Beats by Dre

When the music hits, so does the focus

Beats had always been about music and performance. Athletes wear them before games. Musicians wear them in the studio. But we wanted to go deeper. To show what that moment actually feels like. When you put the headphones on, the world goes quiet, and the only thing left is you and the sound that gets you ready.

The insight was about ritual. Every athlete has one. A song. A routine. A way of flipping the switch before the lights come on. For Draymond Green and the Golden State Warriors, that ritual was rooted in The Bay. The culture. The energy. The music that runs through Oakland. If we could capture that, we could show what Beats really means to the athletes who depend on them.

We launched a film featuring Draymond preparing for the NBA Western Conference Finals. It opens on the Golden Gate Bridge, then shifts as he puts on his Beats and plays E-40’s hyphy anthem “Tell Me When to Go.” The visuals go black and white, recreating the iconic music video. E-40 makes a cameo. So do Shaun Livingston, Ian Clark, Brandon Rush, and Oakland legends Gary Payton and Brian Shaw. It’s a love letter to The Bay, wrapped in a story about focus and preparation.

Over 6 million views in the first week. Fans and athletes sharing their own pre-game rituals. E-40’s classic got a whole new moment. And Beats reinforced what it’s always stood for: the music that helps you lock in when everything’s on the line.