The Game - The Documentary (2005)

Since the first disc of The Game's hotly anticipated The Documentary 2 is releasing tomorrow, I felt it necessary I give The Game a serious listen. After all, he was fantastic on Dr. Dre's Compton.

The Documentary totally seemed right up my alley. The Game's debut record was made in collaboration with the hottest artists at the time (50, Kanye), and was mostly produced by Dr. Dre. There's so much collaboration in this album. In fact, excessive collaboration is what makes The Documentary so likable, but also might be its crux.

Thing is, The Game said that the album and its 17 tracks are highly personal. But it feels like Game has no distinct voice. The first few songs feel like they owe something to another record. ("Westside Story" = "Still D.R.E."; "Dreams" = The College Dropout; "Hate It or Love It" = Get Rich or Die Tryin'…) A case for The Game's uniqueness isn't helped by constant namedropping of N.W.A. or Marvin Gaye.

But really, is The Documentary trying to be groundbreaking? Other debuts like The College Dropout was groundbreaking upon release. So was The Chronic and Get Rich or Die Tryin'. But maybe The Documentary doesn't have to be. It certainly is very good. But on the title track, Game lists his debut alongside Illmatic, Reasonable Doubt, All Eyez on Me, and Ready to Die. At least on this album, The Game begs comparison to other hip-hop greats. His confidence is nice, but it's not entirely justified, at least on this debut.

There's something about The Game that's almost forgettable. There's a lack of an original style here. The Game tries hard to be Eazy-E II, but really could've tried to be his own voice. But there's no denying The Game is good. These west coast beats are funky, and he rides 'em like a kid on a tricycle. He makes it sound easy. (or should I say Eazy)

To The Documentary's credit, there is nary a weak track here. That can't be said about many albums, and especially ones this massive. Literally everything bangs. It's a fantastic showcase for The Game, 50 Cent, and a massive producer ensemble. You damn well know I'm gonna be playing this in my car loud and proud. Standout tracks include "Westside Story", "Hate It or Love It", "Church for Thugs", and the title track (despite the boastful hook).

And as I wait for The Documentary 2, I now realize how high the bar has been set. I certainly hope many albums and tapes later that The Game has found a voice all his own though. But if The Documentary 2 sounds anything like this, it's bound to be good.

Okay but on "Higher", why did Dre say "Look out for Detox"? What a tease.

7.5/10