Generally, the bickering and babbling that coincides with ranking the year’s best LPs tend to blur the focus on the overall picture.

While some albums directly catered to personal preferences more immensely than others, all the selections emerged amongst the year’s best in regards to quality, visibility and of course, durability. Behold fifteen albums deserving of all the accolades and praises heaped upon them throughout the course of 2008. And their value will only solidify going in to 2009.

No order. No bias. Just noteworthy Hip-Hop.

Nas – Untitled

“From the brooding opening piano loop of “Queens Get The Money” to the uplifting snares on “Black President,” Nas channels his inner Walt Whitman as he explores the Black Diaspora. Lyrically though, his wordplay and delivery are sharp as ever as if all the attention to the title made Nas put extra effort and focus into his words…“ — From “America” – Review Of Nas’ Untitled Album

BONUS – Get familiar with Nas & DJ Green Lantern – The Nigger Tape Read the rest of this entry »

Game’s “Camera Phone” featuring Ne-Yo. Coming off L.A.X.

Perhaps the most puzzling facet of The Game’s character is not the fact that he continuously partakes in unusual antics, but it’s that he has the talent to let his music do the talking, opposed to his various shenanigans. Two critically acclaimed albums deep in the game, and it’s his reputation off-the-record that’s usually the topic of discussion. However, if he wasn’t making good music, nobody would seem to care. And judging from “Dope Boys” and “Game’s Pain,” the first singles off his third album L.A.X., he plans on keeping his spot as the West Coast’s premier attraction intact. He also stays true to his ability to thread the line between commercial and credible for an entire LP. Read the rest of this entry »

For your hard drive archives. Hit the break for the link. Read the rest of this entry »

The Word “nigger” is nothing like “nigga”
Don’t sound shit alike
Like Game like Jigga
One came before the other
Like aim and pull the trigger
One is slain for my brother
One is hanging, take a picture
The rope ain’t tight enough, he still alive, go fix it
Pour some gasoline on ‘em, call his daughters Black bitches Read the rest of this entry »

Previously Posted — “Suicide…” | Roll Call.

“..It’s a suicide”

Remember when things used to happen for a reason?

Now, I know The Game has an album to promote in a dying industry and would feed off fumes to fuel a beef with Mr. Carter. I am also aware that he also has crews that he’s trying to put on and a supposed retirement that he seems to realize will be a mistake. Even then, this seems like a desperately stretched reach. Read the rest of this entry »

Props to Mr. X

The Game Feat. Ne-Yo – Camera Phone

Bonus Shot — The Game – “I Love Your Girl” Freestyle (Video)

Previously Posted — The Game – Superman

L.A.X. will be here before you know it…

The Game – Superman (Props to Legend)

And this is a Justin Blaze production!

The official video for “Dope Boys” and not the other one. Read the rest of this entry »

“I’m here today because Dr. Dre gave me a chance to be somebody,” said The Game when he took the mic at his listening party in Santa Monica. “Who’s Game? It’s me… I’m here, I’m naked, I’m real as shit, I’m rich, I got my album.”

An hour earlier, Game had pulled up to The Thom Thom Club for the first industry listening of his forthcoming L.A.X. album in a midnight Bentley with a crimson logo and matching rims. Through the grandeur of an uber-exclusive list at a door surrounded by secret-service-like security, Game’s entrance was lined with a touch of welcome humility from behind the wheel of his whip. He wasn’t just some Hollywood goods being carted around, Maybach-style.

The air in the club was kinetic with artists and industry stiffs milling about with drinks, and pressing each other, “So, where are you going after this?” With BET Award weekend in full swing, the early portion of the night was a palpable networking web.

Then Game took the stage, and the room fell silent.

“I’m here today because Dr. Dre gave me a chance to be somebody,” he addressed the crowd. “And 50… I appreciate homie. We had our beef, but we both alive. We ain’t no Biggie and Pac.”

Game talked about his early days in the studio with Dre and what it felt like to earn his first $1-million, adding he wished that euphoria was lasting. Now, with two wildly successful albums under his belt in The Documentary and Doctor’s Advocate, Game is preparing for a summer release of L.A.X.

“I don’t care if you don’t like [the album,]” he said. “I spent every day in 2008 working on it. Super Bowl, Finals… I was in the studio.”

With that warning, the DJ launched the record with a rough DMX intro entwined with mournful keys and heavy bass – a throwback heater indicative of what was to come. The next cut, “State Of Emergency,” was tempered-steel synth, featuring Ice Cube on a reminiscent hook “Fuck the 5-0/ They wanna see you D-O-A/ in L.A.” and Game spitting on swap meets, white tees, palm trees, crack heads, Tec-9s and jheri curls. With further tracks titled ” California Sunshine” and “Red Magic” and production from the likes of Read the rest of this entry »

Reportedly the new single off L.A.X. with Travis Barker joining into the fray. LC went to the listening session last night so we should have an update on that sooner than later. Read the rest of this entry »

Written by Drew Ricketts

The Game is one of the most polarizing figures in Hip-Hop.

Much like his arch nemesis, he’s one of those artists who fans either cheer loudly for or root against at an equal level. Prior to and since the release of his debut album The Documentary, The Game has spent the past few years in the public eye, where his every move & his music have been chronicled, criticized or lauded.

And fans find it difficult to know which version of Jayceon Taylor will appear on the screen or through the speakers. Just recently, he was on BET saying his past was behind him, but turned right around to rejoin himself with that same past. Depending on which side of the bleachers you’re seated, The Game can be perceived as a timebomb, ready to detonate at any time, provoked or unprovoked. Or one might consider him to be one of the most earnest artists out. He’s neither afraid to wear his heart on his sleeve nor to offend, nor is he seeking to endear. He wants only to be true to himself at any given moment in time.

With L.A.X. soon to arrive, TSS Crew’s Drew Ricketts had a chance to speak with the complex emcee to spend a few minutes looking at the pieces of a man.

Graphics By P.

TSS: What’s up? I don’t have much time so I’ll get straight to it: You were recently quoted in a Village Voice article about the Hip-Hop cops talking about their unfairness to you and you made the song and video “911 Is A Joke (Cop Killa).” Are you mounting a campaign against police brutality among black youths?

The Game: Well, the song is called “911 Is A Joke” not “Cop Killa” but I think since it says that in the hook, and in the video people on the internet and blogs thought that was the name. Did you see the [video] for that?

TSS: Yea, I did see it.

The Game: It’s called “911 Is A Joke.” That was just me voicing my opinion and my rage about the acquittal of those officers. And just doing my thing for Sean Bell. It wasn’t, like, no act against nothing. I ain’t trying to make nobody kill cops or do nothing disrespectful or stupid. That was just my voice. I have a voice that needed to be heard about that situation, and I did that song the same day as [they] got the verdict and, um, that’s just what I did. I went in.

TSS: I wanted to also ask you, with someone like Crooked I doing a year’s worth of freestyles, and you coming from the tradition of doing mixtapes (“300 Bars” etc.) do you feel like these last couple of years have put pressure on the artist to put out more music at a faster rate?

The Game: Uh, I never even thought about that until you said it. I probably need some time to analyze that and get back to you. I believe that people put out music at their own pace. Some people need to put out more. Some people need to put out less ’cause they’re more potent. I think that artists that put out a lot of music are probably people that’s stressing to be heard and the other ones — you can look at the flipside — the other people putting out music all the time are ones the people love to hear like Lil’ Wayne. You hear a lot of Lil’ Wayne these days and people love it. Then you hear a lot of artists that are stretching their careers out, trying to find something that works for the people. It kind of goes both ways, you know?

TSS: Yeah, and as far as coming from that background, what do you feel is your line? How do you strike that balance between putting out too much and not being known enough by the public?

The Game: Me, I don’t never get into that. I just do what I feel like doing. If I feel like putting a song out, or putting a mixtape out I just do it. I never get into all that. When you start getting into all the specifics about how much music to put out or how much not to put out you take away from your talents and what you’re really here to do, which is to just do music freely man.

Just create music. Have fun. Be about substance and real lyricism, if you’re a Hip-Hop artist. If you a rapper, then make the songs about the club, the bitches and the jewelry. Just do your thing. It doesn’t take that much with me. I just make music because I love doing it. I don’t really put that much thought into how much music I’m unloading or how much not or did I do enough on the mixtapes this year…I don’t get into all that. That takes away from the creativity. Read the rest of this entry »

Here’s the front for Chuck’s once-reported swan song, L.A.X.

Huge kudos to the Jonathon Mannion, Hip-Hop’s Annie Lebowitz. He’s always been correct with Game’s artwork over the years. This one specifically. The snap looks slick, super-symmetrical and couldn’t be more of an embodiment of the man’s entire demeanor. Read the rest of this entry »

Spied via Eskay.