The Game Returns With The Documentary 3
Compton rap icon The Game returns with The Documentary 3, the highly-anticipated third installment of his landmark The Documentary album series. Twenty years after The Documentary helped reignite Los Angeles in the hip-hop conversation, The Game is back with an expansive new album featuring Drake, Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Lil Wayne, E-40, YG, Black Thought, Larry June, Drakeo The Ruler, Kalan.FrFr, PARTYNEXTDOOR, Leon Thomas, Marsha Ambrosious, Tyga, RJmrLA, Almighty Joey, Lit Papi, ArmonieJAY, Lefty Gunplay and AZ Chike. This lineup of features adds to the already banging tracks you will hear as ‘Love it or Hate it’ is sort of a remix to The Documentary 1’s Hate it or Love it from 2005. The song ’20 deep’ featuring Mike & Keys has a similar sound to another track that was also featured on The Documentary 1 called ‘Runnin’ featuring Tony Yayo. The album gives you a vintage feeling of old school Game where he shows his lyrical prowess over fresh beats. On ’40 Nights’, The Game & Ye reunite on a produced track by Ye, Mike & Keys, and TBHIts (Tommy Brown). Game says a line which has caused some conversations on social media ‘Last year Ye said we mad at the Jews. I said, “What that mean? We ain’t gettin’ no more shoes?” Drake half Jewish, I like the Jews. Not all of ’em, but, most of them cool. And sometimes, I feel the same way about my own race, Til I start starin’ at my own face”. The original ’40 nights’ track has a verse that speaks about about Jay-Z where he says “I never got a verse from Hov, But my brother did a whole album with him”.
We also get a track with The Game singing called ‘Party At The Game’s featuring PARTYNEXTDOOR. This track gives you vibes of PARTYNEXTDOOR’S label mate Drake with the singing and rapping over a mellow beat. With The Documentary 3, The Game is once again stepping forward to reclaim Los Angeles’ place at the forefront of hip-hop while reminding the world why he helped put the city back on the map in 2005.
“Everybody wanna debate who the greatest rapper out of LA is. I’m here to remind y’all what the standard was. 20 years ago I was the one who put LA back where it belonged. And I’m back to do it again.” – The Game
He also goes on to sample Ashanti’s track ‘Baby’ on the song ‘Baby’ featuring Kalan,FrFr, ArmonieJay. Showing how current the track is, The Game mentions the relationship between artist Larry June and Jhené Aiko (which happened last week) on ‘In The Way’. He says ‘Larry June got Jhené And there must be jelly cause jam don’t shake. Little booties matter too, ask Coi Leray.
Coinciding with the album, The Game will debut a new music video for The Documentary 3 track “Sticks” at 12PM PST today. Directed by Benny Boom, the visual finds Game delivering bars alongside a bevy of women and rapping in front of Pueblo Del Rio, better known as “The Pueblos,” one of LA’s most historic housing communities, while bringing the energy back to the streets with friends and longtime collaborators from the block. WATCH HERE.
‘Nothing 2 Hide’ is probably The Game’s deepest and most personal track on the album. He talks about dealing with depression, Nipsey Hussle’s death, and more.
The launch of the album is also accompanied by a cinematic trailer unveiling the tracklist. Directed by Sam King (Snoop Dogg, Chris Brown, Kehlani), the visual is steeped in West Coast imagery, from lowriders on Dayton wire wheels to classic Converse sneakers and the streets that shaped The Game’s story, capturing the visual world surrounding the next chapter of The Game’s career. WATCH HERE
‘Track Meet The Parents’, hits different & honestly I thought ‘Nothing 2 Hide’ was deep, but this track goes even deeper into his issues with his family as you can hear the pain in his voice as he cries over the track. Mentioning the drugs made in his house, his sister stepping out of control, not wanting to be in a gang, but having it passed on to him. I’ve listened to The Game for over 20 years, and this in my opinion is a top 5 track from him. Very deep and I learned more about him through this track.
The Documentary 3 follows Every Movie Needs A Trailer and End Credits, The Game’s acclaimed Gangsta Grillz mixtapes with DJ Drama, which served as an appetizer to the LP. Recorded in just 48 hours with GRAMMY-nominated production duo Mike N Keys, the 18-track project gave fans a fresh dose of The Game’s signature West Coast storytelling and lyrical intensity while building anticipation for the forthcoming album.
This momentum also comes on the heels of The Game’s highly discussed appearance on Complex and Apple Music’s Verzuz with fellow Compton rapper YG, a landmark celebration of West Coast hip-hop that generated 3 million live streams and more than 4 billion online impressions, fueling a new conversation around LA’s place in the modern hip-hop landscape.
He links up with Marsha Ambrosius again on the track ‘Game Recognize Game’. These 2 have great chemistry on tracks over the years as she was also on featured on The Documentary 1’s ‘Start From Scratch’. And just like that track, it hits deep as The Game reflects on his life, his kids, and how much he has grown as a man.. This article is not only a review, but someone who bought his first album back in 2005 while I was college and now that moment comes full circle.