I DONT KNO HOW MANY OF YAWL SEEN THIS YET OR NOT...
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GAME: Playtime Is Over
Hate him or love him, Compton, Calif.-born rapper The Game single-handedly brought the West Coast back when he burst onto the scene with his debut album, The Documentary. Prior to that, he had built up an enormous buzz through a heavy mixtape presence, favorable press clippings, and then (drum roll please), a high-profile affiliation with 50 Cent and his widely popular G-Unit. But with these two hip hop mega-superstars sharing the same brand name, the relationship was bound to go sour.
Now that his much hyped feud with 50 Cent has settled down, it's back to the music for the Aftermath/Interscope artist (yes, he's still signed to the label). Next up, The Doctor's Advocate, Game's sophomore release, scheduled to hit stores in June. BET.com caught up with Game recently for an exclusive interview while he took a break from recording his new album. Here's how it went down.
BET: Let’s talk about your upcoming album, The Doctor’s Advocate. Are you almost done completing it?
Game: I'm about 85 percent done. The only person that I haven’t seen is Kanye. He’s gonna do two or three joints. I worked with Just Blaze, Scott Storch, Swizz Beatz, [and] Dr. Dre. When this album drops, it’s gonna set the tone for the rest of my career.
BET: Despite the rumors, and what 50 has said, you are still working with Dr. Dre?
Game: Yes, I’m an artist signed to Aftermath. The only thing that’s missing is the G-Unit and 50 Cent on the back on the album.
BET: So you are officially no longer affiliated with G-Unit then?
Game: Nah. That’s spoiled milk. Nobody gonna drink that. I don’t even have no ill feelings towards them. Getting rid of [that] was a blessing. I kinda felt like God's had his hands on me. We had one of the biggest rap beefs to date. Like Tupac/Biggie. I woke up and I was right in the middle of it, but only in the beginning stages. I [wasn't] gonna let it get to that point.
BET: But I heard some things about your relationship with Aftermath/Interscope going sour as a result of your beef with G-Unit. Are you on good terms with your record label now?
Game: The politics and the industry and the label, there was so much mixed feelings. I reconciled [it all] now, and everything is good at the label. It’s resolved. I’m ready to drop a load, and it ain’t like I’m some mediocre artist. I made a lot of money for Interscope. The Documentary, my album, went five times platinum.
BET: Was the June 6 (6/6/06) release date for the album intentional or was that a coincidence?
Game: Yes, the devil’s day. That’s the day for all the haters, the day I’m going up against all of that. I’m doing my own thing. That’s my independence day. Free from all the bullsh*t and the hip hop politics, which can be draining. To a young Black male from Compton, to escape all the drama that comes with the rap game, it's draining.
BET: What can we expect from you on this album?
Game: That is the question you should answer yourself. I’m gonna keep that on the wraps.
BET: Are there any guest appearances on this album?
Game: I won’t say. I’m not telling. I’m gonna be on there. I might as well start at No. 1 and rap all the way through No. 15.
BET: Why? Is there no other artist out there in the game that inspires you right now?
Game: There are two cats who are an inspiration. One is Young Jeezy. I’m feeling a lot of what he’s doing. The other is this new cat, Lupe Fiasco, who was on Kanye’s album. Everybody else is just everybody else. I think hip hop is in a state of emergency right now.
BET: What is the main thing you are trying to accomplish with this album?
Game: This is my life, people gotta understand. On this album, I wrote everything just like the last one. I’m fighting for my independence. I’m selling a million the first week.
BET: What else do you have going on outside of the album, the movies, and your sneakers?
Game: Charli Baltimore’s album, which is Pandora’s Box. Charli was one of those girls, she been around so long and she keeps ending up in the wrong situations in life and sometimes that happens. I was in a position where I could help her. We’re working on an album. We’re in the beginning stages of her album.
BET: When is it coming out?
Game: It’s gotta be perfect or it’s not coming out, and she knows that and she’s hungry. We’re aiming for next summer.
BET: Aside from Charli, who is on Black Wall Street?
Game: Black Wall Street right now is just Game and Charli Baltimore. Everybody else, you gotta do a lot of grinding before I shout your name on the radio.
BET: I’ve been reading that you will be venturing into Hollywood.
Game: Yeah. The movie was directed by Vondie Curtis Hall, who did the movie with Tupac, Gridlocked. It’s called Waist Deep. It’s got Tyrese, Larenz Tate, Meagan Good. I’m the villain in the movie. The movie business is where it’s at. More money, less drama.
BET: And there are two other movies, right?
Game: I’ll be working on another movie in the next couple of months. I’m off to a good start as far as my acting reviews are concerned.
BET: Do you think somebody needs to come in and change the game?
Game: Everybody needs to step up to the plate. Hip hop is beautiful and it feeds a lot of people. It’s time for Black people to get up and get out and do something.
