Playback FM

Updated 2 November 2026 · Fan site. Not affiliated with Rockstar Games or Take-Two Interactive.

Playback FM is the classic hip hop station in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (2004). It focuses on East Coast rap from the late 1980s and early 1990s, the so-called golden age. Chuck D of Public Enemy plays its host, Forth Right MC, and its twelve songs include tracks by Big Daddy Kane, Eric B. & Rakim and Slick Rick.

What is Playback FM?

Playback FM is one of two rap stations in Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas. Its partner, Radio Los Santos, plays the West Coast gangsta rap that was current in the game's 1992 setting. Playback FM looks back a few years and to the other coast, playing the New York-centred records of roughly 1987 to 1992 that many fans call hip hop's golden age.

See the GTA radio stations hub for how it fits into the full line-up.

Who is the DJ on Playback FM?

The host is Forth Right MC, a loud, opinionated old-school rapper who treats the station as a lesson in what real hip hop sounds like. According to the GTA Wiki, he is voiced by Chuck D, the frontman of Public Enemy. Wikipedia names Chuck D among the real musicians who served as DJs in the game, alongside figures such as Axl Rose and George Clinton. Public Enemy's own "Rebel Without a Pause" is on the playlist, so Chuck D ends up introducing his group's record.

The GTA Wiki notes that the character is presented as a rambling talker whose callers do not always appreciate his style, which is part of the joke.

Which songs are on Playback FM?

The GTA Wiki lists twelve tracks released between 1987 and 1992. A selection:

Which gang listens to Playback FM?

Cars and characters in San Andreas each favour a station. According to the GTA Wiki, Playback FM is the favourite of the Varrios Los Aztecas, the Latino gang that appears alongside Cesar Vialpando's story. The Grove Street Families lean towards Radio Los Santos instead.

Are there links to other Rockstar games?

A few. The GTA Wiki notes that "Rebel Without a Pause" and "I Know You Got Soul" also feature in Thrasher Presents Skate and Destroy, another Rockstar-published game. Gang Starr's "B.Y.S." connects to two later GTA figures: DJ Premier went on to host The Classics 104.1 in GTA IV, and Guru had voiced 8-Ball in GTA III.

Did Playback FM lose songs in later releases?

Yes, one. The GTA Wiki records a single track missing from the mobile, PS2 Classics, Rockstar Games Launcher, Xbox One and Series and Definitive Edition releases, part of the wider loss of licensed songs described on our hub page. Original disc copies keep the full list.

How was the soundtrack received?

Wikipedia does not single out Playback FM, but the San Andreas soundtrack won several awards, including a Golden Joystick, a D.I.C.E. award and a Spike award for best soundtrack.