What is hiding behind the scenes of the collaboration between Riot and Lil Nas X?
In a series of hilarious comic performances on September 15, Lil Nas X assumed collaboration with Riot Games and the League of Legends community as their self-elected “president.” Nas had everyone on the set cracking up while filming the three sketches at Riot’s corporate offices as part of the fictitious takeover. The international pop star would ride his bike over to the LCS studios whenever there was a break in recording these sketches and get so absorbed in the games that Riot’s producers had to yank him back to the set to start filming again.
However, his made-up presidency and regular bike rides were just the starts of a partnership that would go even further on both sides.
Nas was devoted to this relationship from the start, and the two companies’ combination ultimately produced the first World Championship pop anthem “STAR WALKIN’,” a premium skin for League’s newest champion, and an opening ceremony in which Nas would reign supreme. According to Bob DeBelina, artist and creative partnerships manager at Riot Games Music, he channeled his enthusiasm for the game into an uncompromising heads-down approach in the studio by going “above and beyond.”
Throughout the collaborative process, especially during crucial periods, Nas’ fastidious mentality was evident. During one of the initial meetings between the parties concerned, the air conditioning in the artist’s room broke down. Nas began asking questions about K’Sante, the champion whose skin he helped design, and his mythology even though his team was trying to cut the call short to prevent “melting,” according to DeBelina. And when it came time to record “STAR WALKIN’,” Nas worked on the song in the studio virtually every day, which is remarkable given the artist’s hectic schedule.
Even yet, his group remained steadfast in its resolve to assist Riot in finding enough days in Nas’ schedule for the collaboration.
DeBelina emphasized how the actual steps of the collaboration, including countless meetings, were made possible by the “shared belief in the vision” between Riot, Columbia Records, and Rebel, Nas’ management team. “We needed to coordinate a massive cross-team effort inside of Riot to ensure we could fully support each moment of the campaign,” DeBelina said.
Riot was “extremely delighted” to collaborate with Lil Nas X, a prominent pop star. The 2022 World Championship was the ideal opportunity for the developer to work with the artist on one of its projects, which it had been actively looking for since 2019.
The international competition’s theme this year is “One & Only,” and Riot wanted an artist who functioned on a “single and elite level,” comparable to the players on stage, to better complement the novelty of the event. This distinguishing quality is also brought to life by the song’s genre; historically, Riot has tended to choose alternative ballads or anthems with an electronic influence rather than pop ones.
The World Championship anthem must reflect the mood of the competition, which Riot characterized as “inspirational, aspirational, and bold,” regardless of the genre of the song, the lyrics, or the artist participating.
The 2022 Worlds anthem, however, did not, in the opinion of the general people, succeed in achieving this purpose. Leading League figures shared the opinion that the song was “all build up and no peak,” to use the words of LEC caster Aaron “Medic” Chamberlain. The inevitable anthem comparison occurs every year, so Riot was not surprised by the response this year.
The song’s debut did not put an end to Riot and Nas’ cooperation. In actuality, it won’t fully mature until the live collaboration performance at the opening ceremony of the 2022 World Championship final on November 5 in San Francisco.
While the performance is still shrouded in secrecy, it’s safe to assume League fans may anticipate Riot and Nas to surpass their previous performance’s standards.