The Game- The Documentary (WWW)
(Aftermath/G-Unit/Interscope/Universal)
In 1999, Dr. Dre unleashed
Eminem on us. Two years later, Eminem formed D12. Then, two years later, Eminem
unleashed 50 Cent into the music world. Now, two years later, 50 Cent gives us
his first big-time protoge, The Game, and, like his predecessors, every attempt
is made to give The Game (real name Jayceon Taylor) as much credibility as he
can possibly get, having Dr. Dre and 50 Cent produce his album and getting 50
Cent to appear in his first single, "How We Do". However, unlike The
Game's predecessors, there does seem to be an attempt to make The Game
"different", making him a more loveable thug, someone who's still as
tough as nails (and maybe tougher) but someone who's not only really sensitive
but also isn't afraid to show it, unlike 50 and Eminem who clearly try to
purport their toughness over their sensitivity.
The results of this are mixed.
"Like Father, Like Son", about (presumably) the birth of The Game's
son, sounds incredibly forced and silly, as well as "Special", a song
about his girlfriend, with an overextended Nate Dogg on the chorus, whose voice
just doesn't suit sentimental verses that this song provides. However, the
catchy "Hate It Or Love It", with 50 Cent showing us what he's
capable of as a rapper (which isn't often, unfortunately), sounds very natural
and refreshing, giving his sensitive side a winner. On the flip side (his
"thug" side), "Higher", where The Game attempts to
name-drop just about every successful rapper he can think of, comes off as
contrived and stupid, but "How We Do" (featuring 50 Cent, who appears
three times here) and "We Ain't" (featuring Eminem) are catchy and
vibrant, meaning that he's capable of doing both sides well if he can put his
mind to it.
Overall, "The
Documentary" isn't as good as it could be, but it's not as bad as it could
be either. The Game hints at brilliance, showing that he'll be able to carry an
album all by himself later on his career, but he hides way too much behind
stunt cameos and callouts, thus preventing us from hearing everything that he
may be able to do. The presentation of a character whose heart is as big as his
fists presents a refreshing change of pace from the more one-dimensional thugs
that the Dr. Dre-Eminem-50 Cent triumvirate always churn out, giving us a
complex, deeper and sophisticated character whose real mystery will be revealed
over time, not over the course of a single song (or verse). He just needs to work
on his consistency: as he might say about himself, he's got game- he just needs
to show it.
-DG