ARTIST: Game
ALBUM: Jesus Piece
LABEL: DGC/Interscope
RELEASE DATE: December 1, 2012
Got Game?
Written by Jeremy Weeden
West coast rapper “Game” returns with another first-rate offering with his fifth studio album Jesus Piece. Game has been one of the most consistent and underrated rappers of the past decade. From his classic debut The Documentary, to LAX and now his latest album, Game always delivers a rock solid album of great songs and is only further cementing his place as one of the best to ever do it. Jesus Piecediffers from his past offerings in that the album is sprinkled with touches of Game’s recent return to religion as a born again Christian. The personal struggles he goes through with his inner demons add a personal touch to the album making it that much more insightful as the listener seems to take a ride with Game.
The album begins with Game and Meek Mill on a gangsta slow flowing track as Meek Mill continues his run of stellar guest appearances and holds his own with the west coast veteran. The album really takes off on the next track, the Florence and The Machine sampled “Ali Bomaye” featuring down south stalwarts 2 Chainz and Rick Ross. This Black Metaphor produced track has a haunting aura due to the “Seven Devils” sample and finds the three rappers going back and forth with flashy bragging verses, as Game chants triumphantly on the chorus “Ali Bomaye, Ali Bomaye.”
“Jesus Piece” is an excellent track featuring Common and Kanye West. Kanye West, unfortunately, only raps the chorus, but Common more than holds it down for Chicago with lines like “At the after party thinking what the after life’s like/He paid for our sins, is it really priced right?/Fuck it, I see the light, broads they see the light/Can’t deny my Jesus piece that’s so Peter-like.”
Bouncy club anthem “Church” is about anything but, as Game raps about strippers and Trey Songz sings “Thicker than a Bible/I need it for survival/Lord save me/Poppin bands for my baby.”
The thoughtful “Can’t Get Right”, featuring K. Roosevelt, a young singer soulfully moaning over the track “Father forgive me, ‘cause I ain’t perfect/No, no, no/Why is everything wrong/Oh I can’t get it right, I always try to get it right.” The track finds Game detailing dark periods in his life, such as his fallout with Dr. Dre and how he hated the good doctor and his protégé Kendrick Lamar at one point. He also laments how despite his almost unrivaled track record in the past decade when it comes to releasing very good albums regularly he is overlooked when the top rappers of today are listed.
“Hallelujah” featuring Jamie Foxx is a humorous look into a day at church with Game, where he notes that “You know I love Jesus, but you can’t catch the Holy Ghost in a Prius.”
“Celebration,” also the album’s first single, samples Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s 90’s classic “First of the Month” and features Chris Brown, Tyga, Wiz Khalifa and Lil Wayne. This fun song features some of the rappers paying homage to Bone Thugs by adapting the melodic flow they were known for.
On “I Remember” Game takes a trip down south with Young Jeezy and Future on a song made for the strip clubs with crude lyrics like “Yeah, I remember that pussy girl, but I don’t know your name”
The rest of the album features J. Cole, Big Sean, Fabolous, Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar, Tank and features production from Boi-1da, Cool & Dre, Jake One and Amadeus. Jesus Piece is another exceptional album in Game’s discography, at this point anything less than very good from Game would be a shocker. Jesus Piece further bolsters Game’s legacy as one of the best rappers of his generation.