Lloyd Banks – “Halloween Havoc VI: The 6 of Swords” review

Wouldn’t be a Halloween without the 21st mixtape from Queens, New York emcee Lloyd Banks. Gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo, he kept himself busy for a little while after the group’s disbandment in 2015 by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted along with the whole Course of the Inevitable album trilogy gaining renewed interest in the PLK himself. 6 months following A.O.N. 3: (All or Nothing 3): Despite My Mistakes, it was only a matter of time until we got Halloween Havoc VI: The 6 of Swords.

“Addition by Subtraction” starts with a drumless chipmunk soul instrumental from Cartune Beatz talking about cropping pictures because some people don’t belong in them whereas “Eat What You Kill” promises to make the music split people in half like he’s slicing their faces with a razor blade. “Book of Records” goes for a bit a boom bap direction talking about not slowing down because he can’t afford to do so leading into the grisly “If Time Permits” looking to get everything on the table.

As for “Haddonfield”, we have Lloyd over a chillin vocal sample providing mayhem to the masses just before “Supposed to Be” hooks up a soul flip to talk about how things are meant to unfold from his perspective. “Die Slow” experiments with trap a bit explaining that he’d rather be living fast while “Save a Spot” profoundly finishes the 1st half talking about time continuously flying away & the race again against has all been by design.

“Made a Fool of Me” works in a boom bap instrumental that Haas Almahdi cooked up with some cumbersome piano chords speaking of disloyal people & love being cancelled to some while the cloudily raw “Changed Up” talks about people switching on him. “The Eye Test” brings some organs into the fold ready to 187 microphones for the 718 while “It Ain’t Going Well” confesses he hasn’t been doing all that greatly for him as of late because another problem occurring on the daily.

Starting the final act of Halloween Havoc VI: The 6 of Swords, the song “Talk About It Lata” caution that there’s consequences for people acting gangsta out in the streets while “Father Forgive” talks about him hoping that people will appreciate this last rush. “Happy Eyes Lie People” plays with the idea of him checking outta here for good & “What’s Your Purpose?” concludes by asking for our motives because those who don’t have one don’t have anything going for them.

With all of the praise I have for Lloyd Banks’ penmanship & I can appreciate him continuing the Halloween Havoc series because of the way shit’s been going for him, I feel like he needs to switch up his production a bit. No shade towards Haas Almahdi or Cartune Beatz because they’re both good dudes, but I’m confidently sure some of the greats like The Alchemist or Hit-Boy & Conductor Williams would love to work with him.

Score: 3.5/5

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Lloyd Banks – “A.O.N. (All or Nothing 3): Despite My Mistakes” review

Queens, New York emcee Lloyd Banks celebrating his 43rd birthday by releasing his 20th mixtape. Gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo, he kept himself busy for a little while after the group’s disbandment in 2015 by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted along with the whole Course of the Inevitable album trilogy gaining renewed interest in the PLK himself. Halloween Havoc IV: The 72nd Hr came out roughly 6 months ago & is back already with the 3rd installment of the A.O.N. (All or Nothing) series.

“Determination” is this piano-laced boom bap intro talking about coming back moving differently & kicking ass whereas “If I Wake Up” suggests that he should already be dead with what he’s become in addition to the sacrifices made to be on top. “1982” featuring Ransom produced by Cartune Beatz aggressively reps the year Banks was born leading into “1 Life” shrugs off those never liking him with Haas Almahdi.

As for “Pick & Choose”, we have Lloyd talking about never following the paths of others since that’s why people end up taking Ls just before “Despite My Mistakes” featuring Styles P suggests shit happens for a reason & there being money to make. “Rolling” works in some horns to talk about always having to keep it moving regardless, but then “Endangered Innocence” featuring Ghostface Killah admits they wouldn’t change anything over a soulful Nicholas Craven instrumental.

“Art of Rap” returns to the boom bap giving his flowers to this culture that we’ve been calling hip hop for over 5 decades already just before “Perfect World” talks about taking your time still going for a hardcore vibe generally. TL TopOfDaLyne saves the tape’s weakest feature for “Dedication” although I very much respect the overall theme & the summertime feel to the beat while “Keep Pushing” once again delivers more grown man boom bap.

Moving on from there, “Traumatized” conceptually talks about everyone continuing to dream & them later justifiably regretting it if they don’t try at all while “Revolving Door” discusses the difficulty of looking at him when you know good & well he proved you wrong. “The Grudge” responds to everyone who thinks money can erase insecurities or reputation’s invincible until it bleeds while the highlight “No Info” talks about riding when the time’s right over an Olympicks beat.

“Upper Echelon” starts the final moments of A.O.N. 3: (All or Nothing 3): Despite My Mistakes on a jazzier note making it an effort to keep it moving with his back fully against the clock & getting back in his position whether people like it or not while “High Powered” officially sends off the tape with more jazz rap influences confessing the love he’s always had has been starting to change as of late.

Both of the previous entries in the A.O.N (All or Nothing) saga F.N.O. (Failure’s No Option) & L.I.U. (Live It Up) have quickly become amongst the most celebrated mixtapes of the previous decade, so finally getting Despite My Mistakes only 7 months after being announced didn’t disappoint because the hot streak he’s been on all decade since leaving G-Unit Records carries on.

Score: 4/5

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Lloyd Banks – “Halloween Havoc V” review

This is the 19th mixtape from Queens emcee Lloyd Banks. Gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo, he kept himself busy for a little while after the group’s disbandment in 2015 by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted a year & a half ago along with the whole Course of the Inevitable album trilogy gaining renewed interest in the PLK himself. A year after Halloween Havoc IV: The 72nd Hr, Lloyd’s keeping the saga alive.

“You Have My Word” produced by Ron Browz eerily starts off by telling anyone who crosses him to make sure that they stay crossing him for the rest of their lives whereas “Complications” takes the Hellish boom bap route instrumentally talking about being careful of when you speak before you get all the facts. “Season of the Psychos” with Haas Almahdi morbidly promises that he can handle his own weight, but then “Connoisseur” takes us back in the basement calling himself the top seed when he gets on.

Meanwhile on “Broken Hearts”, we have Lloyd over more kicks & snares from Cartune Beatz to talk about the city of heartbreak just before “Double Up” maintains a somber boom bap flare to the beat calling victory the love of his life. “Love is Love” dustily seeks to fuck up the arguments & hypothetics of someone he used to know that fell off musically leading into “Choose Wisely” ruggedly, talking about how there ain’t no money behind these fake pages.

“Resources” rawly observes that everything’s strange now & everyone feeling his energy the second he sets foot in the room while the cold-blooded “Taking Notes” talks about the fact that where he comes from ain’t no joke to him whatsoever. “Shooting the Messenger” aggressively check the temperature since he’s burning up again while “Seminar” publicly expresses his frustration towards everyone else out here & he’s pretty much sick of ‘em.

Starting the 5th installment of the Halloween Havoc series’ final leg, “Regrets” looks at all the possibilities in his future & going broke not being an option while “In the Mix” kinda has some trap undertones talking about expecting a snitch since this life’s a bitch. “Keep It Solid” pushes further to the end keeping it legit & “Graduated” viciously ends reminding that what goes around comes around.

Cartune Beatz has been getting a lot of attention as of late & only a couple weeks after fully producing Machine Gun Vocabulary for Tha God Fahim, he produces nearly half of Halloween Havoc V improving on the predecessor that we got 365 days ago exactly. The production is prominently built around the traditional boom bap sound, refined from The 72nd Hr so the former G-Unit member can go even harder with his signature punchlines.

Score: 4/5

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Lloyd Banks – “Halloween Havoc IV: The 72nd Hr” review

Queens emcee Lloyd Banks is returning with his 18th mixtape. Gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo, he kept himself busy for a little while after the group’s disbandment in 2015 by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted a year & a half ago along with the whole Course of the Inevitable album trilogy gaining renewed interest in the PLK himself. But 7 years since 4 Days of Furyended the Halloween Havoc trilogy, Lloyd’s resurrecting the series at The 72nd Hr.

“Above the Law” is a boom bap opener with some pianos talking about shocking the world whereas “Convoy” with Haas Almahdi cautions that the southern side of his hometown Queens is loaded with .357 Magnums over a glistening backdrop as well as some kicks & snares of course. “Familiar Scars” works in this appropriately ghostly boom bap beat so he can compare his life to a horror flick leading into the dusty “Speeding Session” talking about seeing the top from where he’s at currently & that they don’t get the vision.

Meanwhile, “Dangerous Minds” gives off an infernal boom bap flare to the instrumental warning that you really don’t wanna take this ride as much as you’d like just before “No Opinions” hooks up a shimmery loop with kicks & snares from Cartune Beatz talking about how there ain’t too many as hot as him demanding his props. “Clubbin’ & Chaos” goes for a sample-based boom bap feeling to it with his eyes never being taken off the prize, but then “Diamond Heist” featuring Vado finds the 2 over a despondent boom bap beat comparing their looks to pulling off the titular crime.

“Trap Dice” flexed that he’s so nice, he gets up when he slips & doubles on top of delicate keys alongside kicks & snares while “Broken Arrows” shoots for a darker atmosphere explaining that he’s just simply tryna breathe. “You Shouldn’t Be Here” has these beautiful orchestral elements throughout letting it be known that you’ll never be able to stick him while the dusty “Roaming Weather” is pretty much an open letter on wax to someone who Banks advises not to be a famous no one since nothing’s wrong with them.

The song “Take Me Under” somberly explains there ain’t no turning back for him until he hits the number while the penultimate track “Bad Advice” featuring Sy Ari da Kid on the hook luxuriously talks about not listening to your friends as their advice is obviously shitty. To end the 4th installment of the Halloween Havoc series, “Condolences” is a grueling closer promising that he’s hitting us at every quarter now refusing to stop.

The Course of the Inevitable 2 & Pieces of My Pain are still both enjoyable, don’t get me wrong on that. With that being said: Halloween Havoc IV: The 72nd Hr is the best thing Lloyd has done since his comeback album over 2 years ago. It’s more toned down with the features & increasingly raw than the trilogy of LPs we were treated to up to this point

Score: 4/5

Lloyd Banks – “The Course of the Inevitable 3: Pieces of My Pain” review

Lloyd Banks is a 40 year old MC from Queens, New York City gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo. After the group’s silent disbandment in 2015, he kept himself busy for a little while by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted already 2 & a half years prior. He eventually made a grand return by dropping The Course of the Inevitable & a sequel, but is rounding out the trilogy in the form of his 6th full-length album.

“Pieces of My Pain” starts things off with some pianos, kicks & snares from Cartune Beatz as Lloyd asks how they supposed to change as well as having to see it 20/20 whereas “Onyx AMG” looks back when he used to be down as opposed to being on top now over a glistening boom bap instrumental. “Money Machine” keeps it raw thanks to Haas Almahdi as he watches the green grow just before the suspenseful “Cliffhanger” laced by V Don talks about how friends change & all that he has is himself.

Meanwhile on “101 Razors”, we have Method Mantagging along professing that money won’t ever change them keeping it in the basement as far as sound goes leading into “Movie Scenes” talking about being a big timer on top of a ghostly beat. “Opened Gates” weaves in a sample with some kicks & snares asking what would you do to be remembered, but then “LSD” with Vado makes it clear they ain’t showing love to anyone over a raw boom bap instrumental.

“Voices” flips another sample throughout layering more kicks & snares admitting he still hears voices in his head telling him they’ll never let him lay down while “Red Alert” with Tony Yayo & 38 Speshsomberly talks about hitting them right where it hurts. “Keys to Success” comes through with a shimmering boom bap beat telling y’all what it takes to be successful in life while “Automatic Pilot” by The Council couldn’t prelude the supergroup’s upcoming full-length debut any better.

The final leg of the album starts off with “Invisible” goes chipmunk soul acknowledging that he won’t see the ones he can count on to call whatsoever as soon as he makes it happen while the song “Daddy’s Little Girl” is a heartfelt ode to his daughter. The penultimate track “Showers” is a somber boom bap ballad talking about the love making the outcome better & “Deceitful Intentions” with Cormega is a sample based closer airing out those who be fraudulent.

The whole Course of the Inevitable trilogy has caused everyone to renew interest in Lloyd once again & I can definitely see why the final installment here is his favorite of the 3 personally. Cartune Beatz gets his shine with most of the production & the lyrics are more personal than the last 2 albums. Whether it’s a 4th Course of the Inevitable or something different, the most skilled lyricist in 50’s old crew is further revealing himself to be the most consistent.

Score: 3.5/5

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The Game – “Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind” review

The Game is a 42 year old MC from Compton, California who was initially taken under the wing of JT the Bigga Figga. His 2002 debut mixtape You Know What It Is would catch the attention of Dr. Dre & 50 Cent. Both of whom signed Game to a joint venture to their individually respective labels Aftermath Entertainment & G-Unit Records distributed by Interscope Records. With their help, his debut album The Documentary the following year would go on to become a West Coast essential. However, a falling out between Game & 50 just months after the album’s release would result in Game moving over to Geffen Records to complete his 5-album contract. His next 4 albums Dr.’s Advocate, LAX, The RE.D. (RE-Dedication) Album & Je5us PiecE all showed that Game didn’t need Dre or 50 to make quality music. Once fulfilling his major label obligations, he went the independent route by founding his own label Numinati Records & showcasing the artists with a compilation entitled Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf in 2014. Game then put out an overloaded yet decent sequel to his debut with The Documentary 2+2.5 the next year as well as 1992 the year after & his previous effort Born 2 Rap on his 40th birthday. But with the help of Hit-Boy, Game’s returning from “retirement” yet again in the form is his 10th album.

“1 Time” kicks off the album with a plucky guitar & Game talking about being a nightmare walking whereas “Eazy” with Kanye West samples the late Eazy-E thanks to Hit-Boy himself alongside Mike Dean & even DJ Premier confessing that their lives were never a breeze. Fivio Foreign tags along for the drill-infused “Burnin’ Checks” talking about being real ones, but then “Voodoo” incorporates a swooning trap instrumental detailing being a menace.

Meanwhile on “Home Invasion”, we have Game chaotically telling the story of his life just before YoungBoy Never Broke Again comes into the picture for the DJ Paul-produced “Opp” expressing their dislike for the feds. “Outside” with YG has a more ghostly aesthetic from S1 calling out those who claim Compton that didn’t grow up there just before “La La Land” goes into jazzier turf showing his love for Los Angeles.

“Change the Game” goes full-blown g-funk talking about never switching up while the piano-driven “How Far I’ve Came” says it all. “Heart vs. Mind” has a drearier tone to it thanks to DJ Mustard with the lyrics talking about his heart & mind being at war with one another while “No Smoke at the Polo Lounge” returns to soulful territory looking for smoke.

Following that, “No Man Falls” with Pusha T & 2 Chainz has a more drumless vibe talking about how they all crutches while the London on da Track laced “Chrome Slugs-n-Harmony” with G Herbo & Lil Wayne is a fantastic ode to the Bone Thugs-n-Harmony from the sample to London on da Track tapping into the the g-funk sounds that made E. 1999 Eternal the beloved masterpiece it is. “Start from Scratch II” is a sequel to one of my favorite cuts off The Documentary also being an emotional tribute to Prodigy while “What We Not Gon’ Do” dives into a more futuristic vibe talking about not going to war or calling the cops.

Ye & Dreezy accompany Game for the Middle Eastern-inspired “Fortunate” produced by Timbaland bragging that they’re doing it big whole “Rubi’s Rose” starts off with Twista rapping about fucking over an acoustic guitar prior to the beat switching up to a slower groove & Game elaborating on. After the “Drake with the Braids” interlude, “Nikki Beach” with French Montana comes through with a phoned in advertisement for DJ Khaled’s upcoming 13th album God Did dropping in a couple of weeks while the Meek Mill/Moneybagg Yo-assisted “Talk to Me Nice” playfully confesses being too big-headed for other’s advice.

Continuing from there, the Mike Zombie/Swizz Beatz-laced “Money Cash Clothes” with A$AP Rocky embraces the boom bap sound to flex how fly both of them are while “Killas” comes through with a tribute to The Diplomats’ de facto leader himself Cam’ron & I’m happy to hear him give love to the Brooklyn drill sound considering the purists’ distaste for it. Then there’s “The Black Slim Shady”, which is a 10-minute diss track towards Eminem with some well sequenced beat switches throughout & mimicking his flows. I’d much rather listen to this than “Rap Devil”, but the best Em diss has always been “Searching 4 Bobby Fisher” by Evidence in my opinion.

Speaking of Big Sean, he shows up for the organ/boom bap hybrid “Stupid” boasting how hard both of them go on the mic while the bluesy “.38 Special” talking about every day being Cripmas. “Twisted” takes it back to the trap confessing that the liquor he sippin on got his guy fucked up while “World Tours” with the late Nipsey Hu$$le is a spacey ode to their self-made hustle.

The luxurious “Save the Best for Last” with Rick Ross cooked up by G. Ry & OG Parker expresses their gratitude to still be walking on this planet Earth today while the penultimate track “A Father’s Prayer” blends a gospel sample with some dusty drums for an open letter to his daughter. “Universal Love” sends off the album with a warm pea that love is everything.

Dude can be an attention whore, but goddamn it I’d be lying if I said I didn’t think Drillmatic: Heart vs. Mind makes up for how mid Born 2 Rap was on the final Thanksgiving before COVID-19 changed the world forever. There is some filler, but Game sounds like he has a fire under his ass lyrically & Hit-Boy’s ear for production is just what was needed.

Score: 4/5

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Lloyd Banks – “The Course of the Inevitable 2” review

This is the 5th full-length album from Queens emcee Lloyd Banks. Gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo, he kept himself busy for a little while after the group’s disbandment in 2015 by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted a year & a half ago & his comeback effort The Course of the Inevitable last summer. However, we’re now being treated to The Course of the Inevitable 2 after getting a couple singles recently.

“Impact” opens up the album with Lloyd calling this his get-back on top of a cold instrumental from Cartune Beatz whereas “No Reward” takes the eerie boom bap route talking about rewards only come with the struggle. Conway the Machine tags along for the appropriately titled “Menace” to lyrically obliterate their competition leading into Benny the Butcher coming into the picture for the piano-tinged “Living Proof” talking about how real ones always regroup.

Meanwhile on “Value of a Check”, we have Lloyd addressing those wylin’ for a rep over a dusty instrumental just before “Power Steering” with Jadakiss finds the 2 talking about makin’ a killin’ this time around & the beat here’s just ok.“Fell in Love” shoots for a more sensual vibe whilst excellently tackling the idea of being lovestruck even though he didn’t want to, but then “Socialize” returns to the boom bap acknowledging the fact that some people will literally do anything for survival.

“Murda 1” has a more sumptuous beat talking about how vacations will come when the rain’s gone while “Don’t Switch” reunites with Tony Yayo to call out those who be changing up on their kinfolk without holding anything back over a cloud boom bap instrumental. “Dead Roses” brings in the pianos talking about wanting his flowers while he can still smell ‘em while the song “Trapped” talks about how some doors are open for a reason of a deadpan beat. The penultimate track “Traffic” with Dave East & Vado finds the trio maliciously declaring anyone who turns their back needs to suffer while “On My Way” is an organ-laced opener talking about it’s how you get up, not how you fall.

Anyone who’s been following G-Unit for the past 2 decades should know by now that Lloyd rarely misses when he drops & The Course of the Inevitable 2 to me is a worthy sequel to the comeback album that he just dropped a little over a year ago. His punchlines are always highly entertaining to hear & not only do the features remain as consistent as the predecessor was, but the production does also.

Score: 3.5/5

Lloyd Banks – “The Course of the Inevitable” review

Lloyd Banks is a 39 year old MC from New York City gaining notoriety in the 2000s for his witty punchlines along as well as being an original member of G-Unit alongside childhood friends 50 Cent & Tony Yayo. After the group’s silent disbandment in 2015, he kept himself busy for a little while by releasing A.O.N. 2 (All Or Nothing 2): L.I.U. (Live It Up) & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury just before taking on a 5-year hiatus that really lasted until he received a song placement on the soundtrack for Griselda Records’ theatrical debut Conflicted back in January. Given that & his appearance on the upcoming Ransom EP 7 that’s dropping at the kickstart of next week, Banks is officially making a comeback with his 4th full-length album.

“Propane” serves as a devilish opener with Lloyd jumping on a piano-tinged boom bap instrumental rapping about running cats out the game, but then the next song “Sidewalks” advises listeners to avoid the wrong territory & the keyboard melodies on here from Cartune Beatz are more lavish in comparison to the opener. Freddie Gibbs tags along for the bleakly-produced “Empathy” as he & the Punchline King spit about being strong just before Roc Marciano comes into the fold for the soulful “Early Exit” to address the fact that they’ll always be respected.

Meanwhile on “Formaldehyde”, we get that drug dealer talk accompanied by Benny the Butcher backed by an icy beat just before going out for blood on the malicious “Death by Design” produced by Detroit’s very own The Olympicks. We go into a more trap sound on “Food” as Styles P accompanies Banks going at their competitions referencing Mayweather Promotions founder Floyd Mayweather before the slickly-produced “Crown” is a unique take on the saying “heavy is the head that wears the crown”. The song “Falsified” with Ransom goes back into boom bap territory as they both explain how they can’t trust anyone while Lloyd expresses his feeling of paranoia on the siren-induced “Break Me Down”.

I think “Commitment” does it’s job as a romantic ballad especially with the gorgeous sample Chase N. Cashe & then on “Pain Pressure Paranoia”, we get a powerful look at his demons. “Stranger Things” has a trippier sound as Banks explains that 50 changed on him & the theme carries it’s way into “Drop 5”, which has a cinematic instrumental & lyrics about betrayal.

The bells on “Panic” are a nice touch as it speaks on “not letting pride kill our vibe”, but then he says “if you’re gonna call yourself family stay that way” on the drumless “Smoke & Mirrors”. The penultimate song “Dishonorable Discharge” with Vado finds the 2 talks about backstabbers over a hypnotic sample & then the album finishes with the title track, which is an impassioning anthem telling you to find which path is yours.

I was wondering if this day would ever come given the 5 year gap between this & Halloween Havoc 3: 4 Days of Fury, but I’m happy it did because I think The Course of the Inevitable is the comeback that Lloyd deserves. He takes it back to the basement in terms of the overall sound & gets a lot off his chest lyrically with of course his clever punchlines remaining intact.

Score: 4/5

The Game – “Born 2 Rap” review

This is the 9th album from Compton rapper The Game. Initially taken under the wing of JT the Bigga Figga, his 2002 debut mixtape You Know What It Is would catch the attention of Dr. Dre & 50 Cent. Both of whom signed Game to a joint venture to their individually respective labels Aftermath Entertainment & G-Unit Records, distributed by Interscope Records. With their help, his debut album The Documentary the following year would go on to become a West Coast essential. However, a falling out between Game & 50 just months after the album’s release would result in Game moving over to Geffen Records to complete his 5-album contract. His next 4 albums Dr.’s Advocate, LAX, The RE.D. (RE-Dedication) Album & Je5us PiecE all showed that Game didn’t need Dre or 50 to make quality music. Once fulfilling his major label obligations, he went the independent route by founding his own label Numinati Records & showcasing the artists with a compilation entitled Blood Moon: Year of the Wolf in 2014. Game then put out an overloaded yet decent sequel to his debut with The Documentary 2+2.5 the next year as well as his previous album 1992 the year after. Fast forward to his 40th birthday, Game’s celebrating with his 2nd retirement album Born 2 Rap.

After the “City of Sin” intro from Ed Sheeran, we get into the first song “No Smoke”. Where Game challenges his competition over an atmospheric instrumental. The track “$500 Candles” gets braggadocious over a smooth instrumental & not only is the messaging on “The Light” is a nice callback to Je5us PiecE, but the harmonious boom bap beat on here is gorgeous. The track “Carmen Electra” with Mozzy & Osbe Chill sees the 3 talking about mobbin’ over a sample of D’Angelo’s “Devil’s Pie” while the song “Dead Homies” is a trite metaphor for a woman over a skeletal instrumental. The track “Gold Daytonas” with Dom Kennedy sees the 2 flexing over the same sample Junior M.A.F.IA. used for “Get Money” while the song “West Side” talks about life in Compton over a ghostly instrumental. The track “40oz Love” gets on the positivity tip lyrically over a soulful beat while the song “Gucci Flip Flops” talks about death over a slick instrumental from Swizz Beatz.

The title track talks about being the greatest over an instrumental that’s sweet to the ears while the song “Welcome Home” with the late Nipsey Hu$$le sees the 2 talking about staying woke over smooth instrumental. After the “Help Me” interlude, the fittingly titled “I Didn’t Wanna Write This Song” pays tribute to Nip as Focus… supplies a depressive instrumental. “The Code” with 21 Savage then sees the 2 talking living & dying by the rules of the streets over an instrumental that doesn’t really suit the tone while the song “Stay Down” with Bryson Tiller is of course a buttery love anthem. The track “Hug the Block” shows off over a somber beat while the song “Ask for Me” tells the story of & later forgetting her name over a grand instrumental. The track “Stainless” pays tribute to many West Coast artists over a smooth piano instrumental while the song “Gangsters Make the Girls Go Wild” is of course a tepid attempt at a radio hit.

“Blood Thicker Than Water” is self-explanatory backed by a churchy-trap beat from StreetRunner while the song “Rewind II” is a decent sequel to the Nas joint “Rewind” off his 2001 album Stillmatic. The track “1 Life” with J. Stone sees the 2 getting motivational over a bleak instrumental while the song “Cross on Jesus Back” with D Smoke is pretty much a response to Kanye West’s Sunday Service performances that he’s been doing all year. The album then finishes with “Roadside”, where Game reflects on his past life over an acoustic instrumental.

If this really is the last time we’ll ever hear Game in a full-length capacity, then I’d say it’s a mixed bag & I didn’t really enjoy it as much as 1992 a few years earlier. The passion is definitely there, but some of the production is hit or miss with me personally & I feel like it really didn’t need to be 91 minutes long. Really if you took roughly half of the material here & left the rest on the cutting room floor, I would’ve liked it a more than I actually did for sure.

Score: 2.5/5