In 2003, Aerosmith’s Steven Tyler and Joe Perry teamed up with hip-hop legends Chuck D, Flavor Flav, Phife Dawg, and MC Lyte for an unlikely collaboration titled “Let’s Get Loud”, the official anthem for ESPN’s annual ESPY Awards. The track was credited to The Spitballers, a one-off supergroup that merged classic rock energy with rap bravado under the creative direction of Chuck D.
The song was produced by Gary G-Wiz and Anansi K. Smith, with Jack Douglas—a longtime Aerosmith collaborator—adding additional production alongside Tyler and Perry. Both Aerosmith members recorded their parts between The Boneyard and Bryer Patch studios, with engineering support from Paul Caruso and Paul Santo. Tyler’s instantly recognisable shout, “C’mon everybody get up, get loud, get loud!”, punctuates the chorus, while Perry drives the groove with a bluesy lead riff in D that fuses perfectly with the hip-hop beat.
The release featured multiple remixes and versions, from the Main Mix and Instrumental takes to club-ready reinterpretations by Hardgroove, The Moleman, and Panic Merchants. Though the song was only released as a promotional CD to key stakeholders (and remains mostly unreleased in studio quality), it stood out as one of the more unconventional crossover moments of the early 2000s, bridging ESPN’s sports culture with the combined worlds of rock and rap.
A music video directed by Neil Mandt premiered on ESPN during the 2003 ESPY Awards broadcast on July 16, 2003. The clip showed Steven Tyler and Joe Perry performing outdoors—on motorcycles, a makeshift driveway stage, and by the beach—intercut with energetic ESPN sports footage.
While Aerosmith’s contribution to “Let’s Get Loud” was brief, it added a raw and recognisable edge to an otherwise hip-hop-centric production, marking a fascinating and rarely revisited footnote in the band’s long history of cross-genre collaborations.
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