2008 Woodie Awards
SOUNDBYTES
Issue date: 2/9/05 Section: A&E
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THE GAME - The Documentary
Compton native The Game delivers a street-savvy album with enough pop-sensibility to relay his ghetto-message to the masses.
Jayceon Taylor, aka the Game, has survived more than his share of industry setbacks. After losing two brothers to gang violence, he was shot several times at close range in 2001 and went into a coma. It was during that time after he awoke from the coma that the wild youngster formalized a plan to put the streets back into a genre that has lost touch with its own roots.
Fusing the attitude of '80s Gangsta Rap with the billboard-topping beats of today's "Hip-Pop," The Documentary has managed to mask the bitterness of living in the slums with the sweetness of a beautiful beat.
However, ultimately the album is much more about style than it is about substance.
The spirit of the album and the artist himself may beckon comparisons to trailblazing Gangsta rappers like his mentor Dr. Dre, but falls short of such a comparison in originality.
The album has found commercial success although, thanks to the over-abundance of some of the most popular producers in today's industry, including Dr Dre, Timbaland, Kanye West, Just Blaze and Eminem.
Nevertheless, the Dre Protégé does exhibit flashes of insightful lyricism that can rival most of today's hit-hungry posers.
On the title track, the Game cleverly spits, "If you cross my T's/ I'll dot your I's/ you do life in a cemetery/ I'll do mine with Shyne."
Unlike many other artists today, including G-Unit leader 50 Cent, the Game does have a street credibility that gives the album an authentic feel.
What the Game lacks in lyrical skill and versatile flow, he makes up for in genuine ghetto-insight and charisma. - Jonathan Montalvo
GUSTAVO CERATI - Siempre Es Hoy Remixes
Gustavo Cerati could have easily retired after the 1997 break-up of his group Soda Stereo with the knowledge that his status as one of Latin alternative's greatest visionaries was secure.
Compton native The Game delivers a street-savvy album with enough pop-sensibility to relay his ghetto-message to the masses.
Jayceon Taylor, aka the Game, has survived more than his share of industry setbacks. After losing two brothers to gang violence, he was shot several times at close range in 2001 and went into a coma. It was during that time after he awoke from the coma that the wild youngster formalized a plan to put the streets back into a genre that has lost touch with its own roots.
Fusing the attitude of '80s Gangsta Rap with the billboard-topping beats of today's "Hip-Pop," The Documentary has managed to mask the bitterness of living in the slums with the sweetness of a beautiful beat.
However, ultimately the album is much more about style than it is about substance.
The spirit of the album and the artist himself may beckon comparisons to trailblazing Gangsta rappers like his mentor Dr. Dre, but falls short of such a comparison in originality.
The album has found commercial success although, thanks to the over-abundance of some of the most popular producers in today's industry, including Dr Dre, Timbaland, Kanye West, Just Blaze and Eminem.
Nevertheless, the Dre Protégé does exhibit flashes of insightful lyricism that can rival most of today's hit-hungry posers.
On the title track, the Game cleverly spits, "If you cross my T's/ I'll dot your I's/ you do life in a cemetery/ I'll do mine with Shyne."
Unlike many other artists today, including G-Unit leader 50 Cent, the Game does have a street credibility that gives the album an authentic feel.
What the Game lacks in lyrical skill and versatile flow, he makes up for in genuine ghetto-insight and charisma. - Jonathan Montalvo
GUSTAVO CERATI - Siempre Es Hoy Remixes
Gustavo Cerati could have easily retired after the 1997 break-up of his group Soda Stereo with the knowledge that his status as one of Latin alternative's greatest visionaries was secure.