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August 1st, 2009Uncategorized
1. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
It takes too long for Game to start actually rapping, but his passion is contagious enough. Of course, having one of Dr. Dre's best compositions playing underneath you can help matters tremendously.
2. JACKIN' FOR BEATS (FEAT FABOLOUS)
I found myself more impressed with Fabo than with The Game, especially after Fabo references Dick Gregory in his second verse. (For the record, I actually don't hate Fabolous behind the mic. I just wish he would pick harder beats to spit to, but he aims to get all of his songs on the radio, so concessions must be made.) The beats that were jacked just sound lackluster when removed from their original context, though.
3. 1 NIGHT STAND (FEAT E-40)
I'm not familiar with the original, Game-less version of this track (if one actually exists: the creators of this tape do go out of their way to announce that this is a "remix", though), but while this isn't the type of beat I would expect to hear E-40 on, the song itself isn't bad. It's not rocket science, but it's decent enough.
4. DON'T MAKE ME KLAP
I hated hated hated Busta Rhymes when he released his garbage “Make It Clap” single, so you can imagine how I feel about Game jacking this particular beat.
5. 100 BARS AND RUNNIN'
The first of many hip hop marathons run by The Game, this one over a slightly altered instrumental from Jay-Z's “(Always Be My) Sunshine”. Truthfully, it's more impressive that Jayceon was able to string together one hundred bars without repeating entire sentences, than it is that the song exists in the first place.
6. INTERVIEW (PT 1)
Blah blah blah stupid skit blah.
7. .40 CAL
I actually really like this freestyle over Snoop Dogg, C-Murder, and Magic's “Down 4 My N----z” beat: to me, this sounds better that the original song, thanks especially to the references to The Last Dragon at the end. There's a version of this freestyle that doesn't use bullshit sound effects over crucial lyrics, though (and yes, I realize I just used the term “crucial lyrics” while referring to a Game song): you should try to find that one on the Interweb, but it goes by a few different titles, so good luck.
8. .44 MAG
The beat for Baby's/Birdman's “What Happened To That Boy” (produced by The Neptunes) has been described as “sinister” and “creepy”, and I can accept those descriptions. Game sounds decent over this, so of course he would never actually utilize an original Neptunes beat of his own for his actual albums. (My theory is that Pharrell and Chad are priced out of his league, even though those two haven't have a huge hit in, what, five years?)
9. INTERVIEW (PT 2)
Actual real-life journalists should be offended by the bullshit “reporter” that is conducting the bullshit “interview”.
10. WHO SHOT ME?
Game's wholesale theft of the Notorious B.I.G.'s “Who Shot Ya?” takes too long to get started, mostly because the gimmick involved (Game's allegedly rapping on a pay phone while locked up) needs to be introduced, lest folks get confused by the fact that Game was just sitting down for an “interview” one track prior. Because of this, his vocals are in a lower register than usual, making it really easy to ignore the lyrics and just listen to the classic beat.
11. STREET ANTHEM (FEAT CAM'RON & JUELZ SANTANA)
As a rule, I'm not a fan of Dip Set, or the Diplomats, or whatever the fuck you want to call them today. I used to think that Killa Cam was alright (I ran out to buy his Confessions of Fire the day it dropped, I'll admit), but he isn't very good on here. Juelz Santana and Jim Jones (who doesn't actually appear on the track but warrants a mention, since he is Dip Set and all) don't impress me at all, though, and Jimmy's tendency to constantly ad-lib behind his lyrics always makes him sound like he's his own hypeman, which just makes him come off as insecure. Anyway, the bastardizing of Scarface's first lines from the Geto Boys classic “My Mind's Playin' Tricks On Me” should earn all of the rappers involved a fucking beatdown in front of their respective children.
12. INTERVIEW (PT. 3)
Wow, Game was overconfident and cocky right from the start. It is interesting that he basically states on here that he doesn't care about the artists firing shots at his labelmates: shouldn't that have been Curtis Jackson's first clue that the G-Unit partnership might not work?
13. CAN'T UNDERSTAND
If I were Raekwon, and I found out that my beat for the classic “Ice Cream” was reappropriated by some no-name (at the time) rapper called The Game, who proceeded to do a really shitty job with it, I would have some words with him, with the aid of a baseball bat. But I'm not Raekwon, so it makes complete sense that Rae would eventually make a guest appearance on Game's L.A.X. I guess cooler heads prevailed. That, or the Chef has never actually heard this track.
14. SHERM STICK
Can you imagine how much shittier Curtis Jackson's Get Rich or Die Tryin' would have sounded if his collaboration with Lil' Kim, “Magic Stick”, actually made the album as promised, instead of being used for Kim's album? God, that song was embarrassing. As is this shit.
15. HOW U WANT THAT (FEAT LOON)
Kelis appears on the hook, but for some reason, didn't warrant a credit on the mixtape. Loon's original song, if I recall, didn't do that well on the radio anyway (maybe I'm just not in the right part of the country), so I found it strange that Game was willing attach himself to such a suck-ass song.
16. OUTRO
This is just the deejay sending shout-outs to all of his friends. Nothing to see here.
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July 17th, 2009Uncategorized
1. CONVERSATION #1
I appreciate how they tried to make it sound like “Oh, I just finished recording the last vocal for Conversation, so let's see how the final product sounds”, although if you've never even heard of this album before today, I just gave away the ending, so whoops! Anyway, regardless of that theme, this is still a rap album intro, and everyone at this point knows how Max feels about them.
2. ROUND & ROUND
I didn't care for this song when it was released as the first single from Conversation, but hearing it today, it's pleasant as hell. The two rappers are in no way ever going to be considered as twin Rakims or anything, but they are both better rappers than producer Warren G. So of course it makes sense that Warren is the only one of the three that still has what can be considered a rap career.
3. GOOD TIMES
Shit, this sounds so good that I'm going to go hit up a barbecue right fucking now. I'll be back in a few hours or days, give or take.
4. 4 EYES 2 HEADS (FEAT GORGEOUS JUDAH RANKS)
The vocals at the very beginning are unnerving, and the hook is just weird, but looking past that, this song is really good. I believe this was also a single at some point: I recall a video being shot, even though I don't remember ever actually watching it.
5. JUMP TA THIS
Well, they can't all be winners.
6. EASTSIDE LB (FEAT WARREN G.)
The hook is a little corny, but otherwise, this song will bring your soul to a level of inner peace that isn't possible when listening to, say, Lil' Wayne. This may have been a single, too: Conversation was released back in a time when Def Jam really tried to sell the shit out of their albums prior to giving up, unlike today, when they drop their promotion after an album fails to move more than one million units in its opening week. (A somewhat related side note: is anybody else worried about how the label will treat Method Man and Redman's Blackout 2 when it's released tomorrow?)
7. SORRY I KEPT YOU (FEAT WARREN G.)
This was my favorite song on Conversation back when I first bought it. The Rakim vocal sample is a nice bonus, but the real draw here is Warren G's production work. The track still sounds just as good as I remember, by the way.
8. CONVERSATION #2
Skit...
9. JOURNEY WITH ME
Actually sounds a bit too much like “Good Times” for my liking. Because they already made that song, you see.
10. HOLLYWOOD (FEAT JAH SKILLZ & NEB LOVE)
I would have appreciated some more hardcore tracks on Conversation, it's okay, since ultraviolence isn't in the nature of theTwinz. At the time I picked this up, I was a West Coast freak and was more familiar with the laid-back Cali sound: the only East Coast act I followed religiously in 1995 was the Wu-Tang Clan, and I picked up everybody else's albums whenever I got around to them. (Oh, how the tides have turned, huh?) Anyway, this posse cut is pretty bland.
11. 1st ROUND DRAFT PICK (FEAT WARREN G.)
Sounds like an outtake from Regulate...G Funk Era, which it might actually be, since this is the most violent track on here, and that still isn't saying much. This is too melodic to ever be confused with “actual” gangsta rap, but it still sounds alright.
12. CONVERSATION #3
Skit...
13. DON'T GET IT TWISTED (FEAT NEW BIRTH)
I always skipped this song when I was younger, and today I find it to be okay, but nothing to write home about. You may want to call home, though, because your parents have missed you, and want to make sure you're doing okay, and besides, I'm pretty sure they could give a fuck if you liked “Don't Get It Twisted” or not.
14. PASS IT ON (FEAT FOESUM & WARREN G.)
I've heard more engaging weed songs in my lifetime. Which is weird to say, since weed is supposed to relax you, not make you more energetic and amped. Oh, well.
