Yes, this is real. No, this is not a joke. HBO in their infinite wisdom has decided to take promotion to a new level. Along with releasing a trailer for the fourth season of its hit show “Game of Thrones,” HBO has decided to drop a mixtape featuring big name rappers to turn antipication for this upcoming season into a multisensory experience.

There’s not much to look into on the mixtape as far is lyrical content is concerned. One interesting track, “The Parallel,” by Dee Goodz, makes some interesting juxtapositions of the violence on the show to his life experiences, but other than this, there’s not too much in which there’s room for criticism.

To clarify the above statement, the material is amazing for both fans and nonfans of “Game of Thrones” alike. Featuring an eclectic array of artists from legend Big Boi to Latino hip-hop heavy-hitter Daddy Yankee, “Catch the Throne” combines the fandoms of hip-hop and television, but at the end of the day delivers dope tracks that are pleasing to the ear rather than the eye.

For people who are specifically fans of the show, this mixtape is amazing. Nothing reaffirms a fan’s dedication to a program like hearing Big Boi intertwining his dope lyricism with rhymes about Khaleesi breathing fire, or hearing the show’s opening credits music play along following a dope Wale track.

This mixtape might have a little more to offer the show’s fans, but it’s still a delightful treat for hip-hop heads anywhere. Plus, it’s awesome to say that listening to a mixtape about a show was how you got into it; so even if you haven’t watched “Game of Thrones” before, maybe “Catch the Throne” will be the hook, line and sinker.