Some of These Beats!>
With Game's fifth album he creates his first concept album described by Game as: "It's not a Christian album, it's not an album that's strictly about church or nothin'. It's just a constant battle with religion and street life and Hip Hop and lyricism and bitches and your wife and your kids and just the struggle." This also brings about Game's most concise album with the standard edition only containing 12 songs.
Lyrically, Game doesn't really have the skills to make it feel like a concept album though. There are still numerous name drops and brand names like Gucci/Versace mentioned many times as expected, and it never feels very structured nor does it flow like a concept album needs to. However, Game has always been able to pick a good beat which probably comes from him being such a student of the game. This has always undoubtedly been his largest strength as an artist and that continues on this project with the production being mostly successful featuring some aspects I love in hip hop, such as choir/church influences to many songs.
[i]What doesn't work[/i]: The opener 'Scared Now' ain't bad, but it doesn't quite bang enough, lyrically I'm not feeling Game a lot and Meek Mill is a rapper who has never impressed me. 'All That Lady' is more pop and while there isn't much pop rap featured, the pop doesn't work as well here just like it doesn't on 'R.E.D.' The production isn't bad with 'Lady' by D'Angelo being sampled, but I don't love any of the features on this song and it is the track that I've played the least. The penultimate track 'Freedom' again has a very recognisable sample and the main problem is where the track stops for Game to take a call from Birdman about 1:40 into the song. Game, we know that you've got a lot of famous friends... With the sample the beat feels unoriginal and it feels like a long song to me. 'Celebration' finishes the standard edition and again feels more pop and is passable at best. One of the bonus tracks, 'I Remember', features Game using autotune and is pretty catchy but is another weak track.
[i]What Works[/i]: Pretty much everything else. The other bonus track 'Blood Diamonds' works on all levels for me, except that Game may be lamenting the bling culture, but then on so many other tracks he encourages materialism. I guess this is the struggle he was talking about. He isn't the first rapper who can be accused of hypocrisy though. From 'Ali Bomaye' to 'Church' and 'Heaven's Arms' to 'Hallelujah' the run of tracks are great. Remove 'That Lady' and that's nine fairly dope hip hop songs in a row. There are many features as there have always been on a Game album, but most fit the song that they are on, especially Pusha T who sounds great on the 'Name Me King' beat. I do feel though that Common's verse feels a bit out of place on 'Jesus Piece'. His rhyme pattern is so different to the rest of the song.
Overall, there are catchy hooks, fine rapping-albeit Game's repetitive lyrics at times-and some awesome production.
Beats: ★★★★☆
Bars: ★★★☆
Best Tracks: Ali Bomaye, Jesus Piece, Pray, Heaven's Arms, Name Me King, Can't Get Right, Blood Diamonds
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