Photo courtesy of Big Hassle
In a hip-hop world frequently fueled by combustible personalities, there is perhaps none more combustible than that of L.A. rapper Game. Seemingly trained in the WWE school of warfare as self-promotion, he occupies a constant battlefield where enemies, friends and complete strangers all run the risk of falling prey to his scattershot disses. These hero to heel, friend to foe turns, like his feud with one-time mentor 50 Cent, have helped keep his name in the headlines and the units moving but at the expense of him coming off as more than a little curmudgeonly.
MTV Hive witnessed one such blow up first hand when, after a level-headed conversation about classic hip-hop battles of yore and the West Coast’s new rap generation, Game turned sour at little more than the mere mention of divisive indie rapper and one of the current artists in his lyrical crosshairs, Lil B.
So since you’re being in beefs all the time I wanted to talk to you about some classic rap battles, and have you comment on who you thought won: Cube or N.W.A?
Cube fucked N.W.A up! I knew that was gonna happen. When Cube left the group there was no fucking N.W.A, there can be no N.W.A without Ice Cube. It was like me with G-Unit. You can’t have a supergroup with the most lyrical rapper in the group missing. Cube doing “No Vaseline” was what I wanted “300 Bars” to be and if you think about it, it’s sort of reminiscent of Ice Cube and that whole beef with N.W.A. That’s exactly who I patterned my skills after.
Ahh … that’s a tough one man ’cause all I know is MC Eiht was the shit. But then Quik did that fucking ["Dollaz & Sense"] that shit was classic. I walked to school every day for like four months playing that fucking song back to back to back, flipping the tape over and rewinding it. [Raps] “Tell me that you feel a little nervous / you was in the shadows of death with two trey-five-sevens pointed at your chest…” That shit was crazy!
Ruthless Records or Death Row Records?
As far as I’m concerned, in Compton, it was a dead fucking lock. The shit that Dre and Snoop did and “The Real Compton City G’s” [that Eazy-E did] with Dresta & BG KnoccOut , it just split the city in half. There were people that really loved Eazy and were riding with Eazy and there were people that really loved Dr. Dre and Snoop, especially after Long Beach came into the picture.
Yeah and nationally everyone just assumes that Dre took it because “Dre Day” went on to be such a big mainstream hit.
Yeah we wasn’t worried about how people felt about it nationally. We was just worried about Compton and in Compton it was a dead tie.
Pac or everyone on the East Coast?
I feel like Pac was just so fucking influential. Every time he spoke and every time he rapped he had all the ears and all eyes on him and I think Pac took that one. Especially since Biggie never responded. And then let’s set the record straight on that — I also think that it was dope that Biggie never responded. He kinda took the route that Jay-Z took when he never fully responded to me. It’s that East Coast approach, that cockiness like “I ain’t even gonna pay this motherfucker no attention.”
Yeah it seems like on the West Coast dudes are more likely to just get it off their chest.
Because that’s what the fuck we do man! Confrontation is California.
50 or Ja?
50 took that man, you know better than that. I was there for that one, that was my
introduction to really being a part of hip-hop and a part of beefing. 50 is who I got my beef tactics from. That’s how I ended up being able to fuck over G-Unit. I learned from the dude that was the best at it at the time. He fucking killed Murder Inc., the biggest record label in that world at that time.
What do you think of 50′s position in the game right now?
He’s still outside of hip-hop, he doesn’t really do songs with too many people. I think 50 need to let the ego go. I think hip-hop misses the real Fif. He would be a lot more successful as far as hip hop is concerned in this day and age if he let his ego go.
Could you see yourself ever working with him again?
Anything can happen under God’s orange sun my brother.
As you get older do you ever think about trying to chill out and be more peaceful or is this just you forever?
In the hip-hop world I’m gonna be that way forever. But if you were with me every single day, which you aren’t, then you would understand that my life is chill as it is. I don’t have to chill in hip-hop. I can do whatever I want in hip-hop. I’ve made a name for myself and been a force to be reckoned with since the beginning. No matter what anybody has ever said positively or negatively about Game I’m not going anywhere, as you can see. This is my fourth studio album, I still got momentum, people still get excited when I come, I’m still hyped in the media. Everybody else either gotta deal with it or you can make a decision in your own mind not to.
Do you ever worry that this attitude limits you professionally though? You see guys like Jay who put on suits, calm down and move into the boardrooms…
I just wake and brush my teeth. However I feel after that will be displayed on any format outside the doors of my crib. It doesn’t matter if I have on a suit or khakis and Chucks. I’m
who I am.
Let’s talk about the album. How did the “Martians Vs. Goblins” record come about? How’d you end up linking with Tyler?
Tyler’s from L.A. so I just reached out and we hooked up after he got home from touring Europe. He went in and he murdered that shit man.
You just have Lil Wayne on the hook. Why didn’t he have a whole verse on there?
Wayne asked me the same thing. The reason why though is because I knew I wanted Tyler on the middle verse and I had already [written] my two verses. You can’t really have four verses on a song more than once on your album and I had already did that with Big Boi and E-40 on “Speakers On Blast.” I didn’t even want to do it then I just loved my two verses so much that I didn’t want to take them off for nobody.
You also have Kendrick Lamar on the new album. It seems like it’s really exciting time for young rappers in LA.
Yeah, man. Kendrick is from Compton and that’s the little home, I been knowing him for a while. Him and Top Dawg, Jay Rock all of them are like my family. So I definitely wanted to help Kendrick out and really make sure that he got a good look on my album.
At the same time it seems like a lot of these guys are moving away from the gangsta rap that you grew up on and gang culture completely. How do you feel about that?
I don’t give a fuck about that. I’m doing me. Gangsta rap lives forever. As long as I’m in this shit it’s going to live. They can do what they need to do, I’m not part of their generation, I’m part of my generation. And it’s cool. I’m glad that hip-hop is evolving into something that’s nonviolent but I come from a generation where gangsta rap was at it’s peak, so that’s what I am. But I’m also in tune with the new generation so I’mma stay relevant no matter what happens in hip-hop. I’m just a chameleon. I’mma blend in wherever it need be.
I take it you’re not a fan of Lil B though, you have some lines for him on “Martians Vs. Goblins.”
Are you a fan of Lil B?
Yeah, actually I am.
Yeah well me and you beg to differ. I think Lil B sucks, personally. But that’s you, if you’re a fan … I don’t know what it is. Do you do drugs?
No. But I think he ties in with what you were saying before. To me that’s what hip-hop is, just being yourself. A strange dude is gonna make strange records.
That’s cool but it doesn’t provide for a legendary career and you definitely ain’t moving no units. But to each his own, kudos to you and Lil B.
I’m sensing some sarcasm in that statement, like you’re mocking me here.
I might be mocking you. Now you gotta make the judgment on what you want to do about it.
Come on, I know this type of confrontation is your thing but I don’t see what good getting into it over the phone is gonna do. I’m trying to have you speak your piece and promote your album.
You asking me questions that’s gonna provoke me to react the way I’m reacting so maybe change the form of the way you’re asking questions or don’t ask those types of questions at all.
Well you dissed the guy on the record we’re supposed to be talking about, I’m only—
Aye look man: fuck you and Lil B. Eat a dick. Peace. [Hangs up]
Game’s The R.E.D. Album is out August 23.
