« . . . and you will know us by the trail of dead :: worlds apart | Main | new releases 02.15.05 »
February 14, 2005
the game :: the documentary
 |
| (buy) |
This new hotshit G-Unit Dr. Dre protegé is by and large a fraud, and The Documentary is a mostly mediocre commercial hip-hop record. Which is to say it's better than average, simply by virtue of being listenable all the way through. There are a few decent productions scattered around, and the two Just Blaze joints rip. However, Kanye West contributes the two most uninspired tracks I've heard from him, and Dre mails in mostly "In Da Club" minor-key cinematic ripoffs. They're not bad; it's all just by-the-numbers.
It's the name-dropping that hurts the most, and it never lets up. Game's vocals are fine, but when he spends the better part of his lyrics reminding you of better MCs - mostly his Compton ancestors, N.W.A., it's hard not to wish for better days. He makes his admiration for his betters clear - mostly through reference, but egregiously in the case of the Eminem-produced track by copping his flow exactly. There's nothing new at all here.
No MP3s of this one; we'd draw fire for a top 40 blockbuster like this. Flip on your local urban station. You'll hear the decent single, "How We Do", within an hour.
Posted by John at February 14, 2005 11:54 PM