GAME TIME OR GAME OVER: The Game Rolls The Dice

In music there's a term known as the sophomore curse, also known as the sophomore slump. It is notorious for taking a lot of victims in the rap game. Artists come out firing on all cylinders on their debut, and take the world by storm, only to have their second album either be critically panned, or all but ignored by the fans that embraced them when they first burst onto the scene. Some notable victims are Snoop Dogg, N.E.R.D., Nas, Chingy, Da Brat, The Nappy Roots, Method Man and Noreaga. The list goes on. Some have managed to salvage their careers, while others have pretty much disappeared from the landscape. Where's Onyx, Lords of the Underground, Craig Mack, The Luniz, and Camp Lo now? Last year, The Game was one of the hottest artists on the charts. He came out of no where and reignited the West Coast movement, with the assistance of Dr. Dre, 50 Cent and G-Unit. Since then the public eye has not treated The Game very nicely. Members of G-Unit continue to drag his name through the mud, embarrassing videos from the past have surfaced, and he is no longer aligned with Dr. Dre. Some are questioning The Game's credibility, while others our touting that, "The Game is over," This is a lot for one man to take as he readies his second album all on his own. However, The Game shows no signs of cracking on the eve of the release of Doctor's Advocate, an oddly titled album considering Dr. Dre is no where on it.

Brendan: There are no Dr. Dre tracks on your upcoming album. Can you confirm that for me?

Game: Yeah, there are no Dre tracks. Are you worried?

B: No, I'm just curious why Dr. Dre makes no appearance whatsoever via production or vocals or anything else given-

G: Probably because it's not Dr. Dre's album. It's The Game's album. Y'know? Sometimes in hip hop, you work with this person and that person. They don't have to be on every album. Dr. Dre and me aren't a rap group or nothing.

B: I understand, but I just figured given your history with Dr. Dre, that maybe he'd give you a beat or two. Early rumors about the album had Dr. Dre producing practically the entire thing.

G: I don't think the Dr. Dre tracks define who I am, being that Dr. Dre produced three, maybe four tracks on the last album, when the last album was eighteen tracks thick. People call it a classic. I don't think they call it a classic based on the four tracks Dr. Dre produced.

B: So why call this album Doctor's Advocate then?

G: Dr. Dre's the only doctor in the world, man. And I just felt like hip hop needed surgery, so I'm the doctor on this album. And the advocate; the act of advocating is to speak for someone, something or someplace and I'm advocating for a lot of people. Y'know what I'm sayin'? I'm advocating for my hometown, my movement, the West Coast. Y'know what I'm sayin'? I'm advocating for hip hop and the fans. So there you go. The Doctor's Advocate. The definition behind the title. You own it.

A Game album without Dr. Dre for some is like peanut butter without the jelly. Bert without Ernie. Andre 3000 without Big Boi. Some people were not having it and as soon as word got out that Dr. Dre was M.I.A. when it came to The Game's sophomore album, they wrote the album off quickly. Songs from the album were eventually leaked and the same people who were chanting, "Game over," changed their tune to "The Game's On" as in on point. The will.i.am produced "Compton" and the Hi-Tek assisted, "Ol' English" are just a couple of tracks off the album that people will be throwing on repeat and blasting out their speakers. Those two tracks and others certainly back up any big-headed claims that the Game has, as he touts this album as, "The world's most anticipated album of the year," although Jay-Z's album is set to be released just days later. The Game might just have another near classic album on his hands.

B: I've heard some tracks from the album, and I like what I've heard so far. What can you tell us about the album?

G: It comes out November 14th. It's the most anticipated album in the world right now, man. It's like, I worked with Nas on the album. I worked with Marsha from Floetry again. Nate Dogg again. I brought Snoop on the album this time. Busta Rhymes and, y'know, most importantly The Game's on the album.

B: And who are some of the people handling the production?

G: Just Blaze, Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Scott Storch and… those are some big names, just to name a few.

B: Who's executive producer? You?

G: The Game?

B: The Game is executive producer. Your first album you had the guidance of Dre and 50. You're pretty much on your own now and-

G: I am on my own now.

B: You're on your own now, so who do you go to for advice or to get an honest opinion on how tracks are sounding, or if the direction of the album is right?

G: Nobody. This is all me. Y'know what I'm sayin'? I'm fine tuned enough. I graduated from the Dr. Dre school of hip hop already. I don't need anybody anymore. I'm on my own, and on this album I'm gonna prove that I can do this by myself and that I will be a factor in hip hop over the next ten years.

The first singles "It's OK (One Blood)" and "Let's Ride" have managed to receive moderate airplay and exposure, but nothing compared to how "How We Do" and "Hate It or Love It" performed on the charts. Somehow the buzz for the album has remained large. This is most likely due to The Game staying in the news for various reasons including his ongoing beefs with various artists. Despite any negative press, he remains the biggest name in hip hop representing the West Coast right now, even without the support of Dr. Dre and G-Unit.

B: Any concern that the album won't sell as well as your first because you are no longer aligned with Dr. Dre and G-Unit?

G: Man. Are the G-Unit albums doing well on the charts?

B: Not as of late. So might yours follow suit?

G: I don't think that'll have any affect on me, man. Like I said, this is the most anticipated album this year. I'm not worried about my numbers. My first week last time, I went Gold plus eighty thousand. I sold 583,000 albums my first week without people knowing me. I was just a rookie. I didn't have the MTV crowd. I didn't have the white crowd. Y'know what I'm sayin'? All I had was true hip hop fans and underground hip hop fans. And this album, I've got old people, young people, 3 year olds, 83 year olds. With this album, I'm coming and I'm claiming king, man. Hip hop is mine. I own it, I'm running it and I will set the tone for the way rap music will sound for the next five to ten years.

Beefs have been a large part of The Game's career. After the split from G-Unit the verbal warfare between The Game and 50 Cent went into overdrive. Out of it we got some memorable diss tracks from both camps, most notably "300 Bars" where The Game verbally assaults G-Unit non-stop for over twelve minutes with no hook. The track was a true testament to The Game's lyrical prowess. He's had his war of words and even war with fists and bottles with others in hip hop like Yukmouth, Ja Rule, Joe Budden, most recently Rass Kass and some might even argue Jay-Z. Former partner 50 Cent still remains as his most high profile nemesis.

B: I've heard recently you want to squash the beef with 50 for good now. Is that true?

G: It's never that I want to. It's just that sooner or later he'll have to if he wants to proceed in hip hop as one of the top dogs ‘cause I'm definitely, definitely sitting on the throne with my Hurricanes up on my knee, just chillin'. So I think that it would be in his best interest, and in mine to bring that to a halt, because at this point the G-Unit brand is dead and the only person 50 can save is himself. I think it would be a good idea for him to reach out and try to reconcile.

B: All beefs aside, do you appreciate 50's role in building your career?

G: 50 played a part in The Documentary. I appreciate what 50 did, just like I appreciate what Dre did, just like I appreciate everybody who bought the album and supports my movement. Y'know what I'm sayin'? You should ask him if he appreciates my help in the creative process in his second album, and my boost to G-Unit and what's happened since then. You can see I'm not full of shit and everything I said that was gonna happen is happening and has happened. I'm just a one man solo artist out here just securing the future of my family, financially. Until I'm satisfied with that, man, I'm gonna keep swinging in hip hop like a wrecking ball.

B: The altercation between you in Rass Kass in a club has been blown out of proportion. There have been many stories about what happened. Can we get the truth from the Game about what really happened?

G: Nah, I'm not even talkin' about Ras Kass no more. That was that, and I wanna move on from that. He's getting too much publicity from that.

B: So it's done as far as you're concerned? There won't be any diss tracks targeting Ras Kass by you?

G: I'm not dissing Ras Kass, man. No way, man.

B: He's dropped two diss tracks about you though.

G: So what? Do you know one lyric off one of those tracks?

B: Well-

G: How ‘bout the hook?

B: Not offhand.

G: Y'see what I'm sayin'? It's no big deal. I bet you know about "300 Bars" and how impactful that was on hip hop and how much damage that did to G-Unit. I bet you can quote a Tupac bar from "Hit ‘Em up".

When you become as big as the Game, many people want to bring you down. This includes journalists, other rap artists and old acquaintances. As of late The Game has been all over the internet, and the most viewed content on the net is not his music videos or clips from his DVD "Stop Snitchin', Stop Lyin'". It's been an old clip of a Hawaiian shirt wearing Game A.K.A. JT, on a dating game show called, "Change of Heart". The show made The Game look like a really sensitive… sissy, for lack of a better word. It was a far cry from the image he portrays in his music. People began to question his street credibility.

B: What do you say to those who say, "The Game ain't no gangsta. Did you see that clip of him on that dating show?" What's your response to those who question your credibility on what you claim to stand for?

G: I say I'm goin' to the store to get some milk to go with my Cap'n Crunch. Eat a dick.

B: (laughs) The butterfly tattoo that you had, it's gone now, but what did that symbolize?

G: It symbolizes the past ‘cause it's gone.

B: Okay, but what did it symbolize when you got it.

G: It's gone so I don't even think it's important anymore.

B: Can I play a game with The Game?

G: Don't play no games with The Game. I'm not about that.

B: (laughs) Nah. Nah. Just True or False. We'll play True or False. I'll make a statement, and your response can only be true or false. Cool?

G: Oh okay, okay. I didn't know where you were going with that? (laughs)

B: Alright. True or False. You were in a coma.

G: True.

B: You once sold drugs.

G: True.

B: You got in on with Mya.

G: Uhhh. I take the fifth.

B: Okay. I'll exempt you from that statement. True or False. You got in on with Olivia.

G: No, no, no. Olivia's a transvestite. I know that isn't a true or false answer, but it is true.

B: Wait, wait, wait. Olivia's a man?

G: Olivia's a man.

B: True or False.

G: True.

B: (laughs) Alright. 50's the reason Dr. Dre's not on your upcoming album.

G: False.

B: 50 will still get a cut from the sales of your new album.

G: False.

B: Last one. You really stole 50's basketball net (in reference to a scene in "Stop Snitchin', Stop Lyin'")

G: True. He needed a new one anyway.

Despite letting down his guard and playing a game, The Game is not in fun and games mode. He is fired up about the release of Doctor's Advocate. There's a lot riding on it. It will either solidify his position as a key figure in rap, or push him back to the drawing board and the studio and perhaps even into obscurity. Will the Game reach new heights in the music industry, or will The Game disappear like his butterfly tattoo? Watch the clock. Only time will tell if The Game is on, or if The Game is over.