grade: D

A very sub-par effort from a legit super bowl contender. Points for using an original beat, massively negative points for a beat so mind-numbingly simple and boring.  And whoever it is that is rapping on this beat seems to be using rhyme schemes that have been out of date since Kurtis Blow and Grandmaster Flash. Since Baltimore has a couple of really talented, upcoming rappers and an emerging hip-hop scene, this is disappointing enough to almost make me pick against the Ravens this weekend.  Almost.

New Orleans Saints - Grade: C+

If you're going to use a recycled beat, there are definitely worse choices to be made.  And the rapper Scarz-P actually shows some skills on the mic and the verses are fairly enjoyable.  But the excessive auto-tuning on the chorus is just painful to my ears and is ultimately what drops the grade for me.

Green Bay Packers - Grade: B-

A very simple beat, but not nearly as boring as the Ravens' submission up above.  The Def Crew shows some legit chops on the mic and the chorus is pretty solid. Ultimately, the relatively poor sound quality is disappointing especially from crew that has done this before, and while the beat is enjoyable to listen to, it does relatively nothing to really get someones energy up.

New York Giants - Grade: B

While the beat on this track is also lacking in energy, it is very listenable just as regular music.  3rd Infintry does an admirable job on the mic, staying on beat and giving a simple yet catchy (for Giants fans) hook.  This is actually a song that I might catch myself listening to in regular daily life.

San Francisco 49ers - Grade: B+

Bailey was the first bay rapper to drop a "Black and Orange" remix for the SF Giants back in 2010, and follows it up with an equally fun track for the SF 49ers. Using an original beat this go around, Bailey uses a sample of  Jim Harbaugh's now famous "Who's Got it Better" chant for the chorus and it works wonders to bring up the energy as you listen to the song.  Mix in some quality verses from one of the most respected Bay Area MC's and you have a worthy theme song.

Houston Texans - Grade: A+

Now THIS is how you do a theme song. Get 3 nationally recognized rappers from your city to drop verses, use an original beat sampling the "NFL on Fox" theme song, and go nuts.  The beat is infectious and will make any fan listening to this ready to put on a helmet and knock some heads off.  Slim Thug, Paul Wall, & Z-ro are simply the best rappers out of any of these songs, and actually work to put in some quality verses.  I'm not even a Texans fan, but I just can't stop playing this song. After this I'll be rooting for the Houston Rockets to make a playoff run to see what these guys have up their sleeves.