XXL's Game, Jesus Piece Review

XL

From Lecrae’s newfound favorable reception within the entire hip-hop community to Pusha T’s and Meek Mill’s respective versions of “Amen” to G.O.O.D. Music’s “New God Flow,” religion’s muse on hip-hop has risen over the past two years. With Jesus Piece, Game reinvigorates this trend by framing a praiseworthy album blessed with sterling features that imparts many believers’ choice, including his own, to keep their faith without altering their nature.

The Compton MC’s record gets underway with “Scared Now,” the type of street banger that most have grown accustomed to hearing from him. In the first verse, he allusively addresses the incident with 40 Glocc, while his other verse includes a hypothetical phone call with former affiliate 50 Cent. “Interscope asking will I take 50′s call/’Hello, put up 10 mill for a real nicca/Drop this joint album, and we’ll k!ll niccas/G-Unit!,’” Game expresses. Into the bargain, the opener is indicative that Game’s tentative final album on Interscope would not be saturated with religious metaphors. Since releasing his first-rate debut LP The Documentary in 2005, the self-proclaimed Handsome[..] nicca has been one of the most controversial, but consistent rappers. And Jesus Piece drives that streak home a little further. Only difference? This go-around includes more passengers.

Chuck Taylor presses on with “Ali Bomaye,” a high point of the album thanks to bang-up verses from himself, Rick Ross and 2 Chainz. “First you get the power/Then, you get respect/I’m getting so much money I can buy your !!/Take it how you wanna, if you wanna take it/I like clubs where all the women working nak3d,” Chainz spits. Contrastingly, the only leftover track from Five (the initial title for the fifth album), “Jesus Piece,” does not live up to expectations; unlike Common, whose verse is spot on, Kanye West astonishingly adds very little to the song, making his presence on the record unfelt. But the other Roc-a-Fella chain bearer J. Cole fills up the gap as he adds a keen verse on the tender, narrative track “Pray” that is illustrated over the LP’s warmest production. Most instrumentals on the record are, appropriately, soulful but not identical, as highlights more thump, such as the album’s first single “Celebration” and the potential single “All That (Lady);” Lil Wayne appears on both, contributing his best verse on the latter. “We could make babies/Let’s be creative/She said leave them tricks alone, but I’m a skater,” Tunechi phrases.

Compton’s new poster child, Kendrick Lamar—who Game shouted out in the thank you note of his sophomore effort Doctor’s Advocate—also plays a standout role as a supporting act and a song subject. On “See No Evil,” Lamar supplies a laudable verse, yet not one that compares to the scene-stealing verse he provided Game for “The City” on The Red Album. What’s more, the collaboration with K-Dot brings out one of Game’s best 16s on the entire LP. “Say it’s a blessing when you die in your sleep/’Cause the coroner don’t need no sheets, capisce?/I’m saying, stop playing/Wrap him up in what he lay in/Fold a nicca arms, now a casket what he pray in,” Game articulates in the opening verse.

Likewise, on “Can’t Get Right,” the one-time Dr. Dre protege flexes on the second verse, revealing why he composed diss tracks for Dre after believing the legendary producer disregarded him to focus on Kendrick—even though he did not bear his young homie any ill will. “Felt he !!ted on me for Kendrick/Recorded diss records/And Kendrick my nicca, put him on his first mixtape/I popped champagne when I heard he was with Dre/And, I’m telling y’all this true story ’cause I’m real/Dre first time hearing bout it, wonder how he feel,” Game confesses.

Rap as a sport has changed over the last seven years, but Game stands the same, kicking poignant rhymes, namedropping as much as critic Gene Shalit, expressing remorse about his troubled history with Dre, taking light shots at Ma$e (the start of “Hallelujah”), flip-flopping his opinions on Jay-Z once again (the end of “Heaven’s Arms”) and more. Even if Game signs with Cash Money (“Freedom” includes a brief interlude of Birdman recruiting him), to another major label, or goes independent, Game will certainly look to persevere and hold his fort in the West Coast. Jesus Piece is another evidence of Taylor making the most of God’s gift to him, but with friends, or how he described it on “Freedom” (“My album like a Rari, a lot of dope features”). –Christopher Minaya (@CM_3)

Game, Jesus Piece Review | XXL

That cover is tacky

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Album wasn't bad...on same lvl as red...dat ali bomaye n jesus piece jawn tho? Go so hard in da whip

should have been!!L

Just waiting for that big ghostface review

Should of been xxl [pic]

Havent heard anything bad about this one. might cop

im not a huge Game fan but i caught a few episodes of his show on vh1 and !! wasnt half bad and i dont even like 2 many reality shows. !! was better than i thought it would be

anyway though i might download this !! if its tight. i cant say id buy it cuz i havent bought a cd in like 10 yrs and dont intend 2 start now lol

thought this was one of the most impressive albums of the year.. thought this album was going to b0mb when I heard there were going to be 23 features!!! Game was able to put together a great quality album which was not carried by all the features [pic][pic][pic]

a lot of features....but thats a good album. game did well.

me too, simple and to the point read

I really like this album. The beats are dope and his verses keep my attention. The features were dope. And it seems pretty cohesive.

I like this album also, is it full of features? Yeah, but so what, it WORKS. Ive been playing it non stop. Cant say the same about Big Boi album, other then the song with T.I. and Luda, beat on that one is insane.

Ifs XXL worthy

Game is one of the best right now

This album is hard best year for hiphop that I can remember.

I feel like he sounds like other rappers on most of the tracks of the album.

he said....

You think they gonna give him the XXL rating?

i was thinking the same !!


y does fab's verse cut off on all that (lady)? tho [pic]

Im a huge game fan and the album is not good at all. I just don't see it being better than a 4 out of 10. Since he's one of my favorite's i compare it to the likes of (life is good) food and liquor 2 and maad city Kendrick Lamar and it don't compare neither.