Album Review: The Game- L.A.X.
The Game
L.A.X.
Geffen Records/Interscope
6.5/10
Written By: Samir Siddiqui
The Game’s eagerness to engage in any and all rap beefs might be perceived as a legitimate hunger for competition, but in actuality, his latest barbs and jabs have been weak attempts at filling the holes in his somewhat underwhelming fresh material. His newest project, L.A.X., certainly suffers from stretches of uninspired rapping, but Game is clever enough to armour his album with a string of all-star guest-spots and a host of big-name producers.
This is the opinion of Samir Siddiqui and if you disagree feel free to leave a comment giving your thoughts on the review and album.
Fortunately, L.A.X. side-steps the Doctor’s Advocate’s empty grasps at Dr. Dre-esque production, instead relying on a soundscape punctuated by rolling drum-lines, prevalent samples, and twinges of G-Funk. “State of Emergency” works off a killer throwback synth line and crashing drums, with Game providing a noteworthy young Ice Cube rendition, and the 90’s vibe continues with Raekwon throwing darts on the scrappy “Bulletproof Diaries.” The Lil Wayne-assisted “My Life” is an instant grabber, with Game ironically at his best at his most vulnerable over a subtly building arrangement by Cool & Dre; it’s perhaps the most potently written song of the bunch, with Game spitting bars like, “like Roc-a-Fella needed Sigel…I needed my father, but he needed a needle…Ain’t no bars, but ni**as can’t escape the hood/ it took so many of my ni**as, that I should hate the hood“.
The middle portion of the album, however, is littered with mediocrity, the worst culprits being the schmaltzy R&B crossovers “Gentleman’s Affair” and “Touchdown,” weak efforts worsened by cringe-worthy hooks (”this sex appeal, is not a skill“) and cheesy mood-setting (”like the ocean after the sunset“). The more experimental songs are of a hit or miss variety- the sleek bounce of “Angel” overshadows the mediocre funk influence on “Cali Sunshine,” and the speaker-rattling chemistry of Game and Travis Barker on “Dope Boys” is a far better rock/hip-hop blend than DJ Toomp’s awkwardly arranged “House of Pain.”
Lyrically, L.A.X. continues Game’s trend of treading water and relying on delivery and style; he can reminisce about the Fresh Prince and Big Daddy Kane (”Game’s Pain”), and trade more culture-conscious verses with Nas (”Letter to the King”), but if this is indeed Game’s final opus (which it won’t be), it’s a musical canvas that is only partially painted on. For such a loud character, his written representation is a far more subdued and far less unique take on The Game; he questions his status as being not quite one of the best in the game, and it is largely due to his inconsistency in crafting engaging lyrics that some of his former contemporaries have now passed him by.
Tags: The Game
