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Life & Arts

Game changes on sequel

by ELI JABBE
The Daily Cougar

The Game is one of the most polarizing figures in the hip-hop world. Some fans love his music; some hate it. His 2005 debut The Documentary was heralded as one of the year--s best. It didn--t hurt that he had musical legend Dr. Dre producing a bevy of tracks and executive producing the album. Memorable production from elites like Dre, Just Blaze, and Kanye West helped to make up for Game--s incessant name- dropping that included Elvis and Oscar the Grouch, but this time around, things are different.

Though Game--s latest is titled The Doctor--s Advocate there are no appearances from the good doctor, who is head of Aftermath Records which released Game--s debut. He switched to Geffen Records in the aftermath of the beef with 50 Cent (pun intended), and is on his own. Though Dre doesn--t contribute to this album, it strangely has more of a "Dre" sound than Game--s debut.

Take the intro track "Lookin At You," for instance. It features loud horns and female background vocals, reminiscent of Dre--s production. Game talks about the success of his first album in a clever way: "5 million sold / The cover of my last album is the only time you--ll see me sitting on gold," referring the gold-plated rims he is pictured sitting on The Documentary--s cover.

One thing listeners will find strange is how The Game imitates Dre--s cadence on this album. Dre seems to be in the booth, with the way Game alters his voice to sound like Dre. In addition, the album suffers from Game name- dropping Dre.

Just Blaze and Game continue their great chemistry with 3 tracks on this album. "Remedy" features classic West Coast-style production and record scratching for the chorus.

Dre protege Scott Storch also shines with two great tracks. "Too Much", which features veteran crooner Nate Dogg is reminiscent of a disco beat. It--s good to see Storch has stopped abusing flutes in his production.

"One Night" is another example of Dre-esque production. Nottz contributes a solid track with a piano melody, horns, and organs that sounds like vintage Dre.

The title track is basically an apology to Dr. Dre: "Dre, I didn--t mean to turn my back on you, / But sometimes, a man--s gotta do what he--s gotta do" referring to Game--s departure from Dre--s Aftermath label. The best song is the album--s last, which is 9 minutes long. "Why You Hate The Game" features a grand Just Blaze beat, with excellent quotes from Game and Nas, the latter exclaiming, "You guys are lazy / Complaining about labor pains … dude, show me the baby …"

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