Children of the ‘80s tend to carry a torch for classic game systems, even those of us (like me) who didn’t play. Just because I never got past the first level in Super Mario Brothers doesn’t mean I don’t have fond memories of watching friends play or hearing the MIDI music emanate from my brother’s Game Boy. If you’re a fan of both classic games and rap, then Team Teamwork has an album for you.

Super Nintendo Sega Genesis is no misnomer for a mash-up album that combines rap with the music from classic game titles. Like many a mash-up, the musical features are mainly from the originals, which, for the most part, run unaltered. Team Teamwork’s contribution is the layering of the game themes behind the rap, and initially this seems like not so much work. This is all Kanye West, one is inclined to think. That’s until you catch a strain of Mortal Kombat running almost imperceptibly behind West’s lyrics. The subtlety of the mash-ups speaks to Team Teamwork’s talent; it takes a careful hand to mix like this.

Highlights include the West mash-up, “Touch the Sky (Mortal Kombat)”, and Ludacris’s “Roll Out (Street Fighter 2)”. The latter is fun simply because of the iconic nature of the original; whether or not you’ve ever played Street Fighter, the resulting combination is awfully delightful. Lupe Fiasco’s “I Gotcha (Sonic 3)” has the ultimate classic video game sound, which lightens the original considerably.  The theme from Zelda title A Link to the Past lends an even more ominous air to Bonecrusher, Killer Mike, and T.I.’s track “Never Scared”.

Overall, this album is an amicable listen. It makes rap more palatable to non-rap fans and will gratify anyone with a dusty Nintendo in their closet. If you’re a fan of both mash-ups and classic video games, then you should enjoy Team Teamwork’s efforts.