Game Talks 'The R.E.D. Album': Video Track-By-Track
The Game readily admits the color red has played a significant-and controversial-role in his life. But this time around, he contends the reference to the hue in the title of his fourth set, "The R.E.D. Album" (Geffen/Interscope), revolves around the themes of "redemption" and "rededication" as they relate to his roles as a family man and rapper.
First scheduled for release in 2009, "The R.E.D. Album" finally hits stores today (Aug. 23). The biographical album boasts a who's who cameo lineup, ranging from Drake ("Good Girls Go Bad"), Chris Brown (on current single "Pot of Gold" and Young Jeezy ("Paramedics") to Big Boi & E-40 ("Speakers on Blast") and Lil Wayne & Tyler, the Creator ("Martians Vs Goblins"). Among the surprises: Dr. Dre joining guests Snoop Dogg & Sly on the DJ Khalil-produced anthem "Drug Test," plus Nelly Furtado on the poignant "Mama Knows."
The Game Tangles with the Law, Preps Fourth Album
Now on the other side of his recent Twitter tangle with the Compton, Calif. sheriff's station, The Game takes us through "The R.E.D. Album," sharing personal stories of his daughter, parents and LA living.
1. "Dr. Dre Intro," Dr. Dre Interludes (6. "Dr. Dre 1," 16. "Dr. Dre 2") and "Dr. Dre Outro"
"The whole album is narrated by Dre. Pharrell agreed it would be a good idea to have someone narrate the album. I went to the studio later on that day to work with Dre on "Detox." I waited, waited until I thought he was in the best mood possible. Once I saw him smiling and laughing I was like, 'Dre, I got these narrations, you think you would narrate the album?' He was like, 'Yeah, you want me to do it right now?' I was like 'Yeah,' and he just went straight in. He did them all, he did all five of them and after he was so amped up over them he wanted to put strings and chords behind them; sort of score them."
2. "The City" Feat. Kendrick Lamar
"It's always good when you can start an album off right cause then everybody gets the right vibe. This is a song where I can really express how I feel about all my albums and really tell people how judge myself in a sense. So I did that and I asked Kendrick to do a verse. He did a verse that was too long so I had to chop it. What I did was I used the first eight bars of his verse and made it the hook. And then at the end I let the hook play out and let him finish his verse so it was dope. That's hip-hop. You can cut and chop and copy and paste and do whatever you want to make it classic. That song was monumental and I thought that was a great way to start the album."
3. "Drug Test" Feat. Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre & Sly
"'Drug Test' is a great Western smash. Any time you can get Dr. Dre and Snoop on a record with yourself if you are indeed a legendary or almost legendary West Coast hip-hop figure. It's big to me. Those are my big homies, as I would call them, definitely two legends in the hip-hop game, not only the West Coast, but forever will be influential in hip-hop music, always mentioned, never forgotten. Getting it in with them was just nothing but a dream. It was a dream before I met or before I knew either one of them but now we can co-exist four platinum albums in and being mentioned in the ranks with Dr. Dre and Snoop was big for me, so that song means more to me than life."
4. "Martians Vs Goblins" Feat. Lil Wayne and Tyler, the Creator
"Weird, funny, crazy and a little out of pocket. I called it 'Martians Vs Goblins' because me and Weezy have been calling ourselves martians as long as I've known him. Then on a song he says, 'What's a goon to a goblin?' so maybe he's not calling himself a martian anymore, he's calling himself a goblin. Then Tyler comes out with a record called goblin. I knew Tyler was going to go crazy and talk about crazy things. Of course he dissed Bruno Mars again, and went in [at] Tyler Perry, but that's his style. So I thought I wouldn't let him kill me on that so I kind of made myself a chameleon and sort of put on his style. I went in and talked about Lebron, Rihanna, and said a couple things. But it was all in the love of keeping the song creative and not taking Tyler out of his element."
5. "Red Nation" Feat. Lil Wayne
"The biggest banned song since, I don't, 'Fuck Tha Police' or something? I thought it was pretty safe until Lil Wayne turned the hook in and I was like, 'Oh dammit, now we really ain't getting on the radio with this.' It was 'blood this blood that.' I understand what he was trying to do. He used blood in a metaphorical sense where it was broken down as different meanings on the hook. Media, radio, Viacom, BET, MTV, everybody took it the wrong way. But I understood they have a certain demographic they have to please and I got kids so I definitely understood. It was no hard feelings. But I kind of wish they would ban everything cause that video has over 10 million views on YouTube and people love it. It was never my intention to have it be gang affiliated or for anyone to listent ot it then want to join a gang. It was just a good hip-hop song."
7. "Good Girls Go Bad" Feat. Drake
"The story of the black woman. The song 'Good Girls Go Bad' was a tribute, number one, to a story of my mom and my dad. My dad is eleven years older than my mom and he just beat my mom this way and that way my entire childhood. Then one day my mom ran him over with a car and almost paralyzed him. [She] pinned him between a 87 Regal and a steel rod fence. That song is real in life. I started off telling stories that were real, sentimental and that people would feel and Drake came in and made it real fun. So on my third verse I went back and traced that and made it fun. Produced again by Cool & Dre."
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