Game - California Republic Review

The Game is a having a grand old west coast party and everyone's invited! That seems to be the idea behind California Republic, the rap J.T.'s mammoth new offering that crams over 30 professional practicing rappers and 2 Chainz on to 24 tracks. It creates an intense and extended experience, and what the mixtape lacks in tight focus it makes up for with a successful R.S.V.P. list that incluces Drake, Rick Ross and Snoop. If The Game was looking to remind the world that he's still relevant, he's done it by association.

For his part, The Game continues to pack his raps with references to other artists. He kicks things off with something of an ode to Drake on "God Speed" with Mele and then follows it up with the Just Blaze-crafted "Red Bottom Boss" with Rick Ross that has him addressing his grievances with Jay-Z with honesty: "Twenty-second mixtape/ Half of 'em dis tapes/ But fuck who I was dissing 'cause I never made a mistake/ Bleek got what he deserved, Jay I might have been tripping/ I was falling, I was slipping/ He was Jordan, I thought I was Pippen/ He was winning, I was losing/ He threw a jab, I started bruising/ So I threw in the towel just to separate our confusion." But being The Game, he then can't help adding,"'Ivy Blue' was beautiful/ Me saying that's unusual/ That's just the father in me/ Don't think I'm trying to be cool with you."...full text After a strong, underrated LP release in The R.E.D. Album, Game is back once again with yet another onslaught of music. His latest release, California Republic, serves as more proof that Game may be one of the hardest working MCs when it comes to making and releasing songs. Unfortunately, it also serves as an awkward reminder that sometimes quantity does not equal quality in more ways than one. Sadly, the DJ Skee-hosted project is an overall average mixtape from an artist that’s proven time and time again to be much so more.
Game is an incredibly versatile artist that enjoys what he does, and that’s clear to anyone who listens to his music. However, most of Republic suffers from the aforementioned flaws. “Skate On” has a show-stealing verse from Lupe Fiasco, “The Drill” has decent cameos from Meek Mill and Ace Hood, “Greystone” (feat. Fat Joe, Young Chris, and Sam Hook) has a smooth vibe to it, and the Neptune-produced “It Must Be Tough” may be one of the more addicting songs you’ll hear this year as of now. These, along with a few others, are thorough, well-rounded, and, simply put, hot tracks. However, there’s far too much filler here to appreciate it....full text Game has been accused of being a name dropper in his rhymes in the past, so if you don't like hearing about Dr. Dre, LeBron James, Diddy or Lil Wayne then you might want to start looking elsewhere right now. Personally it doesn't bother me so much since more often than not they're part of a punchline like "me and my nigga 'bout to go hard like when LeBron dunk" so that's fine with me. On the other hand, I don't need to hear "Detox" teased for about the thousandth time, because I'm not sure Dr. Dre is ever releasing it nor that I could still care by the time he finally gets around to it. I'm lying - I'd still buy that on CD, that is if the CD format still exists by that time. Sure you can burn "California Republic" to a disc if you want, and even use a color printer to make a tray insert for it and that Oscar the Grouch artwork to slide in the front, but I'm not going to. I already have a plethora of Game's albums in hard copies as it is, so I'm endorsing this release even if I'm slightly concerned he gave away a little TOO much....full text The Game’s California Republic mixtape opens with a kiddy-pool-shallow piece of self-aggrandizement that sets the stage almost too well for the tracks to come. Within the space of three lines, “God Speed” has dropped references to Louis Vuitton, clubbing, Maserati coups, and the act of “stuntin’”. Not only are these touchstones about as tired as they come (when was the last time someone claimed they were “stuntin’”?), but they serve as the opening argument for what will become the decisive, exhaustively argued thesis of California Republic: The Game just doesn’t have a lot to say.

In case his PR maneuvers have passed you by unnoticed, let it be known that The Game is a Los Angeles-based rapper made famous by his inclusion in G-Unit, then made even famous-er by his ejection from that self-same collective. He has released four studio albums since 2005 and has a fifth (F.I.V.E.: Fear Is Victory’s Evolution) due later this year....full text