All right guys, I figured I would switch it up and write up something a lil different for y’all, just in case track-by-track reviews aren’t your thing.
Nowadays the words rap and rapper get used a lot, but not in the same way they used to be. You see, rap isn’t just a genre; it’s a lifestyle. Being a rapper is about the way you act, the way you think, the way you dress and the things you do. Not just anyone is a rapper. If you’re reading this blog, or simply this review, you more than likely know what rap is, where it came from, who made it big, how and why. There’s Tupac and Big, Nas and Jigga, Game and 50. There’s the East and the West Coast, Sean Jean and Roca Wear, Jordans and Timbs, but rap has changed. Rap is now just considered a type of music. It’s the type of music “bad” kids listen to.
Where am I going with this, you ask?
You see, as the years go by, things change. Music changes, people change, the seasons change — not in LA though, shit, RAP HAS CHANGED. In 2014, EVERYONE is a rapper. Just because you rhyme up a few words and make a “sick” beat to go with it, you are a now a rapper. Yeah, no you’re not. In the era of overprivileged kids and the time of feeling entitled, more and more “rappers” rise to the surface each day. This new generation of rappers, they all think they are the best and feel they deserve it all right away.
The new rappers kids wear BBC and shop at American Apparel. They have to have every new pair of J’s and they smoke weed too, foo! Last time I checked, the struggle is absolutely not real. Tupac and Big couldn’t afford this type of shit until after years of the struggle, man! They didn’t have all the shit these new, young, “rappers” have. They weren’t driving around in Bimmers, HELL NAW. They rode their bike or they walked around the hood… if you’re bike got stolen like 50’s did. They get in hair-pulling matches on a party bus or on the train tracks and now they’re gangsta. They don’t know what it is really like to grow up in poverty and be forced into gangs and drugs. They don’t have to walk around, constantly looking over their shoulders.
Now, with that being said, The Game grew up in the real days of rap music. He grew up along with it. He’s a perfect example of an OG rapper and he made an amazing album to make sure we haven’t forgotten! Game has been running around LA since he was a youngin, doing a few things these other dudes wouldn’t know anything about. Most of these tracks talk about that. The life he lives and the things he has been able to attain because of all the hard work he has put into his career. He mentions the cars, clothes, hoes, etc. He lives a good life, but what he does is no joke.
We have so much name dropping and so much referencing on these tracks; it’s absolutely ridiculous, in a good way of course! But to not make it so complicated for y’all, this album is Game reminding, the game(Pun intended), who he is. He is not phased by these new kids who wanna act tough and most certainly will not hesitate to check anyone who is out of place. There’s no room for any type of soft in this rap life.
Even some older dudes his age talk about Bloods & Crips, but when push comes to shove, they only rep when they think it’s cool. But Game talks about, if you’re a Blood, be a Blood. If you’re a Crip, be a Crip. Everyone is quick to talk, but the game has been one to always prove himself both on a personal level and on a professional one, too.
I could go on and on about this one, but my words cannot do this one justice! Go out and cop this album, if you haven’t already and support this boy that’s been running around LA making some amazing for us to bump.
–Daniel Brojas
-Daniel Brojas
