But contributions from the likes of Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Kanye West, Common, J. The lead single alone features superstars Lil Wayne, Chris Brown, Tyga and Wiz Khalifa, making “Celebration” another modest hit for Game. Per usual, he did so with a ton of friends along for the ride, but unlike the past few years preceding Jesus Piece, Game had a renewed vigor and focus that made it so those guests didn’t overwhelm or outperform his own effort. Jesus PieceĪfter two lackluster outings in a row, The Game came back with a vengeance in 2012, reestablishing himself as one of the most respected emcees in all of hip-hop. The album’s highlight is “The Juice,” another jog down memory lane for Game with Lorine Chia adding haunting vocals between Game’s musings about his life and career highlights. In fact, “All Eyez” became a modest hit thanks to a seductive chorus from Jeremih and tons of wit from Game to turn what could have been a flop into a bouncy little bop. If anything, it’s a testament to Game’s talent that he can make this a listenable and enjoyable experience after a decade in the industry. He’s still telling us about Biggie and Pac influencing him. He’s still telling us about his relationship, or lack thereof, with Dr. He’s still telling us he went 5x platinum on his first album. Here, instead, he’s just recycling them and rapping over things we’ve heard already, years and decades ago. Game’s album immediately preceding this thrived within this sphere, giving new takes on familiar sounds. The problem is, we’ve heard this all before, both figuratively and literally. Poignant commentary on race relations on top of a powerful production from a legend? Imagine if Game focused and knocked out 10 of these.
Then, of course, the album is bookended by a soulful Hi-Tek instrumental that Game and Nas rip to shreds for nearly six minutes on “Letter To The King.” In one fell swoop they give LAX its lasting highlight, one of the greatest songs in Game’s career, and annoy by teasing what a focused Game could have provided here. That just makes it easy for Game and Common to float all over beat and churn out an earworm worthy of repeated listens. On “Angel,” Kanye West provides a production that sounds like a sunny day in 1980s LA in a lowrider as palm trees sway above you. That’s not to say the album is a failure entirely. Ne-Yo is there for what is supposed to be a flirtatious ode to women and ends up being a clumsy proposition for threesomes instead. Keyshia Cole pops up for a song that screams “summer time in Los Angeles” in the laziest way possible. The plan was obvious, as Game went after radio-friendly production with guest appearances to boost the appeal. The album is a lethargic, by the numbers affair. What fans got with LAX was a little bit more than that, though, as he just never seemed to get his footing right. There’s really nowhere else to go but down when you open your career up with a classic and a possible, so some slippage was to be expected from Game. Admitting you’re “stressed the fuck out” about the lukewarm reception of an album is basically an admission of guilt, and he’d be right to feel that way because that’s about exactly what LAX was. The critical reception to Game’s third album haunted him so much he decided to rap about it on his next album.
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