The Game
O2 Academy Bristol
Thursday, July 16
By Suzi Dixon
Gangsta rap star The Game sure loves a good tussle. He’s feuded with former mentors 50 Cent and Dr Dre — and now he’s using his latest album, LAX, and this week’s Bristol gig to escalate his ‘beef’ with Jay Z.
What Beyonce’s hubby did to offend The Game (real name Jayceon Taylor) is unclear. But opening the show with a catchy new ditty entitled “F*** Jay Z” left Bristol’s O2 Academy crowd in no doubt of The Game’s ire.
The Game: Gangsta rapper is no fan of Jay Z
Using the same samples as Jay Z’s Death To Autotune, The Game was joined on stage by his Black Market Records proteges and quickly got the Bristol crowd — who probably own a fair few Jay Z records themselves — chanting along.
This set the scene for an energetic but paired down gig. The Game raps alone with just a DJ for company — no screeching divas or fired-up homies in his choruses — but his passionate, gunfire-style delivery packs plenty of punch regardless. The stage was packed with Black Market cronies and, later, he invited a select few from the crowd up with him.
The opening numbers from LAX were mostly up-tempo, with Money providing the highlight. But it was the old-school hip hop samples that really got the crowd bouncing. Jumping from sample to sample, The Game rivals Kanye West in his ability to put a new spin on classics from luminaries such as Ludacris, Snoop and Tu Pac.
This provided a logical intro to tracks from his most successful album, The Documentary. How We Do was well received, but he disappointingly only got halfway through the Kanye West-produced Dreams, claiming he had forgotten the words.
A Michael Jackson tribute and more new tracks followed, perhaps a sneak preview of the much-anticipated Red Album, on which Timbaland is rumoured to be co-writer.
The show closed with the fabulous It’s Okay (One Blood), the best track from his second album, Doctor’s Advokate. A popular club track, the O2 Academy was the perfect setting for a high-energy piece as this.
He may be best known for his associations and subsequent feuds, but The Game proved this week he has the talent, drive and USP to stand alone.