The West Coast savior, The Game, returns with his second offering titled the Doctor’s Advocate. The Game is trying to avoid the deadly sophomore jinx with this LP. After a year of beef with his former label mates and DVD’s assassinating characters of a certain rapper, he hit the lab with a follow up to his 2x platinum debut The Documentary…without DR. DRE!
Lookin’ At You
Produced by Ervin “EP” Pope
Nice start to the album, Game comes out with some nice lyrics over a beat that sounds like Dre; nothing major, just your typical album intro. You know how it is these days; it’s either a short song or some kind of comedy skit.
Da Shit
Produced by DJ Khalil
Starts off with a piece of the movie Tales From the Hood, The Game comes out with a commanding flow over a sinister West Coast beat. The hook is crazy on this one, again it sounds like a Dre beat. The way they cut the movie clips into the song is tight. The Game doesn’t forget to let you know on just about every song, that Dre didn’t help him on this project, somehow, I don’t believe him.
It’s Okay (One Blood)
Featuring Junior Reid; Produced by Reefa
The Game first’s single off the album, has Junior Reid singing the hook from his hit “One Blood”. The Game comes back with a powerful single to let people know that 50 wasn’t the reason why he was hot. With lines like: “You new niggas ain’t nothing but new niggas, bathing ape shoe niggas, I’m talkin to you nigga” & “You 38 and still rapping..uhhh”. We don’t know who that was a shot at, cause he comes back on the next verse and says he don’t have beef with Jay. Typical Game, says one thing, then comes back and changes his statement. Still, a hot song.
Compton
Featuring & Produced by will.i.am
My first reaction to seeing will.i.am and Game on a track; I thought the Game had really fell off, no Dre beats, so he got that dude. Well was I wrong, my man Will is not the same dude that I know from the BEP’s. This song is hot, the Game of course is coming with the lyrics on it and Will puts up a bangin’ track. Game says, “Ruthless like Will before the Black Eyed Peas.” Will just won some major points in my book from this track. Check it out.
Remedy
Produced by Just Blaze
The beat sounds like a vintage West Coast banger, Just Blaze laced one for the people. Game spittin’ over the track, but what is he talking about? I mean he flowing but he going this way and that way, no real topic to the song, but the beat so hot you can get through it.
Let’s Ride
Produced by Scott Storch
Sounds like Dre on this beat again; recurring theme? Second single of the album, I don’t see this song getting major play, not because it ain’t hot, it just sounds too Cali. People can’t really get into the Cali vibe, the song just rings summer all over it. Hot video though, check it out.
Too Much
Featuring Nate Dogg; Produced by Scott Storch
The beat sounds like something from the 80’s remixed 2000 style. I like it, the Game comes with a solid effort, not the kind of beats I like to hear Game on, but it’s kinda hot. It grew on me after a while.
Wouldn’t Get Far
Featuring & Produced by Kanye West
Game’s song about the video chicks that all of us guys glorify. The boy Kanye jumps on the track and fed us a nasty beat and a nice little witty verse only Kanyeezy can do. This song is pretty funny and Game calls out a lot of chicks; makes you wonder if any of this is true.
Scream On ‘Em
Featuring & Produced by Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz lends help to the Game on the next track. Swizz gives him a nice beat with a throbbing bass line that Game seems to murder. The beat banging, lyrics on point; what more can you ask for?
One Night
Produced by Nottz
This is one of my favorite songs on the album where Game explains how people always have they hands out when they know you got it. The hook goes, “I only fuck with you, on two occasions, when I’m drunk, when I’m high.” He said he spent 1.5 million on his niggas! Damn! Check this one out, the beat sick. Game spittin’ some fire showing the reason why he’s one of the top in …The Game!
Doctor’s Advocate
Featuring Busta Rhymes & Chauncey Black; Produced by J.R. Rotem
The Game and Busta jump on the next track together over a nice nostalgic beat, kinda like Dre. Game rapping in retrospect to the relationship that he has/had with Dre. Sounds like he drunk and spilling his guts on the mic. Busta does the same thing, rapping to the beat in a remorseful way. The song is tight; you gotta check this one out.
Ol’ English
Featuring Dion; Produced by Hi-Tek
The beat sounds kind of funky, the hook is alright, it’s just something about this song that I don’t like. I can’t put my finger on it, but the song just didn’t win me over after the first few times I listened to it. But I like the theme of the song.
California Vacation
Featuring Snoop Dogg & Xzibit; Produced by J.R. Rotem
I tried to get into this song, but couldn’t. Game’s first verse was not his typical, and then Snoop and Xzibit couldn’t bring this song back. Press fast forward.
Bang
Featuring Tha Dogg Pound; Produced by Jellyroll
On this offering we have Daz & Kurupt on this track with Chuck Taylor. All off them trade the flow back and forth to a jumpy track. The trio puts together a solid track. Kurupt shows why cats regard him in some circles as one of the top mc’s in the game. This could double as a club banger or a hood song. Check it out.
Around The World
Featuring Jamie Foxx; Produced by Mr. Porter & Mike Chav
This is as close to a love song that dude Game is gonna make. It got Jamie Foxx on the hook crooning some smooth player shit. The Game spits some gangsta rap for the ladies, so if you love a “thug” then you will probably love this. But this song is alright, check it out.
Why You Hate The Game
Featuring Nas & Marsha Ambrosius; Produced by Just Blaze
Game and Nas hook on this one, and from the beginning it sounds like classic material. The Game starts off and he spits a decent verse, Nas follows and puts up a nice 16. Overall the beat is hot and maybe overshadowed the two on the track, but it’s still a hot track produced by ya boy Just Blaze. Check out this one.
I’m Chillin’ (Bonus Track)
Featuring will.i.am & Fergie; Produced by will.i.am
I guess this was Game’s version of a club song. Look Jayceon, I know you have female fans that you wanna make music for, but not garbage like this. This song sucks. Glad it was a bonus track that was not for public consumption. Don’t even listen to this one.
Bottom Line:
Game has put together a solid sophomore effort, certainly dodging the jinx. Jayceon showed that he could survive in the game, and give his fans and music in general a good album. The album is worth the money, I know the feeling, buying an album, listening to it, feeling raped because you only like three songs, this isn’t one of those. Game proved to the world that he can rap, now he proved to the world that he could make good songs without 50. The Game single-handedly took down G-Unit, he did to 50 what he did to Ja. He made a good album that is going platinum, which in 2006 was like multi-platinum, and kept his name in the Game.
nappyPicks: “Da Shit”, “It’s Okay”, “Compton”, “Let’s Ride”, “Wouldn’t Get Far”, “One Night”, “Doctor’s Advocate”, “Bang”, “Around the World”, & “Why You Hate The Game”
