Grand Theft Auto: 15 Dub, Reggae & Dancehall Classics From The Gaming Franchise

By Michael Nattoo Mon, February 6 2023, 01:55 PM EST

Rockstar Games’ multibillion-dollar gaming franchise Grand Theft Auto has always been known for its diverse and unforgettable soundtracks. The franchise has consistently featured Dub, Reggae, and Dancehall classics, exposing gamers to the genre’s most influential and memorable tracks.

In this article, we highlight 15 of those classics, taking you on a journey through the songs that have ‘soundtracked’ countless virtual adventures.

**Bob Marley and The Wailers – Pimper’s Paradise (1980)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto IV
GTA Radio Station: Tuff Gong Radio

Co-produced by Chris Blackwell and Bob Marley & The Wailers, Pimper’s Paradise is a timeless, contemplative tune that highlights the vices of stardom. The track tells the story of a woman whose life is lived in the spotlight of fame, constantly seeking the comfort of drugs, partying and sex. That life, Bob Marley and The Wailers imagine, takes its toll, and only ends up in sadness and regret. The men are left feeling “sorry for the victim now” – the woman, whose choices will have her “bluesin’ when there ain’t no blues”. Pimper’s Paradise is the seventh track from Bob Marley and The Wailers’ album, Uprising.

**Barrington Levy – Don’t Fuss Or Fight (1979)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
GTA Radio Station: RamJam FM

There are not many things more calming than Barrington Levy’s ‘Don’t Fuss’ as you speed away from a heist down Bedford Point Expressway in Liberty City. The dub classic, a single from Levy’s 1979 album, Englishman, is a mellow and reflective track rooted in themes of unity and good vibes. It was produced by Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes.

**Augustus Pablo – King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown (1976)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
GTA Radio Station: K-JAH West

From Augustus Pablo’s genre-defining album of the same name, King Tubby Meets Rockers Uptown is a well-placed selection by Rockstar Games in the GTA franchise. The track, which heavily features a lot of Pablo’s pioneering methods in Dub, such as the use of the melodica, tape delays and synthesized echoes interwoven to create rhythms, is a ground-breaking work many regard as the cornerstone of a number of popular genres today. Regarded by Allmusic.com as “the finest example of dub ever recorded”, the song is a testament of Pablo’s musical genius, and how ahead of his time he was.

**Dennis Brown – Money In My Pocket (1972)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online
GTA Radio Station: Blue Ark

Reggae crooner Dennis Brown left it all on this 1972 Winston ‘Niney’ Holness-produced single, Money In My Pocket. Interestingly, the song didn’t initially get its due, and it wasn’t until a recut version, released in 1979 and produced by Joe Gibbs, that this classic rose to its potential, peaking on the UK music charts. The track is a grounding reflection on a life that has almost everything but love. It spotlights the shattered expectations that success would have somehow guaranteed love. Brown sings that it hasn’t, telling any who would listen that despite money in his pockets, love continues to elude him. To this day, the song remains a calling card for sound selectors and DJ’s looking to get calls of encore from their respective crowds.

**Gregory Isaacs – Night Nurse (1982)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online
GTA Radio Station: Blue Ark

To succinctly capture his ‘sickness’ – a lack of love, and leveraging that into why he will only get better if he has his night nurse, is a textbook example of the wordsmith Gregory Isaacs dominating his domain.

**Michael Prophet – You Are A No Good (1980)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto III
GTA Radio Station: K-JAH

Produced by Henry ‘Junjo’ Lawes, this Michael Prophet hit from 1980 is a gritty track about love and blatant betrayal. The version of the song that appears in GTA is done by Scientist, and is called ‘Dance of the Vampires’. Save for a few edits to make the song an even more immersive in-game experience, the track is largely indistinguishable from its original.

**Sugar Minott – Hard Time Pressure (1979)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
GTA Radio Station: RamJam FM

One of the standout tracks from Sugar Minott’s 1979 album Black Roots, ‘Hard Time Pressure’ is a poignant and reflective song about oppression and hardships. Isaacs sheds light on how ‘Babylon’s’ systems continue to pressure people across the world, and goes in-depth about how some people have had to cope with these pressures. He anchors the song depressing tone to humankind’s resilience, and implores his audience to keep going in spite of it all. The song is undoubtedly ahead of its time, and is a reflection of Isaac’s prowess as a thought-provoking musician.

**Blood Sisters – Ring My Bell (1979)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
GTA Radio Station: K-JAH West

Blood Sisters’ cover of Anita Ward’s 1979 disco hit, Ring My Bell has earned its place as a cult classic for GTA lovers. The rendition is a stripped-down version of Anita’s only major hit, and brings a more soulful and intimate delivery of the song originally written by Frederick Knight.

**Prince Jammy – Jammy A Shine (1979)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
GTA Radio Station: RamJam FM

Crucial Bunny versus Prince Jammy – Fatman Dub Contest, the 1979 vinyl album, gave way for this dub by Lloyd James, more popularly known as Prince (or King) Jammy. The track features much of the elements and techniques popularized by dub pioneers like Augustus Pablo. It, however, builds on that foundation with a few original twists of its own, and is a favorite of those who tuned in to Liberty City’s RamJam FM.

**Max Romeo and The Upsetters – Chase The Devil (1976)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
GTA Radio Station: K-JAH West

Reggae and Dub veteran Max Romeo, whose real name is Maxwell Livingston Smith, found success with this 1976 militant piece, Chase The Devil. The song, a single from the Lee Scratch Perry-produced album, War Ina Babylon, is a fiery decree by Max Romeo, who wages his righteous Rastafarian war against the devil and threatens to send him to outer space.

**John Holt ft. Sizzla – Police In Helicopter (2006)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City
GTA Radio Station: RamJam FM

This 2006 remix of John Holt’s 1983 hit of the same name fits seamlessly into GTA’s overarching philosophy of a society focused on the wrong things. While the song uses marijuana as the subject for the misplaced focus of the oppressive authorities, Sizzla drives home the imagery’s literary and metaphorical value by raising questions about ‘Big Pharma’, corruption and crime. He contends that those are the issues deserving of scrutiny and attention, not some plant that grows out in the field. The song is ultimately rooted in defiance, with both men warning: “If you continue to burn down the herbs, we’re gonna burn down your cane fields”. More directly, the song was a response to Jamaican police’s crackdown on weed – an effort that was aided by the CIA in the early 80s.

**Toots & The Maytals – Pressure Drop (1969)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
GTA Radio Station: K-JAH West

“If you do bad things to innocent people, then bad things will happen to you. The title was a phrase I used to say. If someone done me wrong, rather than fight them like a warrior, I’d say: ‘The pressure’s going to drop on you.’” Toots Hibbert offered that explanation of the group’s hit song, ‘Pressure Drop’, in an interview with The Guardian. Supposedly a threat of karmic retribution following his release from prison for marijuana possession, the song positions Toots and The Maytals, more specifically Toots, as someone who’s been wronged, who is adamant that their justice will come by way of the divine. The song, produced by Leslie Kong, is a single from their 1968 album, ‘Sweet and Dandy’, and was also featured in the film, ‘The Harder They Come’.

**Yellowman – Nobody Move, Nobody Get Hurt (1984)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto V and Grand Theft Auto Online
GTA Radio Station: Blue Ark

This title track to Yellowman’s 1983 album of the same name is a charming dub record released by the Dancehall legend. Its playful lyrics, documenting an exchange between law enforcement and the singer, is a light-hearted flex of Yellowman’s abilities as an artist. Its inclusion in the often-violent GTA world adds the right mix of comedy and in-game realism, making for a memorable virtual adventure. The track was produced by Greensleeves Records.

**Shabba Ranks – Wicked Inna Bed (1990)**

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas
GTA Radio Station: K-JAH West

One of Dancehall’s most-recognized icons, Shabba Ranks was up to his OG ‘Rude bwoy’ antics with ‘Wicked Inna Bed’ – a track on which he flexed his prowess as a lady’s man and an exceptional talent in the bedroom. The song’s braggadocious nature is consistent with Shabba’s well-known character at the time, and it played pretty well with the song’s carnal theme. Coincidentally, those elements make it perfect for the GTA world.

Buju Banton – Driver A (2006)

Appears in: Grand Theft Auto IV
GTA Radio Station: Massive B Soundsystem 96.9

Buju Banton’s 2006 hit, Driver A, in which he portrays a drug lord giving stern instructions to his underling about a “special” delivery to be made, seamlessly fits into the world of GTA. The song’s hook is a bit of an earworm, and it pulls even the most casual of listeners in with its gritty, low-risk presentation of a rather serious issue – drug trafficking.