The art of the pre-game playlist

You could argue that having a fire pre-game playlist is one of the most important parts of a football game.

The music puts you in the right mindset, the right mood and the right attitude to make sure you’re game-ready by the opening kick off.

Maybe it’s slow jams like Toronto Argonauts Anthony Coombs or perhaps something more like Celine Dion like Ottawa REDBLACKS Antoine Pruneau. Or maybe it’s a song that your dad used to listen to in high school and passed along to you like Calgary Stampeders Alex Singleton.

Whatever the songs are, the playlist you listen to before the game is important.

Unless you’re Argos kicker Lirim Hajrullahu. Then you don’t listen to any music before a game and every thing I just said can be thrown out the window.

Over the last few months, I’ve talked to quite a few stars around the league and asked them what they listen to before the hit the field. Maybe make a playlist with each of these guys suggestions and you’ll be able to tackle (pun intended) anything and everything in the best way possible?

I wonder what Manny is listening to…

Henoc Muamba
Saskatchewan Roughriders

It depends on the day. I’m a little different than a lot of people because a lot of people like to get hyped up but I don’t need anything to hype me up on game day. I’d rather use music to calm me down. I’m always there in the warm up super excited and I’m trying to tame and control my energy and keep it low. I like to listen to some classical music. I go on my Spotify and I go into my classical playlist and I like to different things, (like) Beethoven. It slows me down, it calms me down a little bit. I have the odd day where I’m listening to some music that will hype me up. I got some Migos out there, I’ve got some Drake, Future. Lecrae and Bizzle are one of my favourites who are Christian rappers.

Bo Levi Mitchell
Calgary Stampeders

Chance the Rapper, Chris Stapleton. It’s really those two and any kind of rap whether it’s Drake or Future or any body like that. It’s just something to get the energy going.

Odell Willis
Edmonton Eskimos

Future and Beyonce. All of the Future and all of the Beyonce songs. I listen to Future when I wake up and Beyonce right before the game.

Antoine Pruneau
Ottawa REDBLACKS

Mostly french songs.. Celine Dion. She has a couple songs that can pump you up.

Lirim Hajrullahu
Toronto Argonauts

I don’t. I recently haven’t put on any playlist. I just want to focus on the game and not worry about external stuff. I just to before but not anymore.

Diontae Spencer
Ottawa REDBLACKS

I like Drake, he’s one of my favourite artists. Lil Wayne. I listen to basically everything and everything that’s hot at the time like Kendrick Lamar, J Cole.

Adrian Tracy
Hamilton Tiger-Cats

To be honest, right now, I’ve been listening to a lot of motivational speaking so I haven’t been listening to music. Last year I was on mixtapes I had Ace Hood’s mixtape, Starvation 5. I was listening to Chance the Rapper’s Colouring Book. Sometimes if we’re out anywhere, whether it’ll be on the radio or in a restaurant and I hear a song I like, I Shazam it. I’m literally the guy in the restaurant that stands by the closest speaker with his phone in the air so you get the best reception and the best sound. I’ll get that song and then I’ll just go through Shazam and whatever song it is that I Shazamed I’ll play. Sometimes I have no clue what the title is or who the artist but it was just in that moment the vibe touched me and I need to have that song. I just listen to everything. I listen to country, I listen to rock, I listen to jazz, classical, R&B, hip hop, you name it, I listen to it.

Alex Singleton
Calgary Stampeders

Bungle in the Jungle by Jethro Tull. It’s the last song I listen to before I got out on the field. I’ve been doing that since I was like, seven, because my dad used to play it for us because that’s what he said he listened to in high school. (I listen to) everything. I’m a full genre kind of guy from rap to classic rock.

Shamawd Chambers
Edmonton Eskimos

Obviously Drake, coming from Toronto. Pretty much any music coming out of Toronto. Future. A little bit of Chris Stapleton, he’s a country singer. He used to write a lot of music for people and he’s went into his solo career. He’s awesome. I have a variety of music I listen to, I try not to just keep it urban. I want to hear different things, different sounds. I’m not really a hype guy during game day anyways. I like to be leveled out so I can listen to something that’s actually good.

CJ Gable
Hamilton Tiger-Cats

I like to listen to a lot of Eminem before games.

Kevin Glenn
Saskatchewan Roughriders

It changes up. I go a little bit everywhere. I do a little bit of rock and roll, R&B, rap, hip hop, gospel. I don’t really have anything specific. It’s just basically whatever’s current I usually just listen to.

Anthony Coombs
Toronto Argonauts

There’s the usual like J-Cole but I also like the slow jams. Stuff like Boyz II Men or even Justin Bieber.

Adarius Bowman
Edmonton Eskimos

Sail by AWOLNATION. That’s my jam! It holds true to me when I play football. (He sang a part of the song for me to get me in the same groove. It was pretty great.)

Derek Dennis
Saskatchewan Roughriders

Kodak Black. Young Jeezy. Jay Z. I listen to older East Coast rap like Biggie, Jay Z, stuff like that. Just to put me in a certain mind frame. Being a New Yorker it’s just one of those things that gets me gassed up before a game.

Taylor Loffler
Winnipeg Blue Bombers

A lot of country music. I like Blake Shelton and Eric Church.