The Game – Doctor’s Advocate
Geffen Records/Black Wall Street (release date: 11/14/2006)
Rap
Hard to believe that a Black man in his 30s with a mortgage, car payment and 2-year-old kid can still get excited about an album coming out.
But, there I was, fighting traffic and a sudden, unexpected San Diego drizzle to cop the latest from The Game. The entire endeavor made me an hour late for work and came with a sanctimonious lecture from the octogenarian working the counter at Target:
“I read about that album. That’s the one with the bad words, isn’t it?”
Yep, Ethel”¦ that’s the, uh”¦ “one”.
You won’t find much West Coast commercial love from my family here at MGF, but since Game dropped The Documentary in early ’05, I’ve watched him do everything in his power to ensure that the left coast remains relevant.
His might be more known for his long-running beef with 50 Cent or his off-the-cuff passive-aggressive attacks on Jay-Z, but Game has kept his name out there with several solid mixtapes even as it appeared he was sabotaging his own success.
Through all the beefing, Game lost a mentor in Dr. Dre, a label in Aftermath and the undeniable, if unexplainable, success of 50 Cent’s hooks. So, what’s left?
“It’s Okay (One Blood)” was a strong first single and a harmless, but harrowing reach for radio that lets listeners know (with the help of a Junior Reid sample) that Game is ready to walk in his own shoes and out of everyone’s shadow.
Still, there’s a strong NWA vibe on some of the early cuts. “Remedy” could’ve come right off of efil4zaggiN, but is infinitely stronger lyrically. The Scott Storch assist on “Let’s Ride” plays like the natural evolution of the familiar California sound that, up to now, has been done to death.
The strongest tracks are easily the Kanye West-led effort on “Wouldn’t Get Far” and the little bit of Nate Dogg that makes “Too Much” just that much tighter. The former is a jaw-dropping assault on video hoes that names names under a ’70s sample and a terrific homage to Tupac’s “All About U” at the end. The latter is built on a strong lyrical assault that includes a great throwaway line pissing on Ken Griffey, of all people.
Unfortunately, Game can’t sustain the momentum as the second half of the album hits an uneven rut. “Ol’ English” and “One Night” just meander along aimlessly, while “Scream on Em” is just OK, but with an annoying hook. Things fall apart on the title track, which sounds like a weepy mash note from Game to Dr. Dre that begs Andre Young to take Game back into his fold. Listening to Game’s voice cracking (a style he used on a track or two on The Documentary) is just as precious as that butterfly tat he recently covered up.
Still, the album finishes with a flourish as Snoop Dogg and Xzibit bring their A-game on “California Vacation”, Daz n’ Kurupt do what they do best on “Bang”, Jamie Foxx holds things together on “Around the World” and Nas kills it on the nine-minute “Why You Hate the Game”.
Rumors abound that Dr. Dre did, in fact, ghost-produce several tracks and I could hear the logic in that argument. Much like Documentary there really aren’t any bad beats from beginning to end, while the few that don’t work aren’t overtly awful.
Game manages to tone down the name-dropping here, while showing signs of maturation on the mic. All of the “Dre ain’t give me a track” lines get old after awhile and Doctor’s Advocate isn’t the grand slam that Game’s been calling, but considering all of the drama he’s been through (and created for himself) over the last 20-some months, it still lives up to the hype.
Even if it’s his own.
Rating:
