R.E.D.
Interscope
After having released numerous successful free mixtapes over the past year [many of which can be found reviewed on this very site], there was a lot of expectation for Game‘s [yeah he’s dropped the The apparently] album proper and, thankfully, he’s managed to pull it off. Whilst many more people are buying the new Weezy album, this is the full length to cop if you have to make a choice – stellar beats, top class guest spots and the Compton rapper on fine form.
After a strong opening with hot kid on the block Kendrick Lamar, the action goes full throttle with Dre and Snoop smashing it out the park on Drug Test, a simple yet utterly chest-throbbingly large bassline on Martians Vs Goblins which sees Tyler, The Creator show his legit skill on the mic over a good beat and even give Game some shit for naming his favourite rappers, a slur that’s been used against him for years [to which he jovially replies “Fuck you Tyler”] and the Zombie Nation sampling Red Nation featuring Weezy.
The middle section doesn’t dip either, the Motown-esque hook on Good Girls Gone Bad being following quickly by the sometimes stripped Ricky, which begins with gunshots and crying before Game lays it down plain and simple “My nostalgia is 100% Compton, zero per cent snitch”. Tracks with Ricky Ross and Young Jeezy follow with Game bringing his A-Game throughout. Whilst some critics claim he doesn’t have his own sound, the rapper showcases a flow which simply can’t be dismissed on R.E.D., something that perhaps lacked in terms of consistency over a record before this release.
The only slight on the album is that he has three R&B tracks in a row on the record. I’m a fan of R&B, so that in itself isn’t the problem, but it would have served the overall flow of the album a little better had they been fanned out. Indeed, when the third of the trio is the ultra-catchy Chris Brown led Pot Of Gold, it makes the first two [with Lloyd and Mario respectively] seem totally obselete.
But that’s only a small criticism and with Premo bringing his trademark sound to Born In The Trap towards the end of the record, it ends on a high. It’s a long album, over an hour and with 21 tracks, but within these 70 odd minutes, Game has made his best album yet. If you don’t grab this, you’re most certainly missing out.
Abjekt.