Device That Made Me: Curren$y on Sega Genesis

When The Notorious B.I.G. toasted to finally living the good life back on 1995’s “Juicy”, the portly rap legend also made sure to immortalise the many gaming consoles in his life. “Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis / When I was dead broke, man, I couldn’t picture this.”

Whether it’s Jay-Z sampling the Golden Axe soundtrack; Suge Knight and Tupac playing Sonic the Hedgehog together; Lil B flipping through his PS2 collection, repeatedly muttering the word “classic”; or MF DOOM immortalising the “boss” tendencies of Super Mario Bros’ King Koopa, hip hop and gaming have been linked from the get-go [with 50 Cent and the Wu-Tang Clan even releasing their own licensed titles]. 

American rap legend Curren$y - who grew up in the notorious Magnolia Projects, a neighbourhood once described by the New Orleans Police Department as a “war zone” - has a theory on why these two art forms have such historic links. “A lot of rappers didn’t grow up with much money, so that childhood video game console or Duck Hunt gun was like their most prized possession,” the 44-year-old rap veteran tells Back Market. 

“It was like our equivalent of a vacation. I lost some friends to gun violence [at a young age], so staying inside with the Sega Genesis (called the Sega Mega Drive in Europe) kept me out of trouble.” Over the last two decades Curren$y has built a cult following (on Spotify alone he has amassed nearly 2 million monthly streams), and even earned major label-backing, all achieved through creating his own influential, chilled-out musical sub-genre called “Lifestyle rap”. 

This is a lapse yet inspiring sonic universe where butter smooth raps make a luxury lifestyle feel attainable for the everyman, with those who sell “a boulder through a Boost Mobile” treated more like Marvel superheroes than inner city hustlers. It’s also fair to say the one that they call Spitta Andretti - who has deservedly won high-profile admirers including the likes of Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, The Alchemist, Nipsey Hussle, and Wiz Khalifa - crams in more references to video games than your average emcee. 

For example, Curren$y once relatably rapped about playing an 82 game season on basketball sim NBA 2K with a “condo full of snacks”—nailing the feeling of a cozy, sofa-bound day spent button bashing on the sofa. And, amid the purring violins of the exultant, Bruiser Wolf-featuring 2025 single, “Zack Morris Phone”, a hibiki-drinking Curren$y brags about his jewellery collection via a series of niche references (“holy water watches / frozen aqua rings”) to the 1992 video game, Ecco the Dolphin.

It’s clear this kooky Sega Genesis' game, which is about a dolphin that elegantly fights off aliens and then swims off to the darkest reaches of the ocean floor to go sing the blues, played a formative role in this rapper’s life. “Ecco the Dolphin is part of the reason why I talk about the sea, whales, and aquatic life so much in my music,” the 44-year-old explains.

“New Orleans is sitting on top of water, so that game always felt real personal. I remember it being super hard, though! Gaming is a big part of my sound, period.” We spoke to Curren$y about the healing powers of Ecco the Dolphin; the intoxicating music of Sonic the Hedgehog 2; and how today, even as an adult, he makes sure to revisit the Sega Genesis in order to stay mentally young.

The Sega Genesis played a big role in your childhood. Why was it so special to you? 

CURREN$Y: It meant the world to me, bro. I remember I tried to do better in school just to make sure I could get that console! I was lucky to have been raised by the kind of mother who’d make you feel like any of your dreams were possible… even if they sounded stupid. She let me butcher up her backyard and turn it into a remote control car track! And she also let me hook my Sega Genesis up to the big TV in the living room. I think she did it so I would keep close to her and stay away from the dangers in my neighbourhood, you know? 

I sense staying inside with your friends playing on the Sega was sort of like your salvation.

CURREN$Y: Definitely. I remember they released the six button controller for the Sega fighting games and my homie got it before everybody else. He was showing us how to do all the fatality finishing moves on Mortal Kombat! People would come over to your spot and not leave until the next day. Eventually, someone might get annoyed that they lost on multiplayer and be like: “Yo, let’s go outside and you show me if you can do these flying kicks in real life!”

The other kids at school might be getting into trouble or even joining gangs, but we were crowded around a TV set playing Double Dragon 2. In terms of keeping us safe, the Sega Genesis really paid for itself. Honestly, those days were some of the best of my life.

You reference Ecco the Dolphin a lot in your music. It’s a pretty niche Sega Genesis game, but one that left a deep impression on all who played it. Why do you think that is? For me, personally, it’s a very therapeutic game to play through. 

CURREN$Y: It was the gloomy music, the dark blue landscape, and all the grief hidden inside [of the game]. I remember reading about this game in a magazine years before it came out, and being so excited when it finally dropped. To be honest, there was nothing I could do to really convince my homies that Ecco the Dolphin was a dope game. That one was just for me to play alone, you know? I liked the vivid colours and the atmosphere… but they didn’t like it so much. The transitions and the sounds of the dolphins communicating with one another—I only had that shit for three days as a rental, but I still talk about it today. 

One of the greatest things about all the video games we grew up with… is now being able to introduce them to our kids. Have you done so with your own son? 

CURREN$Y: Yeah, I definitely put my son onto Nintendo Entertainment System games like Super Mario Bros 2 and Coba Triangle! But sadly he’s so far down the PlayStation 5 rabbit hole, he finds it hard to play 8 or 16-bit Nintendo and Sega games! I am trying to re-play all my favourite games [as an adult]. Honestly, those times playing Ecco the Dolphin as a kid, well, they don’t feel very far removed from who I am as a person today. I feel like that was all just last week!

Finally, I wanted to talk about the funky music on those original Sonic the Hedgehog games. There’s rumours Michael Jackson secretly created the Sonic the Hedgehog 3’ score, while a lot of contemporary trap songs seem to be referencing the beats on those dazzling casino levels. Is it fair to say this music inspired your own sound? 

CURREN$Y: A lot of people don’t realise that Sonic The Hedgehog 2 helped me learn how to rap. I used to sit in the crib freestyling to the music on all the game’s different stages. Even now as an adult, if I am really nailing a verse and not fucking up and sitting right in the pocket of the beat, it’s mentally like I’m doing a speed run as Sonic through the 'Spring Hill Zone' level. I’ve got a 100 gold rings, my red shoes are sprinting, and the sparkling stars are behind me! By playing all of these games, you will understand my flow a whole lot better.