The Game once considered signing to Suge Knight and Death Row Records but it didn’t take him long to realize that it wouldn’t be the right situation for him.
The Compton native recently sat down with VladTV where he discussed running with Suge for two months in the early 2000s but eventually looking elsewhere for a label deal.
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“I was running around with Suge and Eastwood and my homeboy Sonic for about two months and I figured out this wasn’t the place for me,” he said. “I remember when they came out with I don’t know if it was XXL or The Source cover where they had Left Eye on there with Suge and Crooked I, Eastwood and I just felt like I should be on there.
“That was the competitive nature of young West Coast n-ggas back then… I just felt like I belonged on records. So I stopped fucking with them and then I started running with Diddy a little bit and then Diddy sort of pushed me over to Dre when Dre was ready to sign me.”
Watch the clip below:
Thanks to his early mixtapes, The Game’s name was buzzing in the music industry as a free agent. After nearly signing with Diddy’s Bad Boy Records, Dr. Dre convinced Game to join Aftermath Entertainment under the Interscope Records umbrella in 2003.
Years later, Game reflected on his relationship with Suge Knight in 2019 on a track titled “Stainless.”
“I went from wanting to be Suge to hating Suge to fucking with him/ Twenty-eight years a long-ass time, it’s fucking with him/ Talked to him on the phone the other day/ About how he could’ve signed me before Dre,” he raps.
After inking a deal with Aftermath, Game eventually unleashed his acclaimed major label debut The Documentary in January 2005, which topped the Billboard 200. Earlier this year, he reflected on the project’s 18th anniversary and even gave props to Dr. Dre and 50 Cent.
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“18 years ago today…. A hip hop classic was born,” The Game captioned his post. “All I wanted to do was tell my story & make sure my son would never live the life I did. @snoopdogg passed me the torch, @bustarhymes kept me focused… @drdre laid the foundation & @50cent helped put the puzzle together.”
He continued: “I took @jonathanmannion to the depths of Compton, California & showed him the heart of what I survived. He captured the essence of my city, my hood & brought to the world my vision. Always remember, it is no longer a dream once it becomes reality.”
