Fortnite is a game known for a lot of things - llamas, dance moves, turning 90s, getting called a "dead game," and so on. While it's hosted a substantial number of musical events, the title hasn't really been known for its original soundtrack. That may soon change, thanks to a newly released lobby track featuring rapper Trippie Redd.
Epic Games' popular free-to-play battle royale has had an extensive relationship with musicians, particularly rappers. Artists have had some of their signature dance moves incorporated into the game as Emotes, such as Drake's "Toosie Slide." Trippie Redd seems to have taken that relationship to the next level, releasing a song rapping about nothing but Fortnite.
The newly dropped track, titled "Drop In," is exactly what most players will think it is upon hearing the title. The roughly two-and-a-half minute song starts out similarly to other songs from the musician, swelling with an effects-laden midi beat and auto-tune tinged vocals. Structured as a chorus-verse-chorus, The first section of lyrics talk about the start of a Fortnite match, mentioning gliders and quite possibly the best and funniest line in the song, "Count my V-bucks, sit back, buy me a car or two." The verse in the middle of the song moves on to describe typical gameplay, including "got a purple gun" and aiming above the shirt, referencing headshots. The chorus repeats once more, then fades out the same way it swelled in.
The new lobby track could end up being a precursor to an in-game concert, much like the rapper's musical colleague, Travis Scott. The "SICKO MODE" rapper famously held a large-scale concert within the game as part of his Astronomical tour, a gig that reportedly earned Scott $20 million. While Trippie Redd has yet to post about "Drop In" on his socials, he and Epic Games could potentially be planning something, although this is speculation. Fans of Trippie Redd and Fortnite seem to be responding well to the new single, amassing nearly half a million views at the time of writing.
While rappers like Trippie Redd and Travis Scott appear to have a good relationship with Fortnite, that isn't the case for all rappers. Artist 2 Milly famously sued Fortnite a few years ago, claiming the game's Swipe It Emote was a copyright infringement on his signature dance move, the "Milly Rock." Chance the Rapper similarly slammed the game for failing to reward and credit many of the originators of the game's emotes and dances.
The release of the "fire" track comes synchronously with Fortnite's Fight Fire with Fire-themed Wild Week. The new event puts an emphasis on a different gameplay mechanic each week for the remainder of Season 6. It should be interesting to see if any more Trippie Redd music or content makes its way to the game in the near future.
Fortnite is out now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.