Jesus Piece (Interscope, 2012) by The Game

Game's fifth LP is his strongest in years.  It's a much more cohesive body of work than last year's R.E.D. Album.  The album is a bit too feature heavy, but fortunately Game is never really outshinned on his own project.  Production-wise, the LP is quite creative.  The D'Angelo sample on All That (Lady) is dope, as well as the Bone Thugs one on "Celebration."  Conceptually, the album as a whole is definitely a step up, but the songs by themselves aren't-but they're very close.  Very few rappers have remained relevant five albums deep like this, and so Game deserves a lot of credit.  The only thing Game needs now to bring everything full-circle is a real working reunion with Dr. Dre that goes beyond a few tracks and interludes.  But between this, Wiz's new project, and T.I.'s new album, set to drop next week, Hip-Hop should have a very happy holiday season.

LAX (Geffen, 2008) by The Game

Game's third album is not his strongest, but it still has some very strong points.  "Game's Pain" is a solid homage to Hip-Hop's elder statesmen.  And even with Lil Wayne's recycled hook on "My Life," Game still drops great lyrics (My mind fucked up, so I cover it with a Raider hood/I'm from the city that made you motherfuckers afraid of Suge).  The weakness to this album, in my opinion, is that it isn't as cohesive as his other albums.  It plays more like a collection of songs than a set of songs that go together and that makes the nineteen tracks seem very long-winded.  Overall, it's a descent album, but when compared with the rest of Game's catalogue, I'd put it in the bottom half.

Raw Footage (Lench Mob, 2008) by Ice Cube

Raw Footage saw Cube get political like he was in the early part of his solo career.  "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It" is an excellent defense of hardcore hip hop.  "Why Me" is an insightful song told from the perspective of someone who has been shot and "Hood Mentality" questions people who limit their own potential because of their surroundings and situations.  Keith David also appears on the album for a few vocal interludes.  As far as production, beats come in from all over:  Emile from New York, DJ Crazy Toones from California and Maestro from Atlanta.  Guests include WC, Game, Young Jeezy and Cube's son Doughboy.  They're all good, but none outperform Cube on the mic.  Ice Cube is one of the best emcees of all-time and this album is one of his best releases in recent years.

The Documentary (Aftermath, 2005) by Game

The Documentary is one of the best albums of the 00s.  The production is top-notch, and Game single-handedly brought the West Coast back into the hip-hop spotlight after nearly a decade away from it.  Despite the feud with 50, one of the album's best tracks is  Game's collaboration with him on "Hate It or Love It."  Game is guilty of name dropping a a bit excessively throughout the album, however, particularly on the title track, he is very clever with it.  "Runnin'" has a surprisingly strong guest verse from Tony Yayo and Game correctly admits to Eminem killing him on his own shit  with "We Ain't."  Other highlights include "Dreams" and the confessional "Don't Need Your Love."  This album is one of the reasons why I still want G-Unit to get back together.

Doctor's Advocate (Geffen, 2006) by Game

The Documentary brought back the West the same way that Ready to Die brought back the East, but Doctor's Advocate is seemingly more significant for Game himself because it proved to skeptics that he was not just successful by association on the first go-round.  The standout out track, one which I still listen to frequently six years later, is the title track.  It's an emotional song to say the least hearing Game open up and the way Busta spits with such tough love/honesty in the last verse…damn.  The song epitomizes the idea of strength in vulnerability. 

The R.E.D. Album (Geffen, 2011) by Game

It is a very pleasant surprise to hear Dr. Dre narrate the album.  And after an album introduction where Dre says, “And if you know anything about Killer King [referring to Martin Luther King Hospital], you know this- being born there is just like dying there,” Game, with assistance from Kendrick Lamar, raps with an intensity on “The City” that has not been heard from him in years. It sets the tone for the remaining nineteen tracks.  It is interesting that Pharrell Williams, who also serves as the album’s executive producer, only  contributes one beat.  However, Game’s ability to work with a diverse group of artists and producers is one of the things that have helped him endure over time and generate a fan base that reaches beyond Left Coast hip-hop purists.  Not since Death Row’s heyday has a rapper done for the West what Game has in the past several years.