By now, we all know Game’s story, from his run with G-Unit to the bitter rivalry that ensued after 50 Cent gave him the boot. Doctor’s Advocate served to prove that he was commercially more viable than any G-Unit member minus 50 himself, despite what one may think of the actual content. Now, with the beef long since diminished, Game sees himself in show and prove mode once again. Can Game put out another successful album sale-wise with no venting board this time around? Can he stand on his own two feet: no name-dropping and no constant Dre references? Most of all, however, can he prove himself to be an interesting emcee once these things are taken away? Well…let’s just say this:
The Game’s new album is a confusing listen.
I’ve listened to this album a total of about nine or ten times before reviewing it, including a stretch where I listened to it three consecutive times. Each time I did so, my perceptions changed. At first, I was tempted to give this album a four star rating; on its face, it’s well produced, and Game is solid if unspectacular for the lion’s share of it. However, as time went on, my thoughts ranged from “This album really isn’t that good” to “This is actually pretty good.” Which one’s true, though?
To be honest, both are true and both are untrue, and the ambiguity of this statement is Game’s fault. Why? Because for the third consecutive album, he’s refused to find an identity of his own.
Track Listing and Ratings: Intro Ft. DMX (No Rating) LAX Files (3 Stars) State of Emergency Ft. Ice Cube (4 Stars) Bulletproof Diaries Ft. Raekwon (4 Stars) My Life Ft. Lil Wayne (3 1/2 Stars) Money (4 Stars) Cali Sunshine Ft. Bilal (5 Stars) Ya Heard Ft. Ludacris (4 Stars) Hard Liquor Interlude (No Rating) House of Pain (3 1/2 Stars) Gentleman’s Affair Ft. Ne-Yo (3 Stars) Let Us Live Ft. Chrisette Michelle (3 Stars) Touchdown Ft. Raheem DeVaughn (3 1/2 Stars) Angel Ft Common (5 Stars) Never Can Say Goodbye Ft. Latoiya Williams (5 Stars) Dope Boyz Ft. Travis Barker (5 Stars) Game’s Pain Ft. Keyshia Cole (4 Stars) Letter to the King Ft. Nas (5 Stars) Outro Ft. DMX (No Rating)
Look at the track listing, and you’ll see the biggest problem I have with L.A.X.: there are too many damn guests. Out of 19 tracks, guests appear on all but four of them; actually, pull out the intro and outro (which actually helps Game given that he isn’t on either), as well as the interlude in the middle of the album, and you get guests on all but THREE tracks (discounting Travis Barker, who only does drums on “Dope Boyz”). To his credit, he’s got a who’s who of cameos, but is there really a need for this many guests on one album? Besides the fact that this feels more like a compilation effort than a solo one, it continues Game’s trend of lacking an identity throughout his efforts. His debut, The Documentary had Dr. Dre’s and 50 Cent’s fingerprints all over it, and it was the production, not Game himself, that stole the show. Doctor’s Advocate was more a venting session than an actual record, complete with reference after reference to Dre and the aforementioned 50. Now, this time around, it’s Game and a slew of artists propping him up, and even though his bad blood with G-Unit seems to have died down, the listener still doesn’t get a good glimpse into where Game is now. It’s hard to do that when Game’ is splitting so much time with so many different emcees and R&B artists.
Then again, maybe Game just doesn’t have anything interesting to say, and the numerous guests were enlisted to help mask this fact? Unfortunately, this rings true for part of the album; take “L.A.X. Files” for instance: the first track where Games gets to mic all to himself, and what does he do? Waste his opportunity with recycled gangsta rhymes. Yes, we know, Game; you’re a Blood, and there’s a lot of fake gangstas out there. It’s been done to death, and by better artists in the past. Even more laughable is his attempt at a triple cadence flow, which sees him speed up for a couple of lines before slipping back into his usual lumbering one. I suppose I should give him an A for effort, but the whole track comes off as so contrived that I don’t believe that he deserves it. On a positive note, though, the piano driven beat (courtesy of JR Totem) is a nice one; however, it probably should’ve been given to a better emcee. What’s worse is that the guests he enlists don’t completely help his cause, not because they’re bad, but because they’re too good to be on a track with Game. Ice Cube and Lil Wayne only do hooks on “State of Emergency” and “My Life” respectively, but their appearances still manage to be the highlight of each song. Raekwon stops by for “Bulletproof Diaries,” and then promptly shows Game how to own a 16 bar verse with his effortless flow. The streak continues on “Ya Heard,” which sees Ludacris completely outshine Game; he even uses the latter’s trademark to do it:
Can’t you hear it? The n*gga name LUDA! Slicker than Rick the ruler, whip a*s like Lex Luger My money long, your sh*t is shorter than Oompa-Loompas And I’ll Superman YOU that a*s like Lex Luthor! Soon as they say ‘me gusta’ I’ll take you to meet ya maker My d*ck’s the Staples Center, I’ll take you to see the Lakers Swoosh! On that Cali kush Smoking like I’m a muffler So many red flags, I coulda sworn I was in Russia....
Does it say a lot about Game when I start looking forward to Ludacris’ album while I listen to his?
There are some positives throughout the duration of L.A.X., however. “Cali Sunshine” manages to work due to Bilal’s simple, yet effective, hook as well as the laid back beat courtesy of Nottz. Sampling The Dramatics’ “California Sunshine,” the soulful backdrop gives Game a chance to rep his home state. It’s been done before—hell, Game himself did something similar on his last album—but he flips it fresh here, despite almost messing it up at the end when he tries to go triple cadence again. “Angel” is another standout, and this time Game’s helped by both Common and Kanye West. The latter gives Game a beautiful beat which samples Gil Scott Heron’s “Angel Dust,” while the former flips his “I Used to Love H.E.R.” idea fresh, this time with the Angel being weed. Game continues along a similar vein, with hip-hop itself serving as his angel as he talks about growing up with it. It’s one of the few moments where Game actually sounds effective on the mic, managing to hold his own with the Chicago legend. “Dope Boyz” is an absolute banger, as Travis Barker assists on drums and producer 1500 or Nothin’ gives the Cali emcee a beat that Dr. Dre himself would be proud of, complete with loud horns and heavy bass. The song’s low on creativity, but Game comes correct with his brag raps here; when he proclaims, "And b*tches don’t say no to me, I’m like a wedding ring!" you can’t help but feel him here. However, it’s the closer, “Letter to the King,” that serves as L.A.X.'s highest moment. Joined by Nas, Game spits two verses in dedication to Martin Luther King, with the first about how not understanding King’s goals as a child, and the second seeing him muse about how the present would be different if her were still alive. Nas, still waxing political, steals the show from Game, however, detailing his transition from being militant as a youth to understanding the civil rights legend in his older age. Hi-Tek gives the two a perfect backdrop to rap over, with a sorrwful sample of “Memoirs of the Traveler” in tow; the sincerity of the verses, along with the beat, makes this song the best that this album has to offer. It’s a shame that Game doesn’t go to this well more often throughout.
In all, L.A.X. goes to show that an emcee with no identity really isn’t all that entertaining (I know that’s a groundbreaking conclusion to reach). The album has its moments, those where Game actually steps outside his small box and gives real effort. However, for the most part, he’s content with bragging about being a gangsta, driving Impalas, and name-dropping. The guests on this album may have stopped listeners from really getting to know Game, but something tells me that I wouldn’t have been able to stomach a whole album with Jayceon Taylor by himself. While he may be more interesting than the likes of Lloyd Banks and Tony Yayo, Game’s still an average emcee in a sea full of them; the only difference is that he has more connections than most.
Final Rating: 3 Stars
Standout Tracks: Dope Boyz, Letter to the King, Cali Sunshine, Angel
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
![LAX [PA] by The Game](http://di1.shopping.com/images1/pi/a7/39/01/2046431738-177x150-0-0.jpg)
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.