1 Dr. Dre (Intro) N/A
Dre narrates the album, speaking on Game growing up in da hood. A good idea, but the following tracks don't always fit. For example, surely 'Dr. Dre 1' should have preceded 'Ricky' and not 'Good Girls Go Bad'.
2 The City (feat. Kendrick Lamar) ★★★★
Going for an epic feel here, pretty much just brag rap with a touch of conscious lyrics in subject matter - Pretty good. Game should have performed the final acapella verse though - it is his album.
"Name your top 10, I'm harder than the most of 'em, Matter of fact, shorten your list nigga, top 5, Game, Biggie, Hov, probly Pac, Nas"
3 Drug Test (feat. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, & Sly) ★★★★
Hyped for having Dre and Snoop on it, but you wouldn't think that this was Dre - hardly sounds like him - and Snoop is on the track for all of four bars. Still pretty good though.
4 Martians vs. Goblins (feat. Tyler, The Creator & Lil Wayne) ★★★☆
Game goes horrorcore here with Tyler who I don't like. Solid track, nothing too noteworthy except where Tyler says what everyone thinks.
Tyler - "That shit was expected, like Jayceon whenever he name-drop".
Wayne just on the hook here.
5 Red Nation (feat. Lil Wayne) ★★★★☆
A good bangin' tune and the first single, however, I can think of many artists that would have fit this hook better than Wayne. It could have been great with a better chorus. Again Wayne only on the hook here. Game seems to only use him for that..
6 Dr. Dre 1 (Interlude) N/A
7 Good Girls Go Bad (feat. Drake) ★★☆
Not bad, one I tend to skip now that I'm a few listens in. A borderline pop rap track.
8 Ricky ★★★★★
Excellently themed Boyz n the Hood track where Game draws parallels between his past and the film. Well put together by DJ Khalil and feels epic. Could've been even better if the lyrics were a bit more structured.
9 The Good, the Bad, the Ugly ★★★★☆
This is where Game being able to switch up styles comes off, his voice goes deeper and with each verse concerning Game being interrogated, there is some innovation in songwriting! Leads into the next track well.
10 Heavy Artillery (feat. Rick Ross & Beanie Sigel) ★★★☆
One of the more straight gangsta tracks here, suits Ross and Beanie well.
11 Paramedics (feat. Young Jeezy) ★★★
Feels like it was produced for a Jeezy album. Again Game changes his voice to a more gritty feel.
12 Speakers on Blast (feat. E-40 & Big Boi) ★★★
Game changes his cadence up a lot here. This one feels the least like a Game track. The beat fits Big Boi and E-40 a lot more.
"It's not usual, for Game to be, all up on some south shit"
13 Hello (feat. Lloyd) ★★
The run of pop rap begins at 'Hello'. This is worst of them. Not terrible but there is nothing special at all.
14 All the Way Gone (feat. Mario & Wale) ★★☆
Again an average pop rap track, nothing original or fresh from the plethora of similar tracks.
15 Pot of Gold (feat. Chris Brown) ★★★
The second single from the album, and despite featuring C. Brown, it isn't as poppy as the previous two. Lyrically it's about finding success. A bit short on the lyrical depth. Game isn't a big fan of this song either. >
16 Dr. Dre 2 (Interlude) N/A
17 All I Know (feat. Luu Breeze) ★★★
No hidden messages here, about only knowing the gangster life. Hasn't given me much enjoyment after a couple of spins. Not a big fan of the chorus.
18 Born in the Trap ★★★★
The name dropping here is something to behold, over a dozen are dropped. Produced by the great Premo, and is very Premo-esque with his signature style. Pretty good, catchy hook.
19 Mama Knows (feat. Nelly Furtado) ★★★☆
About Game growing up and his Ma. Nice laid back beat from Pharrell.
20 California Dream ★★★
I like the beat here, lyrically though it is not something that will really make you go back too often - Speaking on the birth of his daughter.
21 Dr. Dre (Outro) N/A
The R.E.D. Album had been pushed back time after time after time, originally intended for late 2009, after Game came out of a short-lived retirement to announce he was going to complete another album, but it finally arrives. As per usual Game has been in the rap media a lot in the lead up to an album dropping, from dissin' Jay-Z over the Otis beat, calling Lil B the worst rapper (amen) and tweeting the phone number of an L.A. sheriff, there is always something being said. Nevertheless, in my opinion, Game has usually walked the walk with good mainstream rap albums, as his first three have all been.
Unlike his previous albums which have all kind of had a constant production theme to them, this features more of a mixture of styles. From the West Coast 'Drug Test', the Southern 'Paramedics' & Speakers on Blast', the very East Coast vibing 'Born in the Trap', to name a few, it switches styles up, although that isn't too uncommon these days with artists seeking production from producers from anywhere. However, Game has always had the ability to change his style and generally never feels far from home on any beats. In saying this though, there are certainly times where Game feels like he has jumped on tracks of his features rather than them being on his.
Lyrically despite unsurprisingly being filled with other artists, celebrities, brand names and so on, it is perhaps a tad more introspective and conscious than his previous efforts. The album begins harder and more gangster, switches to some pop-rap past the halfway mark, and then, also like his previous albums, in the vein such as 'Why You Hate the Game', 'Doctors Advocate' and 'Letter to the King', Game talks about the birth of his daughter in California Dream, and his Moms in 'Mama Knows'.
If you like anything Game has done you will get something out of this. If you have just enjoyed him due to the possession of some good beats, particularly from his first two albums, then I do not think these beats are that noteworthy and it's probably worth staying away. While at times Game is outshined which seems to be a bit of a theme from other critics, at the same time good music is good music whether Game is the focus or a featuring artist. One thing haters of the Game will have to agree with is that he doesn't make the same album twice, all being fairly diverse on the boards.
To compare this to his previous albums I'd say it is his worst. The Documentary has a handful of great tracks I go back to years on, Doctors Advocate kept it consistent with some standouts, and while LAX is hated on by some, it has a kind of vibe to it I enjoy, and I don't think the beats are too bad on that either. This album lacks the brilliant standouts, the pop-rap works the least out of his three other albums, and the overall consistency is a small step down. Nevertheless, there is enough good-solid stuff here for a reasonable rating.
Best Tracks: Red Nation, Ricky, The Good the Bad the Ugly, Born in the Trap
--------------------------------------------------------
How this album could have been better:
Game released a few mixtapes in the lead up to R.E.D. I've always said that he has had some of his best music on his mixtapes. Here is how this could have been a near-classic with Game's best tracks from his recent mixtapes substituted for the more lacklustre songs present on the final version of R.E.D.
StreetsDisciple's The R.E.D. Album
1 Dr Dre Intro
2 The City (feat. Kendrick Lamar)
3 Drug Test (feat. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, & Sly)
4 Martians vs. Goblins (feat. Tyler, The Creator & Lil Wayne)
5 The Town [from Hoodmorning]
6 I'm On [from Hoodmorning]
7 Can You Believe It (feat. Lil Wayne & Baby) [from Hoodmorning]
8 Bad Intentions [from Purp & Patron]
9 Red Nation (feat. Lil Wayne)
10 Dr. Dre 1 (Interlude)
11 Ricky
12 The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
13 Heavy Artillery (feat. Rick Ross & Beanie Sigel)
14 The Kill [from Purp & Patron]
15 Dead [from Purp & Patron]
16 Dr. Dre 2 (Interlude)
17 Born in the Trap
18 25 to Life [from Hoodmorning]
19 Lost [from The Hangover]
20 Monsters in My Head [from Hoodmorning]
21 Rough (feat. Yelawolf) [from Hoodmorning]
22 Dr. Dre (Outro)
23 History (feat. Doug E. Fresh, Big Daddy Kane & KRS-One) [bonus track] [from Purp & Patron]
Running time: 78 minutes
Comments