The Game

The Game is back with his mixtape-that-sounds-like-a-collaboration offering, California Republic. This project has more guests than tracks with over 30 assists, including Drake, Kendrick Lamar, Rick Ross, Lupe Fiasco, Pharrell and Fabolous, among others. The 24-track project is packed with bravado and an RSVP list of rap's most relevant and influential MCs. In true Game fashion, you get a lot of name drops but also a sense of sincerity with tracks like "When My Niggas Come Home," where he welcomes back a hommie out the bin. "It Must Be Tough" is a fly boy interpretation of lyrics we're all too familiar with from the Game's bars but is served well by the Pharrell-assisted hook and production. There is no denying the Game's legacy and nine-year resume in hip-hop's fickle jungle, but approach with caution. If there is anything you can take away from this project, it's to treat it as a buffet, sampling small morsels of hip-hop indulgence, as opposed to enjoying one specific item. The glory of the Game's sound is usually found in its features and if that is how you approach this project, then you won't be disappointed.