Ever wonder what athletes blast in their headphones to get hyped before big games?
Well, wonder no more thanks to a Facebook post by New England Patriots running back Stevan Ridley.
"Super Bowl Pre-Game Mix!!" Ridley wrote on his Facebook wall on Monday, accompanying a 12-track Spotify playlist. Ridley's New England Patriots face the New York Giants on Sunday in Super Bowl XLVI.
Ridley is active on Facebook and Twitter, frequently interacting with fans and posting reflective updates like, "Fake friends will never ask for food. Real friends are the reason you never have any…" But his Spotify playlist offered a unique window inside a professional athlete's life.
Now let's take a closer look at what gets an NFL gladiator pumped for the biggest game of his career.
The mix is all hip-hop. A decade-old song by Outkast — "So Fresh, So Clean" — is the one relative classic. It joins more recent tracks by artists including Rick Ross, Drake and Wale.
Up first is "You The Boss," in which Nicki Minaj repeatedly tells Ross that he is, in fact, the boss. Ross confirms that multiple times in the verses, at one point mentioning that he has 40 cars.
In the playlist's second song, Jay-Z offers that he "balls so hard mother****ers wanna fine me."
In the third song, "Legendary," Wale reveals that his "only fear is mediocrity" and that he's just "trying to be legendary."
It shouldn't be a surprise if you're sensing a theme of ambition and success here. Ridley's list is short on introspection and emotional tenderness. But would you listen to anything else if you were preparing to butt helmets with the Giants' fearsome defensive line?
You'd probably want to feel more like Kanye West when he asks rhetorically in the mix's eighth song, "Who gonna stop me? Who gonna stop me, huh?"
Ridley's Spotify playlist includes only edited versions of the songs. But we doubt that the censored tracks are what Ridley will actually be nodding his head to for a pre-Super Bowl lift.
Did you enjoy seeing what an NFL player listens to to get hyped up? What would you include on your pre-game playlist? Let us know in the comments.
BONUS GALLERY: Who to follow on Twitter for the Super Bowl XLVI scoop
The New York Giants are the "road" team in Indianapolis, and this is the franchise's official Twitter account.
The New England Patriots will be the "home" team on Super Bowl Sunday in Indy. Follow this official team account for the stream out of Foxborough.
Shalise Manza Young is the Patriots beat writer for the Boston Globe. Follow her for the day-to-day on what Bill Belichick is doing to try for a fourth Super Bowl ring with the Patriots.
Ian Rapoport also reports on the Patriots and NFL, but for the Boston Herald. Following both him and Young will give you a taste of what it's like to be a local Boston sports fan right now.
Ralph Vacchiano covers the Giants for the New York Daily News. Follow him for the latest on how Eli Manning and company are prepping for the Pats.
Garafolo is the Giants beat writer for New Jersey's Star-Ledger. Between him and Vacchiano, you should have every Giants angle covered.
Patriots receiver Branch was the Super Bowl MVP the last time the Patriots won it all, in 2005. He's also very active on Twitter, which is a bonus for fans seeking to add a human element to the game.
Battista covers the NFL for The New York Times. She's sure to churn out a couple nice features between now and Feb. 5, her deadline game-recaps are second to none, and she's also a good follow for real-time Twitter updates.
Schefter is ESPN's NFL Insider and his 1.2 million followers dwarf nearly everyone else in sports media and serve as a testament to his continuous steam of breaking news, opinions and scuttlebutt. He's sure to provide plenty of interesting nuggets from around the league leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.
Patriots receiver Welker puts up numbers; he's scored 10 touchdowns so far this year and has nearly 300,000 Twitter followers. His funny, off-the cuff tweets make him worth keeping up with.
Rosenthal writes about the NFL for NBCSports.com and, like Schefter, will provide a wealth of information from around the league as the NFL heads into its biggest weekend.
Tuck is a star defensive end for the Giants and will be key to harassing Tom Brady into mistakes and miscues on Super Bowl Sunday. On Twitter, he posts frequently and interacts well with fans.
Barnwell covers the NFL for Grantland.com, and he'll surely bring some good and detailed analysis to get fans -- with or without a specific rooting interest -- primed for Super Bowl XLVI.
Sports Illustrated's senior NFL writer is particularly good about responding to fan questions and comments on Twitter. See if he'll answer your Super Bowl queries!
The official account of the 2012 Indianapolis Super Bowl Host Committee is a must-follow for fans going to the game. It will function as one of several channels directing fans to entertainment venues and addressing logistical concerns from the committee's social meda command center.
The New York Giants are the "road" team in Indianapolis, and this is the franchise's official Twitter account.
The New England Patriots will be the "home" team on Super Bowl Sunday in Indy. Follow this official team account for the stream out of Foxborough.
Shalise Manza Young is the Patriots beat writer for the Boston Globe. Follow her for the day-to-day on what Bill Belichick is doing to try for a fourth Super Bowl ring with the Patriots.
Ian Rapoport also reports on the Patriots and NFL, but for the Boston Herald. Following both him and Young will give you a taste of what it's like to be a local Boston sports fan right now.
Ralph Vacchiano covers the Giants for the New York Daily News. Follow him for the latest on how Eli Manning and company are prepping for the Pats.
Garafolo is the Giants beat writer for New Jersey's Star-Ledger. Between him and Vacchiano, you should have every Giants angle covered.
Patriots receiver Branch was the Super Bowl MVP the last time the Patriots won it all, in 2005. He's also very active on Twitter, which is a bonus for fans seeking to add a human element to the game.
Battista covers the NFL for The New York Times. She's sure to churn out a couple nice features between now and Feb. 5, her deadline game-recaps are second to none, and she's also a good follow for real-time Twitter updates.
Schefter is ESPN's NFL Insider and his 1.2 million followers dwarf nearly everyone else in sports media and serve as a testament to his continuous steam of breaking news, opinions and scuttlebutt. He's sure to provide plenty of interesting nuggets from around the league leading up to Super Bowl Sunday.
Patriots receiver Welker puts up numbers; he's scored 10 touchdowns so far this year and has nearly 300,000 Twitter followers. His funny, off-the cuff tweets make him worth keeping up with.
Rosenthal writes about the NFL for NBCSports.com and, like Schefter, will provide a wealth of information from around the league as the NFL heads into its biggest weekend.
Tuck is a star defensive end for the Giants and will be key to harassing Tom Brady into mistakes and miscues on Super Bowl Sunday. On Twitter, he posts frequently and interacts well with fans.
Barnwell covers the NFL for Grantland.com, and he'll surely bring some good and detailed analysis to get fans -- with or without a specific rooting interest -- primed for Super Bowl XLVI.
Sports Illustrated's senior NFL writer is particularly good about responding to fan questions and comments on Twitter. See if he'll answer your Super Bowl queries!
Image courtesy of Stevan Ridley's Facebook profile
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