The Seattle Seahawks are one of the best teams in the NFL with some of the best defensive players in the league. One of their star players is All Pro middle linebacker Bobby Wagner.

After being drafted in round two at pick 47 by Seattle in 2012, Wagner, 25, has anchored his team's great NFL defense for the past four years. The Utah State alum became a star in 2014, when he and and fellow Seahawks stars, Marshawn Lynch -- who kicked off our Run This Town franchise -- cornerback Richard Sherman, quarterback Russell Wilson, safeties Earl Thomas and Kam Chancellor lead the team to a dominate 43-8 win over the Denver Broncos.

Since his rookie year, Wagner has been named to the Pro Bowl and All Pro teams twice, he's currently the all-time career leader for tackles in Super Bowls with 22 and has been named one of the captains of the Seahawks. He was rewarded in 2015, when he signed a four-year, $43 million contract extension. This guy is unstoppable.

So what gets Bobby Wagner fired up for games? None other than the fellow West Coast collective Top Dawg Entertainment. The football player is a big supporter of Kendrick Lamar, ScHoolboy Q, Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SZA and Isaiah Rashad. While on the phone with XXL, Wagner explains why the TDE team houses his go-to music, what goes down in the Seahawks' locker room and why Jay Z is such an important figure in music.

XXL: What do you listen to before games?

Bobby Wagner: I really like to listen to a lot of things but the majority is TDE. A lot of Kendrick, a lot of ScHoolboy, a lot of Jay Rock, Ab-Soul, SZA, Isaiah Rashad and a little Drake here and there but I like to listen to them mostly because it gets me going and gets my juices pumpin’ and it gets me excited for the game.

What did you think of untitled unmastered.?

I think it’s amazing, honestly. Especially the way it was released. Nobody knew about it, nobody seen it coming and it was just following up a really great album. So to follow up a great album with another great project, it’s pretty dope. Especially, it was put together for the fans, it was put together to show love to the fans that appreciate his music.

What are your favorite TDE projects to come out?

I love listening to [ScHoolboy's] Setbacks, it’s still one of my favorite albums. I like to listen to Kendrick’s good kid, m.A.A.d city and To Pimp a Butterfly. I got a couple of songs from DJs, Control System from Ab-Soul. But I really like listening to the songs when they’re all together as Black Hippy. They had put out a few songs that they’re all on it and it's kind of fun because it’s like all the people you like on one song.

Who has the best taste in music in the Seahawks’ locker room?

Beside myself, I would have to say, Mike B [Michael Bennett] has some good taste. Kam [Chancellor] has some good taste; Richard [Sherman] has some good taste. Richard likes a lot of the oldies that’s why I appreciate him. He likes a lot of the ‘90s.

Describe the music in the locker room at Utah State?

It was actually not as bad as people may thick. In Utah, people had their set of music that they listen to. A lot of Utah State when I was there, there was a lot of California guys. So, you get a lot of Cali music, you got a lot of dance music, I think the Jerk was popular back then. It was a lot of the music that you can dance to with your teammates. A lot of hip-hop, rap, R&B, it was really fun. It was live in there. Just ‘cause I feel like California people brought a little culture down there.

What did you grow up listening to?

I’m a huge fan of Jay Z. I listen to a lot of Nas, a lot of 2Pac. I like to listen to people that make me think. That throw subtle things that make you have to look up what they are talking about because sometime they may put something in there and it may be a one-liner but that one-liner could have a whole story behind it. I just feel like that ‘90s era was pretty special from all aspects. Whether it was hip-hop, R&B, it was a lot of music back then that everyone could relate to and listen to. If you were before or after the ‘90s, a lot of people still go back to that era.

Jay Z is great because he dropped so much game. What’s the best thing you learned from listening to Jay Z's music?

Looking at it holistically, the best advice I probably got was just listening to his story and how he was able to evolve. So whether he was selling drugs, he evolved into a rapper who evolved into a business man/entrepreneur who’s evolving now to trying to help the youth. I think his mission between not letting where you come from and what happened to you growing up affect how you are today, whether you come from the bottom or whatever, if you put your mind to something, you’ll definitely be able to succeed.

That’s the message I got from him listening to his music. A lot of time people doubted Jay Z or didn’t appreciate his music, through all that evolution I don’t see a lot of people saying anything about Jay Z today just because he was able to keep involving as a person, in my opinion.

Who has the worst taste in music in the Seahawks locker room?

I don’t know. I can’t put a worst on nobody with that.

You got the big contract this off-season, what’s a song that sums up you’re feeling when you signed the dotted line?

Dang [laughs], I don’t know. It will have to be something uplifting so if I had to say something it I would say Kirk Franklin's “Gonna Be a Lovely Day” because I kind of knew what was going to happen after I signed it. It was a dope day with me and my family. To be in a position to help my family out and change the trajectory of the Wagner family it’s a pretty dope feeling. I’m not done yet.

What songs best describe your playing style and why?

“Break Ya Neck” by Busta Rhymes will be in there because I’m trying to go out there and hit people.

What was the song that was played the most when y’all won the Super Bowl in 2014?

Rick Ross' “Hold Me Back,” that was the theme of that season. Especially on the defensive side, whenever we had a home game and it was pivotal point in the game the DJ will play that song and our defense would start jumpin’ up, dancing and I feel like it was kind of intimidating for the offense because here we are at this pivotal game where a lot of people are sweating, worried and don’t know what the album is going to be. And look at your opponent; the opponent is out there jumpin’ up and having fun.

What are you looking forward to coming out this year.

I’m looking forward to 2 Chainz's new album, I feel like he’s be working hard with that. I’m looking forward to Drake’s new album when it drops. It’s been a lot of good music out lately. Last year too, Meek Mill, Wale, Kendrick, Drake’s surprise project, I think it was a good time for hip-hop last year and I think Kendrick started off this year good.

If you were a rapper in a different life, what would be your rapper name and who would you resemble?

I’ll keep it simple and probably go with B Wag. If I wanted to throw all rappers together I would probably say I want to be a combination of Jay Z, Kendrick, 2Pac and ScHoolboy.

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