It’s every fan’s wet dream to have their favorite rapper heed their advice on the creation of the MC’s next album. The Game just soiled a lot of bedsheets by welcoming input for his upcoming ninth studio album, which is still named Westside Story at the moment.
As we look forward to one of the most anticipated rap albums of the year, we at HipHopDX decided to chime in with five ways Game can turn Westside Story into a bona fide classic.
Don’t Enlist Bongo To Produce Over Well-Worn Samples
The Game has been rocking with former L&F producer Bongo since 2015’s The Documentary 2. Bongo has made several solid cuts for Game but has a tiresome habit of being utilized for all-too-familiar samples. “On Me” featuring Kendrick Lamar on The Documentary 2 borrowed from Erykah Badu’s “On and On,” while on 1992, “Savage Lifestyle” and “True Colors/It’s On” recycled Marvin Gaye’s “Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)” and Ice-T’s “Colors,” respectively. Game and Bongo continue this trend on the first-announced Westside Story single, “OH I,” which featured Jeremih, Young Thug and Sevyn. The song samples Eugene Wilde’s “Gotta Get You Home Tonight,” which long ago made its name in Hip Hop on Foxy Brown’s “Get Me Home” featuring Blackstreet.
We mostly gave Game a pass for this practice because it fit well with 1992’s nostalgic theme. However, if he wants to give Westside Story its own sense of identity, he needs to keep the samples fresh.
Music Befitting His Age
Jayceon Taylor is just a few years from 40, and longtime vets have proven artists can make compelling grown-man rap that connects with the masses. It seems like Game’s life is good, so he should turn the clock to 4:44 and make music that is more Bordeaux than Belvedere.
We know that with an album potentially to be named Westside Story, L.A. gang life is going to be a central topic. However, Game already proved he’s capable of maturation when he took to the armchair for story time on “Young Niggas” on 1992. Creative, seasoned ways to express his Bloody sentiments would help make the album timeless.
Hits, Hits, Hits!
On the other hand, Chuck Taylor shouldn’t be so grandfatherly that he puts us to sleep. The last Game single to crack Billboard’s Top 40 was “My Life” featuring Lil Wayne, which hit No. 21 — nearly a decade ago. Since then, Game has had a number of singles break the Billboard Hot 100 but most of them, such as the Jeremih-assisted “All Eyez,” sound like forced attempts at radio play, rather than organic creations that Game actually wanted to make.
50 Cent collabs like “How We Do” and “Hate It Or Love It” can never be duplicated and probably can’t be matched. However, if Game can tap back into his gangsta-tinged rap sensibilities with true commercial appeal inspiration, he can come up with a record he can use to bolster both the album’s sales and its replay value.
Don’t Force The Collab Magic
When Game solicited suggestions for his album, 50 Cent was among the names suggested by fans as a collaboration. As we just said, though, an inspired Fiddy ain’t walking through that door. Forced collaborations for the sake of nostalgia never work out well, so if Game is considering reaching into his past for a feature, he better think realistically about whether or not it can work. That goes for collaborations with Busta Rhymes and the rest of G-Unit, too. Lil Wayne and Chris Brown may be strong exceptions, because the two have consistently collaborated over the years, mostly yielding successful results. Also, Wayne showed his pen is still sharp on Dedication 6.
However, Game should, as a rule, only go for rappers who can enhance his album. That advice goes for any album, but is especially vital for Game, since he is often so collab-happy.
Cut The Name-Dropping In Half
For the love of all things pure and decent, please, please, no more name-dropping — if you can logically help it. Mr. Taylor, we know that you have name-dropped incessantly on every album since your classic The Documentary, but it has Got. To. Stop. Your status as an elite rap historian is already cemented, and we’ve long been at the point where references to 2Pac, B.I.G., Dr. Dre and Eazy-E detract from rather than enhance your music.
If you have to drop names, at least refresh us with ones you haven’t rapped about 1,435 times before. Like Black Thought. Or Phife Dawg. Just not Kriss Kross. That would be wiggity wiggity wiggity wack.
No obnoxious name drops, less street gun shit, we want that 30+ grown folk lyrics son! and good producers, premo, havoc, just blaze, and stay away from the Drakes 21 dumbs and lil wacks rappers
Wishful thinking at best. I’m not expecting much from this album.
That Oh I single is the one of if not the worst Game song I’ve ever heard. I have extremely low expectations with this album. I’d like to hear a more West Coast sounding album like Doctor’s Advocate was but I’m not holding my breath. It’ll probably sound like a ATL album.
If game wants a classic album here is his 5 things.
1. Get an inspired 50 for two tracks.
2. Get dope features like k.dot,nas, snoop ,future,, cardi b,big sean
3. Get fresh beats … Mikewillmadeit, young metro,dr.dre ,em ,yezzy, dj quik
4. Name drop but do it a little less
5. Be you and don’t copy a mubble rapper.
You right. I still want to see one more Nas hook up too
1$T. Find a New Manager. 2nd. Hire Me. 3rd. Make Westside Story featuring Unreleased Never heard Verses From Mac Dre, Masburg, EAZY-E, 2Pac & Nate Dogg. Also feature COLD 187, Bg knocc out, gangsta Dresta, Kokane, Kurupt & Daz, X raided, Dru Down, E-40. Now That would be a WESTSIDE STORY!!!! Hire Me Buddy!!! Make U A Real Star!!!!
Aaron McKrell you need to be benched for at least a month for this part;
“Also, Wayne showed his pen is still sharp on Dedication 6. ”
and these are the lines you’re referring to!!
Dripping wet, Mercedes Benz/Dripping wet and glazy clit
She snort one line, want a sequel/When I bust I yell ‘Eureka!
My dick is an electric chair, feel the voltage
your grounded mckrell! no more articles for a month!
You shouldn’t assume. I wrote the editorial about the zaniest Wayne lyrics but those were far from the best. They were just the most eccentric. Dedication 6 was full of dope lyricism. Again, don’t assume.
Again, stop repeating yourself. Stop repeating yourself. Stop. Repeating. Yourself. It sounds stupid. Stupid. Stupid. Get it?
how are you qualified to tell Game how he can do something you never done ? Game has some classics im sure he knows more about his brand than you do.
Well he did ask for fans input…kinda what this whole article was about.
#6 have 50 write it for him like his first one
Just quit the game it has pass you by. You were never that good in the first place. Dr.dre can’t save you. He is done himself. This guy is still talking about detox. Dr. Dre can’t do bangaz anymore. Shady and aftermath records are both corny.
1) No trap beats. 2) No trap artist features. 3) no watersprinkler hi-hats. 4) No Cardi, no Nicki, no Lil Wayne, no Future, etc. 5) follow the Doctor’s Advocate and LAX blueprint.
Production should stick with Hi-tek, Quik, DJ Khalil, Dewaun Parker, Ervin Pope, Scott Storch, Preemo, Will.I.Am, Dr. Dre, justice league, etc.
Features should be limited to Nas, Anderson Paak, Rick Ross, Snoop, KDot, Xzibit, Scarface, Andre3000, and finally get that JayZ features he’s always trying to get.
There’s your classic album, Game.
Oh, yes! That’s it, ths is basically a script that you follow and your album just CAN’T FAIL.
The sample one is a big one for me. I didn’t like the production and all of the reused samples on 1992.
Just give me something that sounds like Doctor’s Advocate
Game never made and will make a classic. he is a corny rapper with sometimes a few dope songs. he steals flows, styles and concepts of others
Well said man his first album was good for a pop artist but the rest of his music has been corny. Name dropping, Face tats, bad beats and terrible guests appearance to fit in. Let Dre produce the shit and it will still be weak.
Bad beats? lol. I can accept the rest, but bad beats? He has one of the best ears in the game.
Think he must recruit back the producers from the Doctors advocate album!
Dr.Dre, Scott Storch and Mike Elizondo gotta produce the whole thing with some hi tek nottz and just blaze in order for him to have a slight chance of making a classic.
Shut up with this “Ways he can make a classic album” garbage. Who the hell are and how many albums have you produced or put together? How many classic albums have you put together? Exactly just as many as everyone on this comment section, ZERO. Oh but you’re an expert because you listened to The Chronic a couple times and Illmatic. Great, you’re so phony. How about douches like you an dmost of these queers now days just shut the hell up and listen to the product and draw your own conclusion instead of repeating what will get you the most retweets. If it was up the internet there wouldn’t have never been a classic album put together period.
is that you Game? Tell em why you mad son
Such a stupid fkn argument. People can’t have opinions on something unless they’ve actually done it themselves? I can’t talk about the sport I’m watching unless I’ve played the game at the highest level myself? I can’t critique a film unless I’ve made an Oscar winning one myself? Sit he fk down.
We don’t have these problems in the underground!
Too much emphasis in hip hop on making a “classic” album these days. You don’t hear this in other genres of music where if an album isn’t classic its a failure. We should be happy if an artist makes a great or really good album. Not everything has to be a classic.
Considering the album is called Westside Story Get DJ Quick and Dr Dre to produce the album. Put KDot, Snoop, Korrupt, MC Ren and Xzibit on a couple joints. Have SZA sing a couple hooks. That’s it.
He mentioned something years ago about making an album where the features or something are all legend OGs of rap. That would be solid.
Cc the docu2+2.5
I cant emphasize or stress enough on that last point
Lol..when eminem stops name-dropping