Track by track preview.
"Infared" (prod. by Cool & Dre)
The Compton rapper’s forays into name-dropping have recently been hit or miss, but over Cool & Dre’s 70s funk-jazz-influenced instrumental, the album’s intro is a major hit. Game drops attention-grabbing lines (“Will I ever go at Nas? Hell nah! / Will I ever go at Jay-Z? I don’t know”) and doesn’t waste a second spewing his fully automatic braggadocio. It’s an instant head-nodding banger for a kickoff.
"Ricky" (prod. by DJ Khalil)
As the title implies, it’s a reference to Morris Chestnut’s character in John Singleton’s debut film Boyz N The Hood. A saxophone intro trails up to the congo drums in the backdrop, and the track leads off as a cautionary tale about 'hood violence—but quickly veers off into Game sucking himself off about how he remains victorious in front of gun claps. Gunshot sound effects, paired with the chanted shout of “Ricky!” make this one memorable...for its repetitiveness.
"Good, Bad, Ugly" (prod. by Hit Boy)
Grimy keys and dark drums play the backdrop for a storytelling joint. The saga begins with the former drug dealer getting ambushed by several hostile guests with heaters, then segues to a scene where two detectives question the injured rapper. The Game skillfully flips the tone of his voice, and weaves an entertaining verse when he refuses to cooperate, instead spinning out a story that's different from what actually went down. Straight gangsta sh*t.
"Heavy Artillery" ft. Beanie Sigel and Rick Ross (prod. by Street Runner)
The three self-claimed gangsters flex gun talk, murder, and their own craziness. Game even compares himself to Marshall Mathers (“Eminem ain’t Dr. Dre’s only sick n***a").
"Diamonds" ft. Robin Thicke (prod. by Phonix)
The version we heard featured an up-and-coming talent named K-Young, though we were told that the infectious hook would be re-sung by Robin Thicke (for the record, we didn’t mind the version with K-Young on the reference).
"It Must Be Me" ft. Pharrell (prod. by Pharrell Williams)
Certified 2002 (?) club banger!!! We had no idea P had a Delorean.
"Ain’t No Doubt About It" ft. Justin Timberlake (prod. by Pharrell Williams)
Justified x In My Mind x Game sounding a little uncomfortable with the terrycloth-soft vibe of the track. Nothing much else to say. *shrug*
"Mother's Womb" ft. Nelly Furtado (prod. by Pharrell Williams)
The title's kind of gross, right? Doesn't sound so hot, either. Game waxes poetic about all the gangsta sh*t he's been up to since he's left his mother's womb. What better way to do that than have Nelly Furtado ride shotgun? FOH. Skateboard P brings those Neptunes key patterns that sound like a throwback to his early chart-toppers, which is both a good and bad thing. The mix we heard was rough, but Furtado's vocals sounded good.
"She'll Look Good To Me" (prod. by Pharrell Williams)
This one is all about bakin' pies with a college chick. But not for her culinary class. As long as they're of age, we always co-sign corrupting co-eds.
"When My N***a Come Home" ft. Snoop Dogg (prod. by Pharrell Williams)
Game heads to the strip club with a close friend fresh out the joint. Pharrell provides the soundtrack for the celebration with a mix of luscious synth waves and deep, hard-hitting drums. Snoop name-drops plenty of fellow Crips, but in that nice and smooth way that doesn't offend middle America to the point that they'll revoke sponsorships.
"Dead People" (prod. by Dr.Dre)
Dre laces Game with a beat that sounds like it was left off 50 Cent's The Massacre (in the same vein of "I'm Supposed To Die Tonight"), and Jayceon takes the opportunity to steal 50's style, even sounding like him on the hook (a stashed joint he wrote, maybe?). Granted, he writes from an interesting perspective—at one point he goes into the POV of a bullet like Nas' "I Gave You Power"—but it stills come off as an odd fantasy about murder.
"It Must Be Tough" ft. Pharrell (prod. by Pharrell Williams)
Even though this was clearly unmixed and still has some reference vocals on it, it's still one of the clear highlights of the album. Typical baller sh*t we've heard before, but Pharrell stunts on another level and absolutely dominates on the ad-libs and the hooks. There's synths galore and heavy 808s that build back and forth (from low volume to high), and Game delivers a solid third verse.
"Roll My Sh*t" ft. Snoop Dogg (prod. by Pharrell Williams)
Some real G-shit, straight up and down. Game and Snoop are clearly in their element on this one. Pharrell brings his best Dr. Dre impression by using light, wavy synths reminiscent of The Chronic.
"Lost Ones" ft. K-Young (prod. by Cool & Dre)
Bonus cut that focuses on really dark themes of death and the molestation of his sister by his father. Fooled you, right? You thought it was some diss to Jigga, right? (source)
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