City Certified Syncs Authentic Regional Hip Hop for Productions

Every city has a sound. The Bay Area is known for its hyphy-inspired energy, Atlanta has shaped the global trap movement, and Los Angeles continues to define West Coast hip-hop. Now, these signature sounds are part of Universal Production Music’s City Albums project, created to capture the authentic sound of a region and make it sync-ready for professional use in film, TV, streaming, advertising, and live sports broadcasts.

We collaborate directly with local producers and artists, always keeping the sync needs of professional productions in mind. The result: music that reflects its community while delivering the precision, flexibility, and clearance that editors, supervisors, and creative teams require.

This vision came to life with Lowkey Wildin’, the Bay Area installment in the series. Created in partnership with NBA 2K, the album brought Bay Area rap into the NBA 2K25 Arcade soundtrack, aligning with the 2025 NBA All-Star Weekend in San Francisco. By tying regional authenticity to gaming and sports culture, it showed how City Albums can deliver fresh creative options for professional productions.

Inside the City Albums

With Lowkey Wildin’ setting the stage, the City Certified album series continues to expand. Each release captures the identity of a different region, giving production teams a widening array of authentic sounds that can instantly ground a story in culture and community.

Lowkey Wildin’: Bay Area Rap

Hyphy energy meets modern rap swagger. The lineup includes some of the Bay Area’s most recognizable voices, such as Nef the Pharaoh, best known for the breakout single “Big Tymin’.” RexxLife Raj is a Berkeley artist praised for blending introspective lyricism with soulful melodies, while Clyde Carson adds the perspective of a West Coast mainstay with deep ties to the hyphy movement.

Also featuring rising talent like Miles Minnick and Vuitton Juan, this album has already proven its sync power through NBA 2K25 Arcade and NBA highlight reels, where its kinetic bounce underscores fast-break energy. Listen to the album below.

Sync Highlights

• Dallas Cowboys — “Dubs in the Chat” (Aug 2025)
  Track: “Max Out” from The LAnd: Los Angeles Hip Hop
  In this hype reel built for engagement, the Cowboys cue fans to drop “W”s in the comments while celebrating preseason victory on the field and stoking opening-week energy.
  
  
• 49ers × Levi’s (Aug 2025)
  Track: “Plead the Fifth” from The LAnd: Los Angeles Hip Hop
  This hype reel showcases 49ers players in slow motion as they enter the stadium one by one on game day, evoking gladiators stepping into the arena. The track helps stoke anticipation and the “back to football” atmosphere.
  
  
• Sony × Houston Texans (Aug 2025)
  Track: “Lowkey Wildin’” from Lowkey Wildin’: Bay Area Rap
  A fast, punchy reel with footage of the Texans’ Kamari Lassiter listening to music on Sony headphones and loving the experience, weighing in with: “these joints too fly.”

 

The Value of Authentic Regional Sound

Professional productions depend on music that carries cultural weight. A basketball promo cut to ATL trap instantly connects with fans who know the sound as part of the game’s identity. A West Coast spot driven by G-funk roots the story in place before an image appears on screen.

They  were developed in direct response to a growing demand across the sync industry for authentic regional music. For years, production libraries have offered broad genre coverage, but there’s been a gap when it comes to tracks that reflect the nuance and identity of specific cities. By collaborating directly with local artists and producers, these albums deliver the cultural detail that professional productions need to feel relevant and memorable.

Smart Sync Tools for Faster Workflows

Universal Production Music makes it easy to work with our entire sync catalog, including our city-inspired albums:

• Stem Tracks – Each city album includes downloadable stems, so editors can strip vocals, isolate percussion, or reshape a beat to fit their cut. The sound stays authentic while the workflow stays flexible.

• Music Direction Services – Our in-house personal catalog search experts know every corner of the 230,000+ track library. With decades of combined experience, they can quickly deliver personalized playlists drawn from the City Certified albums or the broader catalog—especially helpful if you’re working with a fast-approaching deadline.

Licensing That Works Everywhere

Regional sounds may be rooted locally, but productions are global. That’s why every track from the City Certified albums series comes with flexible licensing options covering broadcast, streaming, theatrical, and digital formats. Whether you’re cutting a single spot or building a full campaign, using our licensed production music keeps your project fully protected across territories.

City Certified: Local Sounds, Global Syncs

The City Certified album series is about representing regional culture through collaboration, working with local voices to create music that reflects its origins, and then making that music available for syncs that reach audiences worldwide. For professionals looking to build soundtracks that resonate with both place and purpose, this series offers a new level of creative specificity.