The Game articulates himself rather ferociously on his 11th studio album, Drillmatic – Heart vs. Mind, where the rap veteran often sounds like he’s attempting to validate his presence within contemporary hip-hop’s ever-evolving landscape. It’s a bold method of attack, and one that, if anything, proves just how versatile the Game’s delivery and production choices can get, even when the rapper is just jumping on popular trends.
On two different Brooklyn drill tracks, “Burnin’ Checks” and “K.I.L.L.A.S.,” the Game maneuvers around sliding bass notes and rattling hi-hats with more grace than most rappers half his age. On the former, he goes toe to toe with Fivio Foreign, while on the latter he wisely plays second fiddle to an especially belligerent Cam’ron. And on “O.P.P.,” the Game busts into YoungBoy Never Broke Again’s aggressive domain like he’s been shot out of a cannon, with the two of them trading verses over Three 6 Mafia’s “Tear Da Club Up” with a sinister chemistry.
This free-for-all approach instills an amorphous quality to the way the Game has structured this 20-plus-track opus, where, all for variety’s sake, he does just about everything and anything to keep you engaged for two hours. He parties it up with French Montana and Torey Lanez on the listless summertime jam “Nikki Beach” one minute, then starts mean-mugging with Meek Mill and Moneybagg Yo on the ironically titled “Talk to Me Nice” the next.
These performances, if anything, solidify the Game as a jack of all trades—a solid, dependable wordsmith who’s highly adept in any situation, except when it comes to defining himself and what constitutes his sound in 2022, without relying on name-dropping or clout chasing. While the flow he uses on “Home Invasion” is a high-speed technical feat, especially with how he rattles through each verse quicker and quicker before coming to a screeching halt, it’s also clearly biting Kendrick Lamar’s “Backseat Freestyle” and J. Cole’s “Off Deez.”
Unlike his arch rival, 50 Cent, the Game has always been an impressive rapper but a substandard songwriter. The trend continues on Drillmatic, with equally frictionless results. When he aims for introspection, as on “Start from Scratch II,” all he can muster is self-pity; he bemoans the fact that he’s not signed to Roc Nation and wishes he could have acted more gracefully toward Missy Elliot. And on “Universal Love,” he preaches acceptance by name-dropping Isaiah Rashad in one bar (“If gay is happy, I’m Isaiah Rashad”) only to pull a “no homo” on the very next line (“Yeah, love women, of course”).
When he’s run out of ideas, the Game predictably resorts to antagonizing real or imagined foes. On the 10-minute “The Black Slim Shady,” he continues to perpetuate a one-sided beef with Eminem by proclaiming his own past merits. While the rapper may certainly believe that he’s deserving of present-day laurels and respect, his regressive attitude and over-eagerness to please obstructs that narrative.
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It’s a terrible thing when someone reviews an album based on the fact that they’re an Em stan instead of based on the album quality…they aren’t really reviewing the album.
Drillmatic is the Rap album of the year…all the non-Eminem stan review sites like Medium, HotNewHipHop, RGM, HipHop24x7, and others gave Drillmatic positive reviews.
My favorite album since Wu Tang clan dropped 36 chambers…has a real hip hop rap vibe rap fans will love it.