The album The Game loved “because I’m an asshole”
The Game was one of the only West Coast artists under Dr Dre’s Aftermath Entertainment during the 2000s and was on top of his game while signed to G-Unit Records. Alongside 50 Cent, the Compton legend had hits like ‘Hate It Or Love’ and ‘How We Do’.
Although he had success with the creator of Power, their friendship didn’t last too long, and soon, the business relationship ended. That said, since breaking away from both Fifty and Dr. Dre, The Game has released many albums and has some opinions on the projects of others.
As a legend born and raised in Los Angeles, The Game keeps his ears to the streets of his hometown and is always aware when new talent is about to hit the mainstream. As such, during a 2011 interview with Complex magazine about some of his favourite albums of all time, the Drillmatic creator unveiled that one body of work he has a deep love for is the debut Jay Rock LP Follow Me Home.
While detailing why he chose Rock’s album, he referenced its LA feel, stating, “I put this on the list because I’m an asshole, and people may not know that this is a good album. It’s strictly West Coast, and it’s the type of album I would’ve recorded if I was 19 years old. Jay Rock did a good job depicting the California lifestyle.”
The ‘Black Slim Shady’ rhymer then added, “I love when albums come out and people do that. Gangster rap is not a thing of the past, but it isn’t as popular as it once was, so it’s hard for some of these guys to get their shit off, but you should check it out. It’s a dope album.”
The Game has been aware of Top Dawg Entertainment and its roster, which included Kendrick Lamar, Ab-Soul and Jay Rock, long before the mainstream was paying attention to any of its acts. In 2007, The Game called upon Lamar and Rock for ‘Cali Niggaz’, which featured on his mixtape You Know What It Is, Vol. 4: Murda Game Chronicles.
The mixtape was released before Lamar and Jay Rock had even begun working on their respective debuts and was made before Jay Rock joined the Black Hippies collective. Their previous collaborations show The Game has always been a fan of TDE artists, more specifically Jay Rock, who often doesn’t receive the attention he deserves.
The two also collaborated on a track entitled ‘Follow Me Home (Cali Soul)’, which appeared on Jay Rock’s 2009 mixtape Gudda Muzik hosted By DJ Kay Slay and DJ Noodles. The track inspired the name of the album that followed only two years later.