GTA V: Musically inclined

♫ Like a sound you hearThat lingers in your earBut you can't forgetFrom sundown to sunset
It's all in the airYou hear it everywhereNo matter what you doIt's gonna grab a hold on you
California soul, California soul ♫

There's an argument that the best thing about the Grand Theft Auto Series is the music. The game has historically had a great soundtrack and the most recent iteration of the game is no different. The music in Grand Theft Auto is amazing, as usual, spanning genres and decades to make wonderful soundtracks.

The newest Grand Theft Auto game takes place in Los Santos, a fictionalized version of modern day California. As usual, the soundtrack puts you in the mood by using some songs of the decade. San Andreas, the last GTA game to take place in this setting, used Radio Los Santos for their modern music. However, "modern" for that game was the music of the early 1990's. Radio Los Santos now plays Kendrick Lamar and other modern day West Coast rappers. 

My favorite station has been "The Lowdown 91.1" a station that plays classic soul and disco. A lot of the time I spend in game is time that I spend drifting from one place to another, or driving around enjoying the scenery. Having Smokey Robinson playing in the background makes everything in game better. Double for hearing "California Soul". The actress, Pam Grier is the host for that station, because who else represents that era better.

For the times that I miss the old Radio Los Santos, there's a station for West Coast Classics, a nod to the N.W.A. west coast gangsta rap era, hosted by DJ Pooh. That station features songs from the era that you would expect, including the haunting Streiht Up Menace and a surprising feature of Mind Playing Tricks on Me, which I wouldn't expect on a West Coast classics station. 

For all out the things that make the game realistic, the larger variety of music is the most important effect. The music here sets the mood and enhances it.  Sometimes, it serves as humorous backdrop and often, it helps tell the story of a mission.  No matter what the specific effect ends up being, the music is to notch.