LAX - Dark Publications

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Album Description
The Game returns with his third and supposedly last CD LAX. Keisha Cole is featured on the lead off track 'Game's Pain.' Other guests include Ice Cube, Raekwon, Ludacris, Bilal and Raheem DeVaughn, appearing on "State of Emergency," "Bulletproof Diaries," "Cali Sunshine" and "Touchdown," respectively. Cool & Dre, Irv Gotti, Nottz, J.R. Rotem, Scott Storch, DJ Toomp, Hi-Tek and Kanye West lend their production efforts to the album.

Customer Reviews: Read 47 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

The Game steps out of the shadow of Dr. Dre, steps free of the Aftermath of his feuds August 27, 2008
14 out of 15 found this review helpful

The genesis of Game's career was both a blessing and a curse. He himself raps that few legacies have started "hotter than the beginning of my career/ with 50, Dre and Em there." However the helping hand would also bring persistent doubts, claims that Game's success is replicable for any rhymer who has an album of Dr. Dre's beats, 50 Cent's hooks and a track blessed by Eminem. While Doctor's Advocate was a step in the right direction, L.A.X. proves once and for all that The Game's success is defined solely by his skill.

On L.A.X. Game successfully demonstrates that he is the most legitimately hardcore rapper in mainstream hip-hop today. On "L.A.X. Files" he questions even his audience's credibility, "(expletive) think cause they watched Menace a couple of times/ Seen Cube in Boyz N the Hood and pressed rewind/ That you could survive when a real Crip run up on your car and flex the nine." The trifecta of "State of Emergency" featuring Ice Cube, " Bulletproof Diaries" with Raekwon and "Cali Sunshine" featuring Bilal are perhaps the three most classically "West coast" tracks that will be recorded in 2008. Game then demonstrates his versatility on laid back cuts including "Gentleman's Affair," "Touchdown" and "Angel," the last of which represents G.O.O.D. music at its finest with production by Kanye West and a verse from Common.

L.A.X. also proves that The Game may be the best actor in rap today. We've seen this ability through his simulated inebriation on both the title track from "Doctor's Advocate" and The Documentary's "Start From Scratch," and there was another allusion to this ability when Game presented an uncanny emulation of his mentor on "Lookin' at You." Game takes it to another level on L.A.X. He acknowledges his perfect rendition of Nas' flow on "Let Us Live," rapping "Voice raspy, who I sound like? Don't ask me/ That's my (expletive) we classy." On "Never Can Say Goodbye," he presents a verse each through the eyes of Tupac Shakur, Eazy-E and most jarringly, The Notorious B.I.G., who Game ebodies in both flow and lyrics. Game even takes a page out of Jay-Z's book on "Dope Boys," an unabashed (and inferior) interpretation of Hov's "Roc Boys."

There are weak points, notably "Letter to the King" on which Game's lack of nuance and sincerity are obvious, as is Nas' inability to "kick knowledge." However to see the strength and depth of L.A.X., one need look no further than the tracks left on the cutting room floor, any of which ("Gangsta Party" and "Cop Killa" in particular) would be the pinnacle of many of Game's contemporaries' albums. Note that I didn't even mention hit singles "My Life," or "Game's Pain," no need on an album of this strength.

3 out of 5 stars

L.A.X AKA Deja Vu August 26, 2008
11 out of 18 found this review helpful

Compton born Jayceon Taylor AKA The Game was a late bloomer for Hip Hop and didn't get into it before he miracolously survived from near fatal gun wounds, but when he got started there was noting stopping him. The Game's debut album "The Documentary" was one of the best Rap albums of the decade. Apart from stellar production from anyone from Kanye West to Timbaland to his idol Dr Dre ther album had something that we don't see too often in modern Rap. A street smart rapper who didn't forget where he came from. But The Game went further then that, he also deals with anyone that came from his place. Name dropping about Dre, NWA, Ice Cube, Snoop and Eazy-E and about anyone else being part of th West Coast Hip Hop scene in late 80's early 90's, it was like studying Golden Age Hip Hop was his bible. Although, it sometimes get repetitive he apapted his own style out of it and he also is the closest one trying to relive the glory days of the West Coast when Hip Hop was much rougher and actually stood for something. The Game is much diffrent the NWA and the rest but his fascination for them and the West Coast is incredible. His sophmore album "Doctor's Advocate" was almost rushed, and released just one year later but during that time he became a enemy to 50 Cent and G-Unit and fell out of grace from Mentor Dr Dre and the latter didn't produce anything on this album. The album was quite simular to his debut, even the album cover but despite the obstacles he went through it still turned out to be an enjoyable effort, with or without Dre. So what is there to expect on the third album? With "L.A.X" you can only look at some of the song titleds and ask yourself that question again. However, while alot of things are fammiliar on this album it's still diffrent from past efforts. Cool & Dre (Hate it Or Love It) JR Rotem (California Vacation, Doctor's Advocate) have key roles in this album aswell as Scott Storch (Let's Ride, Westside Story) and Kanye West (Dreams, Wouldn't Get Far) produce one song each and there is also a hell load of guests. Alright, let's take a look at the songs.

The promo-single "Big Dreams" does not appear on this album, only the deluxe edition. L.A.X however starts with a intro featuring DMX screaming a prayer for The Game, if you even owned a DMX album you know what I'm talking about. "L.A.X Files", suppustly a play on X-Files is a trademark JR Rotem production with a simple piano melody and the hook sung by some guy. Game mostly talks about the life in L.A but there isn't any particular story he's telling. In the first verse he sais "More scars in my face than the original Scarface/ Or the homeboy Scarface, Al Pacino couldn't be no gangsta/ Deniro in casino he no gansta/. Question, do you need to be shot or cut to be a gangsta?. Either way it's obvious that most emcees idolize Scarface like a prophet. Next song is called "State Of Emergy" and is also from JR and feature Ice Cube. This song got a melody that kind of resemble the West Coast sound that Ice Cube came from. The latter only does the hook while Game deal with the streets and crime in L.A. On "Bulletproof Diaries" from producer Jelly Roll there is a very rough hardcore beat. Game and Raekwon show some great chemistry on the verses and it ends up being one of the highlights. Current hit-single "My Life" from Cool & Dre feature Lil Wayne singing the hook with a vocoder. He sang the same hook on Birdman's "So Tired" but he actually sound better with the vocoder. (what's the fascination for that anyway?). Anyway, this song is a grower and I've started to enjoy it immensely. The Game talks some more of LA and himself, and infact it's very narcissistic at times like the line "Hated on so much, "The Passion of Christ" need a sequel". The same producers make the beat of the next song "Money" which samples the hook from a old-skool song. No need to explain what it's about, but I love the beat, If you heard Rick Ross's last album you know what I'm talking about. With "Cali Sunshine" feat Bilal, Game tries to create something simular to Dj Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince's "Summertime". It's based on a Dramatcis samle and Game doesn't offer much more then name dropping of people from L.A or people that visited L.A. And even more obvious sample is "Jam On it" from Newcleaus on the next song called "Ya Heard". The song feature Ludacris but it feels like a song that goes nowhere with mostly nonsense talk even if it's diffrent then anything Game normally does.

Halfway there is another skippable interlude before the hardcore "House Of Pain" produced by a for once inovative Dj Toomp. Personally I found the beat diffrent but too repetitive and nothing that Game said is too interesting either. After this one we'll find several R&Bish song starting with Rotem produced "Gentleman's Affair" with Ne-Yo, but the nasty talk from Game and the boring sound it it makes it the worst song. Isn't this suppost to be a Hip Hop album?. On "Let Us Live" from Scott Storch, Chrisette Michele Appears. Once again this doesn't belong here, Lupe Fiasco did miracles with a simular song but Game isn't made for Hip Hop ballads and it just sounds ridicolous. Another good R&B singer in Raheem DeVaughn appears on "Touchdown" which is more of a love song. Would have been better on a Raheem album without the rap. Kanye West's only contribution here is "Angel", the 4th "ballad" in a row. It feature Common and sample Gil Scott Heron. On "Never Can Say Goodbye" with LaToya Williams he's tring to recreate the deaths of 2Pac, Biggie, and Eazy-E, (rapping in first person and imitating their voices). A highlight for that matter but the song which is a ballad is just plain boring. "Dope Boys" with rock boy Travis Baker (who isn't contributing much anyway) is another forgetable rock-rap song and I have no idea why this was a single. "Game's Pain" from Knobody feature Keyshia Cole and it's actually one of the best songs, but once again it feel more of a Keyshia song then anything. Game talks about what Hip Hop meant to him while growing up and eventhough there is alot of name dropping here it make sense. Hi-tek contribute with a jazzy beat on the closer "Letter To The King" a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. It also feature Nas. There is another outro with DMX before the album closes.

Overall, on the best moments here Game is re-creating the glamourous days of West Coast Hip Hop (in his own way) those rough, furious hard hittin beats and flashback lyrics about Cali, Dre and the streets of Compton are the pros on this album. The cons on the other hand are all those un-fitting love songs with R&B singers, all the guest appearences that makes the album unfocused and the constant name droppoing that is getting too outwatered and repetitive. The Game may not be among the best rappers, but one of the most recognizable, when it works for him, it works fine but he need to leave his gimmick and do something else for a change, And I'm not talking about love songs and hardcore duets with b-rockers. About half of this album is alright while the rest is forgettable. If you like him you're gonna enjoy atleast half of it, if you don't this one ain't gonna win over you either. 3 stars.

3 out of 5 stars

The Game - L.A.X. 6/10 August 26, 2008
4 out of 9 found this review helpful

The Game's third and latest album, his first without producer Dr. Dre and post G-Unit feuds, is a typical West Coast rap album by a rapper who has always tried too hard to be the next Tupac. Leaving Dre behind has left the Game able to focus on things and other artists, namely guests like Common, drummer Travis Barker, and the omnipresent Lil Wayne. His lyrics are unsurprisingly at times hardcore and at others touching and affected (well, at least as touching as a gangbanger can be), and his husky voice is as threatening as ever.

The best songs are those that stay away from the vanilla tales of violence and the kill-or-be-killed life on the streets and those that either discuss issues that are somewhat socially relevant (the Martin Luther King/civil rights tribute "Letter To The King" featuring an excellent Nas) or those that are profane for no good reason and succeed mostly on the Game's undeniable charisma and the slick production (the nearly psychedelic "Angel" with Common and the silly "House of Pain," with an awesome line about eating chili-cheese Fritos, are two of the latter).

With an album that runs 19 tracks long, however, there's bound to be more than a few duds, and while there's a lot to like about the Game, there's also a good amount that falls flat. "My Life" jumps on the Auto-Tune vocoder bandwagon and comes off as a second-rate T-Pain gangsta imitation, although the opening is appropriately thug. The unavoidable intros/outros/interludes etc. are obvious filler, and the massive wealth of guest stars tends to drag the limelight away from the Game, such as the scene-stealing Ice Cube on "State of Emergency." Overall, while L.A.X. suffers from an advanced case of bloat and a lack of focus, it contains enough West Coast gems to recommend it to any genre fan.

5 out of 5 stars

The West Resurrect'eR... August 27, 2008
4 out of 7 found this review helpful

The Game...
I'm 32 years old, I have been listening to HipHop since the beginning. Been there through the good times and lately the very bad times. Classics do not come along often - I often find myself searching through underground camps to find unappreciated hype $hiz. Little Brother, 9th Wonder, ANYTHING that's not mainstream. I love my West Coast but the days of the Chronic, Above the Rim, NWA, and even Cube to an extent has all but gone. The South has now risen and the West seemed like a distant past pre-August 26th, 2008.

I'm listening to Money, track #06 right now... damn... can this man single handedly put the West back on the map again? Yez Suur. This man is the REAL deal. On the track My Life the man spit out, "Eat this black music and tell me how it taste now and buck Jesse Jackson cuz it ain't about race now." YezSur... it ain't about race any more... it's about the haves and the have nots. The album is classic and The Game and Wallstreet are going to make waves.

With that said, LAX does have a ton of appearences. The Game could stand on his own and make me love it but this album is full of depth. You are hit from a lot of different angles. Some folks are going to be a bit irritated with Ne-Yo and who ever else is on the tracks but to be honest they add to the richness in my opinion.

Bangin' tracks:

Let Us Live - beat is bangin'
State of Emergency - Brings me back to something from 15 years ago
My Life - Lil Wayne (the omnipresent presence)
Ya Heard - unulating beat...
Angel - Common track... classic. (this beat is going to be in your head)
Game's Pain - One of the tightest R&B mixed rap tracks I have heard
Letter to the King - Nas? MLK? A message? Check, Check, Check.

Don't sleep - the tracks are 17 deep and all mid to top notch. It's classic.

4 out of 5 stars

The Game - LAX August 26, 2008
3 out of 3 found this review helpful

I would have to say im not a big fan of the mainstream hip hop that is coming out but The Game has been able to keep my attention by dropping good music and being consistent, which is the area most mainstream rappers lack in. Thank god for Game, one of the few rappers keeping the mainstream alive. Both The Documentary and The Doctors Advocate get praise from me for being enjoyable albums. Even though lyrically Game is average, his flow, voice, style and ability to make good sounding music keep me checking for his albums.

The Good:
Now on this his third album i was really surprised by a few joints and some of the guest features, like Common for example. I have been a long time fan of Common and i never would have thought that Game and Common would fit together on a track so perfectly. Raekwon also comes out and outshines Game lyrically but it still makes a dope song. I would honestly have to say Bulletproof Diaries and Angel are some of the best hip hop songs i have heard in recent years from both underground and mainstream hip hop. Other enjoyable songs would be LAX Files, Money, Never Can Say Goodbye, Letter To The King (both Nas and Game are ill here) and State Of Emergency. But i think a personal favorite would have to be Dope Boys, this track was what i wanted, a hard booming track. Lyrically i think Game lays down some nice rhymes here. But like i said before Game is average lyrically although i see some potential, seeing that he cares about the legends in hip hop and shows respect, which is where lots of new rappers lose points from me because they seem to think legends are irrelevant and worthless. But either way Game just makes "Good Music"

The Bad:
I was very upset to see people like Lil Wayne and Neyo on this album. I really enjoyed the beat and Games lyrics on My Life but i cant stand Lil Waynes voice and the hook makes this song hard to listen to for me personally. Also on Gentleman's Affair it seems like everything is watered down, although i expected this because Game always has a song from the ladies from Special to Around The World, but when i heard he had to with the second being Touchdown i was kinda mad, but im sure many people well love this track. Another problem i had was Ya Heard, Luda outshine Game which by itself is not a problem, but i thought the beat here to be terrible. Nottz really let me down. The only other problem i had was House Of Pain its to predictable although i thought the beat was ill. But when it comes to listening to this album i really only skip Touchdown, Ya Heard and Gentleman's Affair. So that's not bad considering im feelin the rest of the tracks.

A problem some may have is Name dropping and while im not a fan of that it doesn't take away from the music this time out because there are lots of great tracks. Also is it just me or did Game come out much better then 50 musically. Sure 50 made more money but Game made better music and this is all the should matter to a fan of music.

Top Tracks
Angel
Bulletproof Diaries
Dope Boys
Letter To The King
Let Us Live

Overall 3.75

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