Rockstar Games appears to be kicking off the hype for the Grand Theft Auto VI soundtrack, as artists including Travis Scott, Future, Morgan Wallen, Metro Boomin, and Yung Lean have recently shared partial images on social media, seemingly from a single large piece of Grand Theft Auto VI artwork.
Travis Scott shared an image of a woman's feet in high heels, while Morgan Wallen posted a pool ladder. Future's uploaded image directly featured a sports car with a "Leonida" license plate, almost confirming the content is indeed related to Grand Theft Auto VI.
Metro Boomin and Yung Lean also shared similar images, while Ca7riel & Paco Amoroso and Fred Again, among others, posted yacht scenes. This has led to speculation that artists sharing these images might collaborate on songs within the game.
It's currently unclear if these artists will merely have their songs featured, or if they will further serve as radio hosts or even appear as in-game characters. Rockstar has previously featured real-life musicians like Dr. Dre and Phil Collins directly in their games, so there is precedent.
Interestingly, as Grand Theft Auto VI begins to build anticipation for its new soundtrack, Grand Theft Auto V appears to be facing issues with expiring music licenses for older tracks. Data miner Tex discovered that Moloko's "The Time Is Now" was removed from a recent update to the enhanced version of Grand Theft Auto V, and it is widely speculated that this is due to licensing expiration.
Grand Theft Auto V is approaching its 13th anniversary, and if these speculations are true, it's possible more songs will disappear in the future. Meanwhile, Rockstar must also acquire a significant amount of new music licenses for Grand Theft Auto VI, as the musical landscape for both the old and new generations of the series appears to be officially transitioning.