The Game

Compton rapper the Game combines intense autobiographical narratives, a hunger to assert his lyrical prowess, and a creatively referential approach to hip-hop that has justified his stage name. Emerging in the early 2000s as one of the rawest voices on the West Coast scene, the Game's forceful talent was established with The Documentary (2005), a full-length debut that topped the Billboard 200. The rapper has continued to move tirelessly with Doctor's Advocate (2006) and The R.E.D. Album (2011), his second and third number one albums, and other high-charting conceptual projects such as 1992 (2016) and DRILLMATIC Heart vs. Mind (2022). The Game was born Jayceon Terrell Taylor in Compton in 1979. Involved in the drug trade after a rough childhood, it took being shot during a home invasion to get him away from dealing drugs and into a life in music. Inspired by N.W.A, The Chronic, Doggystyle, and classic albums from 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z, Game began rapping in 2001 and never looked back. His barbed and bold freestyles caught the ear of Dr. Dre, who brought the Game on as one of the first signees to his Aftermath Records roster in 2003 and executive-produced his debut. It was delayed a few times, but The Documentary finally dropped in January 2005. With everyone from Dre and 50 Cent to Nate Dogg, Kanye West, and Just Blaze contributing to the album, The Documentary made it clear from the outset that the then-heated geographic squabbles weren't a part of Game's agenda. Soon Game and 50 Cent were at war over the former's reluctance to beef with any and every enemy of G-Unit. Freestyles and mixtapes were spawned in amazing amounts from both sides, and every time a truce seemed possible, things fell apart at the last minute. Dr. Dre was stuck in the middle, and while he never publicly denounced the Game, he passed on working with the rapper for his next effort. Despite Dre's absence, Game's sophomore release kept its original title of Doctor's Advocate when it was released in late 2006. Two years lat