The most impressive thing about the Game's seventh studio album, The Documentary 2, is that it feels shorter than it is. At 73 minutes, Doc 2 isn't a brief effort, yet there are only two truly skip-worthy songs. (Indeed, even listened to as a set with The Documentary 2.5, it only starts to drag a little, which is impressive, because the two records together are roughly the same length as Goodfellas.)
The tightly packed album bounces from one style to the next. The Game spits a weird mixture of let-me-explain-how-much-I-will-kill-you gangsterism, back in the day nostalgia, raw, diaristic feelings-rap and L.A. boosterism, but makes it all work. There are a ton of guest appearances — including the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West and Ice Cube — but not so many that it doesn't still feel like the Game's album. Almost all the guests kill their verses, save Snoop Dogg, who sounds like he's mailing it in, and Dej Loaf, who feels weirdly tacked on. Production wise, Doc 2 goes to some surprising places, sampling Digable Planets on "Don't Trip" and getting deep into an '80s soft rock vibe on "L.A."
The Documentary 2 is a big, ambitious album that hits the mark on a number of levels. That should be enough to earn it a spot in your rotation.
(Blood Money/eOne)The tightly packed album bounces from one style to the next. The Game spits a weird mixture of let-me-explain-how-much-I-will-kill-you gangsterism, back in the day nostalgia, raw, diaristic feelings-rap and L.A. boosterism, but makes it all work. There are a ton of guest appearances — including the likes of Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West and Ice Cube — but not so many that it doesn't still feel like the Game's album. Almost all the guests kill their verses, save Snoop Dogg, who sounds like he's mailing it in, and Dej Loaf, who feels weirdly tacked on. Production wise, Doc 2 goes to some surprising places, sampling Digable Planets on "Don't Trip" and getting deep into an '80s soft rock vibe on "L.A."
The Documentary 2 is a big, ambitious album that hits the mark on a number of levels. That should be enough to earn it a spot in your rotation.