In Grand Theft Auto 2, each area features five radio stations from a pool of eleven, in which one of them would be played as the player drives most vehicles in game. Unlike the previous game (GTA London 1969), in this edition Rockstar returns to use mostly original songs, like in GTA 1.
Notably, this was the first game in the series where commercials were introduced in radio stations, a feature that would be repeated in subsequent games. Commercials for fictional products, using recognizable tropes and clichés used in real life commercials, are advertised in humorous ways in the game. DJ talk was greatly improved and now more humorous chats by them are introduced, in previous games the radio stations featured little to no commentary by DJs. For the first time, all DJs are named. Also, each gang has its own radio station that transmits within a limited area.
Changing radio stations for preference was possible in the PC version by using the "F1" function key, and in the Playstation version by pressing the "up" directional button.
The radio stations that the player can listen in GTA 2 are as follows:
- Head Radio: Phanny Joe Styles plays Dance and Pop, Johnny Riccaro plays Rock and Funk
- Rockstar Radio: Rock, Funk
- KREZ: Hip Hop, Gangsta Rap
- Lo-Fi FM: Funk, Classic Soul and Classic Rock
- Futuro FM: Funk, Dance and Rock
- Funami FM: Drum and Bass, Techno
- Lithium FM: random array, includes Techno, Classic Soul, Dance, and Christian Pop
- King 130.7: Hard Rock
- Osmosis FM: Dance, Pop
- Heavenly Radio: Christian Pop
- KGBH: Classic Rock, Techno
Radio Stations
- For the original songs the year of release is that of GTA 2: 1999.
- Authors of the original songs, at the side, in superscript.
- 1 - This is a licensed song.
Head Radio
Head Radio has 2 alternating DJs: Phanny Joe Styles and Johnny Riccaro. Depending on which DJ is on charge, the station changes its format: with Phanny Joe Styles it plays pop and dance, while with Johnny Riccaro it plays rock and funk. It is the city's largest commercial radio station and can be received in all areas of the game. It is also the longest sound file of all the radio stations: 24 minutes as opposed to the regular 12 minutes. The frequency of this station ranges from 69 to 89 FM, according to a station ID.
Songs with Phanny Joe Styles:
- Apostles of Funk - "Yellow Butter" (S. Ross)
- Pussywillows - "Real Love" (C. Conner)
- Davidson - "All I Wanna Do" (1999) 1
- The One - "Southpark" (C. Conner)
Songs with Johnny Riccaro:
- Bula Matari - "Taxi Drivers" (1996) 1
- Flytronix - "Pendulum" (1998) 1
- Anna - "Do It On Your Own" (C. Conner)
- Testing - "My Tiny World" (C. Conner)
The song "Taxi Drivers" was censored in the PlayStation version of the game - some lyrics were interrupted by the sounds of horns.
Rockstar Radio
Rockstar Radio is hosted by Sammy Starock and plays rock and pop. It broadcasts from the Downtown District. According to Sammy Starock, people regularly send letter bombs to the station.
- Stikki Fingerz - "Holdin' It Out For You" (C. Anderson, P. Mackie)
- Conor & Jay - "Vegas Road" (J. Wemyss, C. Conner)
- Track 7 - "I Wanna Phunk" (1999) 1
KREZ
KREZ is hosted by Richie T and plays hip hop, rap and jazzstep. It broadcasts from the Residential District.
- Negro Vs. Conner - "Showin' Me Love" (C. Conner, R. De Negro)
- E=MC Good Times - "Jacking In Hilltown" (P. Scargill, R. De Negro)
- Flytronix - "Past Archives" (1998) 1
- Numb - "How It's Done" (S. Ross)
Lo-Fi FM
Lo-Fi FM is hosted by DJ Dai and plays classic funk, classic soul and classic rock. It broadcasts from the Industrial District. DJ Dai is Welsh and seems to have no ties to gangs in the area.
- Stylus Exodus - "Toucan Pie" (C. Anderson)
- Bert Reid's Guitar Trio - "A Cool Day In Downtown" (C. Anderson)
- Tammy Boness & The Swingin' Mammaries - "The Diner" (J. Wemyss, C. Conner)
- Cow Tastes Good - "Surf City" (C. Anderson)
Futuro FM
Futuro FM is hosted by Dean Frantz and plays dance, jazz-oriented pop and funk. It broadcasts from the Downtown District and can be received in all three areas. It is sponsored by the Zaibatsu corporation and filled with promotions for their products.
- Reed - "L.E.D." (S. Ross)
- Davidson - "All I Wanna Do" (1999) 1
- Spangly Feet - "Dazed & Confuzed" (S. Ross)
- Stylus Exodus - "Toucan Pie" (C. Anderson)
Funami FM
Funami FM is hosted by Teriyaki-chan and plays acid electronic music similiar to drum and bass. It broadcasts from the Downtown District and is the station most favored by the Yakuza gang. Teriyaki-chan is a frantically screaming Japanese girl (with a varied high-pitch voice) whose speech is unintelligible and in Japanese (apart from a few phrases in English). The imaging voice of the station is that of a man that speaks English with a Japanese accent.
- Toys Are Real - "Flymutha" (P. Scargill)
- Future Loop - "Garage Acid" (P. Scargill)
- 4 How Much 4 - "O2N" (C. Conner)
- Ido - "Ball Blaster" (S. Ross)
Lithium FM
Lithium FM is hosted by Spaz Funbags, and plays random music, including electronic rock, classic soul, techno and christian pop. It broadcasts from the Downtown District and is the station most favored by the Loonies gang. Spaz Funbags, like the Loonies, seems to be schizophrenic.
- Tsunami - "F.A.G. Filter" (S. Ross)
- Tammy Boness & The Swingin' Mammaries - "The Diner" (J. Wemyss, C. Conner)
- Voice Box - "Computer Lust" (S. Ross)
- Rev. Rooney & The Rocksta Choir - "God Bless All The Universe" (C. Conner)
King 130.7
King 130.7 is hosted by Marshall Nash, and plays punk, hard rock and pop. It broadcasts from the Residential District and is the station most favored by the Redneck gang. Marshall Nash has a Southern accent and posts announcements of escaped convicts who have bounties posted on their heads.
- Bula Matari - "Taxi Drivers" (1996) 1
- Testing - "My Tiny World" (C. Conner)
- Stikki Fingerz - "Holdin' It Out For You" (C. Anderson, P. Mackie)
- Sterlin - "Standing On My Own" (C. Conner)
Osmosis FM
Osmosis FM is hosted by DJ Mama Doc and plays dance-pop and electro-pop music. It broadcasts from the Residential District and is the station most favored by the Scientists gang. Mama Doc, like the Scientists, is either Icelandic or Scandinavian.
- Davidson - "All I Wanna Do" (1999) 1
- Pussywillows - "Real Love" (C. Conner)
- Anna - "Do It On Your Own" (C. Conner)
- Track 7 - "I Wanna Phunk" (1999) 1
Heavenly Radio
Heavenly Radio is hosted by Venus Ordelia and plays christian pop and soft pop. It broadcasts from the Industrial District and is the station most favored by the Krishnas gang. Listeners are continuously urged by Venus Ordelia to convert.
- Rev. Rooney & The Rocksta Choir - "God Bless All The Universe" (C. Conner)
- Sterlin - "Standing On My Own" (C. Conner)
- Zoneboys - "Amazing Grace" (C. Conner)
KGBH
KGBH is hosted by DJ Bomba Tomba and Prodo, and plays classic rock and techno. It is a pirate radio that broadcasts from the Industrial District, and is the station most favored by the Russian Mafia. The name "KGBH" is a portmanteau of the Soviet KGB and grievous bodily harm (GBH). DJ Bomba Tomba and Prodo frequently encounter both technical and personal problems that interfere with their broadcasts, as they broadcast via a tape machine.
- Cow Tastes Good - "Surf City" (C. Anderson)
- Spangly Feet - "Dazed & Confused" (S. Ross)
- Tsunami - "F.A.G. Filter" (S. Ross)
Miscellaneous tracks
Opening track
This song is played only in the opening video of GTA 2, and is not included in any of the in-game radios.
- DJ Rap & Aston - "Rhythm" (1994)
Menu track
This song is played continuously in the selection menus. It is not played in any radio station in-game.
- E-Z Rollers - "Short Change" (1998)
Credits track
This song is played during the credits. It is heard once during a promo but it is not played completely in any of the radio stations. However, it is used in a jingle at Osmosis FM.
- Scrapyard Mongrels - "I Love This Feeling (Stoned Again)" (P. Scargill, A. Steenkamp)
GTA 2: The Movie soundtrack
The soundtrack solely originates from the Moving Shadow label, which means it's completely Drum and Bass. The songs are never heard on any radio station (except for "Past Archives").
- Successful Criminals - "Music Madness" (1998)
- Inter Orbit Communication - "Short Wave Café" (1998)
- Dom & Roland - "Thunder" (1998)
- JMJ and Richie - "The Score" (1998)
- Flytronix - "Air Surf" (1998)
- PFM - "Cruising Detroit '98" (1998)
- Flytronix - "Past Archives" (1998)
- E-Z Rollers - "Short Change" (1998)
Removed content
There was content for the radio stations that was removed from the final version of the game.
- Ridiculous FM - a progressive rock radio with a single song that would have lasted 20 minutes.
- Rev. Rooney & The Rocksta Choir's "God Bless All The Universe" was going to have more profanity.
Commercials
Commercials in GTA 2 were a milestone in the Grand Theft Auto series, the game introduced commercials as part of the general upgrade of the game's radios. Using double entendres, tongue-in-cheek remarks, adult humor and marketing techniques used in real life commercials, these commercials for fictional products are heard in-between songs.
Some products advertized are "Flipper Dolphin" (a fishing product used to fish dolphins, encouraging the users to throw away unwanted catches like little tunas), "Super Lead Gasoline" (a rocket fuel that isn't safe for the environment but tastes delicious) and "Credex Gold" (a credit card for when you run in debts while betting, and "the premier choice of lounge lizards and game developers all around the world").
Trivia
- The number of new songs in this soundtrack is 30.
- There are 15 songs repeating from another radio (for example, Davidson's "All I Wanna Do" is heard in 3 different radios), so in total the radio soundtrack presents 45 songs.
- There are only 5 licensed songs.
- GTA 2 was the first game in the GTA series where commercials were introduced in the radio stations, advertizing fictional products or services in humorous ways. This is a feature that would become recurrent in the series.
- Vastly improved DJs talk, previous radio stations featured little to no commentary by DJs.
- For the first time in the game series, all DJs have names.
- Depending on the area where the player is at the moment, some radios are available while others aren't. This kind of feature wouldn't return until GTA V.
- Two fictional bands make a reprise from GTA 1: Stylus Exodus ("Pootang Shebang", "Toucan Pie") and Stikki Fingerz ("4 Letter Love", "Holdin' It Out For You).
- Each gang in the game owns a radio station.
- Although the player destroys the Futuro FM building during the mission Radio Za-Za!, the station still continues playing afterwards.
- The game uses a generic police radio track used in countless films, series and games ("5 George K, number 30 Broad street" is said in the track). This police track was used too in GTA 1 and GTA III.
- In Osmosis FM, after the "Endurodom" commercial, during DJ Mama Doc's speech it plays Scrapyard Mongrels' "I Love This Feeling (Stoned Again)", the credits theme.
- The radio of GTA Advance is made of instrumental versions of Slumpussy's "This Life" from GTA 1 and the following songs from GTA 2:
- E=MC Good Times - "Jacking In Hilltown"
- Reed - "L.E.D."
- Apostles of Funk - "Yellow Butter"
- Toys Are Real - "Flymutha"
- The One - "Southpark"
- Numb - "How It's Done"
- Voice Box - "Computer Lust"
See Also
- Radio Stations in GTA 1
- Radio Stations in GTA London
- Radio Stations in GTA III
- Radio Stations in GTA Vice City
- Radio Stations in GTA San Andreas
- Radio Stations in GTA Liberty City Stories
- Radio Stations in GTA Vice City Stories
- Radio Stations in GTA IV
- Radio Stations in GTA Chinatown Wars
- Radio Stations in GTA V
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