The Game has always been a consistent artist, so it should be no surprise that he has a sizable catalog of complete projects. Some projects are pretty good (like "Jesus Piece" and "Doctor's Advocate") and some are pretty forgettable (like "Blood Moon: Year Of The Wolf"). Those forgettable albums and mixtapes unfortunately served in masking what we know Game can produce. But with the next installment to his debut album "The Documentary, The Game truly came forth with those classic sounds associated with his music that's helped to solidify his standing today.
"The Documentary 2" takes everything good about The Game and makes it great again. I immediately noticed Game's love to reminisce on the entire album, each song taking us back to his gang bangin' days, his days of selling crack and to his past relationships. This approach gives dope insight on why and how The Game became who he is today. And he does it without specifically saying it or making any direct comparisons. The Compton rappers' message is told through his story and only a small circle of artists can do that today. The overall message Game is trying to tell is a multitude of things, I believe. The first one is clear: the issue of gang violence. He wants to unite the Bloods and the Crips and help them realize that the path they're going down is wrong because he's lived it. That whole tackle of gangs is more present on "The Documentary 2.5" but his track "Summertime" (feat. Jelly Roll) dives deeper into his gang bangin' days. The Game sheds light on how dangerous the summer can be and I got a real feel of the lifestyle. He uses his insight on songs "Mula" (feat. Kanye West) and "Standing On Ferraris" (feat. Diddy) to highlight the alternative life that he's chosen. Both songs display how much better his life is since he stepped away from his gang life.
The other messages The Game wanted to convey on "The Documentary 2" were a bit all over the place, yet still cohesive. He wanted to show the world his appreciation for the greats in hip-hop that came before him, hence all the samples. From the repeating line "Step Up" in 2Pac's "I Get Around" in his song "Step Up" (feat. Dej Loaf & Shasha) to all the West Coast legends that were features on the album. The Game definitely kept it all the way Compton with this LP. This was lacking in his past projects but it fits better on this album which gives The Doc 2 a more classic sound. That is also due in part to The Doc 2's outstanding production courtesy of Dr. Dre, DJ Premier, Alchemist, Mike WiLL Made-It and many others working on it. It blended almost every sound that has come out of West Coast rap and put it into one album that still had Game's personality. The only other points The Game made with "The Documentary 2" was his love for his friends and where he comes from, made clear with his tracks "LA" (feat. Snoop Dogg, will.i.am, & Fergie), "100" (feat. Drake) and "On Me" (feat. Kendrick Lamar). All those songs bled his thoughts, feelings and love for the things and people around him. It was The Game being as real as he can get and that's probably the best way to sum up the album. "The Documentary 2" is real. He leaves everything on the table and I walked away knowing a lot about Jayceon Terrell Taylor. As I'm sure you all did.
"The Documentary 2" is The Game we all love. He did give us a classic album. Is it better than "The Documentary"? I don't think so. But that may change with time. Either way, both are classics and I appreciate the outstanding music. No way I can be mad with what we got at the end of the day.
Stream the album below.
Lead Photo Cred: hiphop-n-more.com/rapbasement.com
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