As the album opens, a lowrider’s engine growls in your ears and sets this cinematic tone that will roll through the project with ease.
The album puts you in passenger seat of an old impala as it crawls through the Compton streets. Game, pushing the whip, spits stories through the weed smoke running off his mouth. The project creates a sonic aesthetic that is uncomfortably gritty but, simultaneously has that west coast feel good vibe weaved in perfectly. Before hearing the album I questioned whether I really wanted to hear 30 plus tracks from Game (as this is to be followed up by The Documentary 2.5 on Oct. 16) but having finished the project, I have full faith in the next installment.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLDorI-nlKo
What I love about Game’s presence on this LP is the creativity and variety in his content. He effortlessly steps from tough in-your-face tracks to more melodic cuts where Game calls for unity amongst the east and west coasts. The third track “Step Up” is obviously a tribute to Biggie’s “Gimme The Loot”. If you’re privy to the beef between coasts, then you understand the significance of a LA emcee paying respect to Big. He also gives love to Nas and shouts out Mobb Deep, two emcees who were constant targets for Pac’s anger.
This will most likely be overlooked but the way The Documentary 2 brings together west and east coast artists. Look at “Circles”, an incredibly creative conversation track with artist Sha Sha, but also has another east coast legend, Q-Tip, providing rhymes. I hope listeners recognize the resurgence of “educated street music” in Hip Hop that this LP contributes to. Game isn’t just putting out a dope record, but he’s forwarding Hip Hop’s culture and it’s coming from a genuine spot which puts polish on an already pristine album.
You can purchase The Documentary 2 HERE
