The Game - LAX

The Game

In a market saturated with a new genre of ringtone rappers and with the South undeniably getting their money, The Game is one of the few West Coast rappers still consistently getting commercial playback. Of course, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and the Outlawz are still around, but the majority of hip-hop’s new generation of fans aren’t really listening out for any of these rap OGs.

California has one of hip-hop’s richest histories, largely fuelled by the socio-economic problems that exist in the area – rap being the voice, The Game being the twenty-first century spokesperson. Over 40 years after the Watts riots and some 16 years after the 1992 L.A. riots, the by-product of gang conflict is as common as ever and, following a similar path to his previous releases, the LA gang lifestyle and the history of hip-hop are the main themes running through this CD.

The message is clear in ‘State of Emergency’: “California ain't a state it's an army.” It’s a 90’s throwback with The Game’s stern delivery and Ice Cube’s aggressive presence sounding not too unlike something coming from the height of the Westside Connection days. The track follows on well through to ‘LAX Files’ where Game commentates on gang culture in LA. Calling out certain fake gangsters for glorifying the reality of everyday Los Angeles life, Game keeps it real although he doesn’t help when he praises Stanley ‘Tookie’ Williams “cause he know gangstas,” failing to acknowledge Tookie’s real legacy of denouncing gang violence before he was executed.

There’s a more laid-back LA feel when Game drops the bouncy ‘Cali Sunshine’ but he’s quick to get serious again. The Cool and Dre produced ‘My Life’ has some of the Game’s most personal verses on the CD, complemented by a synthesized, weary hook from Lil Wayne, while ‘Letter to the King’ is an honest tribute to the leaders of the civil rights movement. A further tribute goes out to some of hip-hop’s greatest – Tupac, The Notorious B.I.G. and Eazy-E – in ‘Never Can Say Goodbye’, a nostalgic track where Game acts in place of the three and is especially successful during his second verse rapping in an impressive ghostly-like flow of Biggie.

Despite losing much of the support he received on his debut ‘The Documentary’ in the form of rapper and sales-maker 50 Cent and superstar producer Dr. Dre, Game raps with even more passion and a conviction no doubt having even more of a reason to prove himself. However, with 16 tracks (minus the DMX Intro, DMX Outro and Interlude), there are a few songs that would warrant the skip button: ‘Money’ is nothing new, ‘Ya Heard’ is wasteful, while on the Keyshia Cole-featuring ‘Game’s Pain,’ Game struggles to adjust his assertive rhymes to fit the more R&B-based track.

The name-dropping still exists, which can so some extent be excused in respect of his admiration for hip-hop (although the number of references to Flavor of Love’s Deelishis cannot), but if you can get over that, ‘LAX’ is one of 2008’s better hip-hop releases. It’s good to see The Game is still spitting those bars, reppin’ that Cali state, the LA hood, and while the hip-hop genre may be changing the West Coast isn’t ready to lie down just yet.