On the 12th anniversary of his debut album The Documentary, The Game was feeling a little bit sentimental, and he took some time to thank the people who helped him get to where he is now.
In a post on Instagram from Wednesday, The Game wrote: “12 years ago today I dropped my 1st album. An album that would go on to sell 10 million copies worldwide & reshape my city & coast.”
He also reserved special praise for two men who helped make his dream come true — legendary producer Dr. Dre and friend-turned-enemy-turned-strip-club-acquaintance 50 Cent.
“I’m forever in debt to Dr. Dre for believing in my dream… [and] 50 Cent for helping push it through the final stages.”
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After The Game signed to Interscope, Dr. Dre had The Game work with rising star 50 Cent and his G-Unit crew to build hype around the West Coast newcomer — a move that ended up being a stroke of genius.
The Game and 50 Cent have a long and storied history together. After 50 Cent and G-Unit worked with The Game on The Documentary, The Game ended up feuding with the Queens OG for a host of well-documented reasons — but the pair apparently buried the hatchet after a decade of dispute when The Game confirmed in late 2016 that “Ain’t nobody on that old shit.”
Also shouted out in The Game’s Instagram post were other West Coast heavyweights such as Kendrick Lamar, Ice Cube and YG, with The Game saying, “We have flourished as a rap culture.”
Twelve years on, it’s fair to say that The Documentary is a monumental album, shifting 586,000 copies in its first week and going on to sell more than 10 million units worldwide. At the time of its release, HipHopDX wrote that we wouldn’t be surprised if it was the best album released in 2005. Looking back, it has certifiably stood the test of time.
