Game Rolls Through Boulder, CO With Live Performance (Concert Recap)

via the Denver Post

Game’s Colorado fans got the Westside vibe they wanted when he stopped at the Fox in Boulder on Saturday (July 31st) as part of his R.E.D Album tour, the namesake of which will be released Aug. 24.

The Crowd got an aggressive west coast rapper spreading Compton fever, complete with his crew smoking blunts and drinking Makers Mark at the back of the stage and playing sounds of gun shots between songs. The sold-out show took a lot of turns, starting with Game chugging half a bottle of Grey Goose Vodka, calling all the “ladies” up on stage and stopping songs to take a hits of a joint from the audience.



The crowd was on point with rapping along with Game during the concert, which was packed with many of his most popular songs from his previous three albums. He made it evident that Dr. Dre and 50 Cent were supporters, despite past feuds, by playing classic cuts from Dr. Dre’s albums “Xxplosive” and “2001″ and bringing out G-Unit Gear while chanting “G-Unit.”

Game performed “Big Dreams,” then “Big Money” from “The R.E.D Album” while he threw out wads of bills into the crowd. He started to do “Cali Sunshine,” saying Colorado had what California did (in regards to fine ladies and bud), but stopped because the beat was too slow for him. Throughout, the crowd seemed mesmerized by the party unfolding on stage.

Colorado- based Fresh Breath Committee and 303 Movement opened for Game, which drew much of the crowd that showed up in time to see the headliner play. The rapper the Menace started out Game’s set by performing two songs that set the scene for the Compton party that was about to get started. After the songs, “Black Wall Street” and “Chevy Sittin,” the Menace got the crowd in a round-robin of yelling “Compton” after he said “Menace.”

Game’s “R.E.D. Album,” for those who don’t know, marks his return to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label and is the result of working with Snoop and Dr. Dre in the studio as well as collaborating with artists including Justin Timberlake and Pharrell.

See the photo gallery from the show:
Game - Boulder Fox Theatre

(video courtesy of aja2489 & bkbsnow)

Game 'The R.E.D. Album' Sneak Preview By Complex Magazine

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)

Game Video Interview With The Life Files

Game The R.E.D. Album on Blackwall Street/Interscope arrives June 15.

Game Lines Up An All-Star Production Cast For 'The R.E.D. Album'

via MTV

Game said he got just about everybody he wanted for his upcoming The R.E.D. Album — he has some of the finest tracks featuring guests from all over the hip-hop hemisphere.

"I feel great about this album," he said recently after going over tracks at Dr. Dre's house. "It's back full-force Aftermath and I'm conjoined with Star Trak." (Pharrell Williams is one of the LP's executive producers.) "I got this colorful movement over here where it's beautiful music on this side [with Star Trak] — then when I need to go dark or super grown and sexy, I got Dre over here. The combination is crazy — mixed in with a Cool & Dre track and RZA track and all the sh-- I been doing. The only person I'm upset I didn't work with on this album is DJ Premier. I feel his sh-- would have been perfect for this all-star producer cast that I have. One Premier track would have did me just fine. I would have murdered that sh--. But we ain't get it in, 'cause he was doing a whole bunch of sh-- for Christina Aguilera. I'm just Game. So I gotta just wait for the next album."

The Compton MC said he lets the fans know from the start of the album that he's not playing.

"They got the intro to the album, which is titled 'Infrared,' " Game said of Cool & Dre. "It's one of them joints that Shaheem (Reid) is gonna love. All the real hip-hop fans, to hear me rap, how I'm rapping on my intro, it's gonna f--- people up. Before you get to #2, you gonna already know I'm serious. I'm spitting. I go in. I done played this for RZA, Dre, Pharrell — all the people who heard this is like, 'N---a, that's crazy!' I haven't spit like I'm spitting on the intro since '300 Bars.' I touched every topic. Everything involving me, I touched."

We'll get a prelude to Game's work with Cool & Dre on a song called "Shake," as it's one of the highlights on his upcoming Gangsta Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama, All Red Everything. Game tells a mayhem-filled story over the beat that incorporates the looped word "shake" throughout.

" 'Shake' is bad, man," Game said. " 'Shake' is crazy. Cool & Dre brought it in and I went through the 'shakes.' I told the story, cutting myself off right before the 'shake' came in [on the track]. I didn't write none of that down. I went in and said the whole sh-- straight through.

"You know what it is about them?" he asked about Cool & Dre. "They are more like my brothers. I can go in with the any moment and make a song. The streets is gonna f--- with it."

Game Billboard Magazine Interview

Billboard: What does the album title mean?

Game: It was a title Pharrell and I came up with. It was like where I am at in my career. My last album felt like it might've been my last album, but it turned out not to be. So, this album is the rededication -- to myself and to what I care about, like my friends, my family, my city, my hood, my genre and rap.

Billboard: How did you link up with Williams for this album?

Game: We worked together one day, and that one day turned to 30 days, and those 30 days turned to 60, and then those 60 developed into a friendship. We both prejudged each other, but once we met, we realized although we come from different places and different situations, we were kind of the same in different aspects of life. Now, our relationship is bigger than music. We have life conversations about bettering ourselves, and we've become good friends. We realized that aside from being musicians, we are brothers in this thing we call hip-hop.

Billboard: Dr. Dre produced two tracks for this album so far. How does it feel to work with him again?

Game: Dre and I have always been on the same team, I've just been too wild for him at times. He's older and legendary and he's been through enough drama in his career and doesn't have to jump into my drama. So, I understood that and why he pulled back.

Billboard: You recently got the words "Star Trak," the name of Williams' label, tattooed on your arm. Are you signed to him now?

Game: No. I'm Black Wall Street all day, but considering all he's done for me -- he saved my career -- I'm riding for Star Trak too. I hold dear anything that helps elevate me and my life and my career and helps me take care of my family. I'll be in debt to him forever for what he's done for me. I appreciate him and I would never go to such extremes as to get a tattoo if it didn't deserve it.

Billboard: 50 Cent, your former label president and arch enemy, released an album recently that sold only 160,000 copies in its opening week. What are your thoughts on that?

Game: It didn't do the numbers he expected, but he should try harder next time. Some sell a million, others do 50. For him to do everything he's done and start beef with other rappers like Rick Ross and draw media attention to himself in that way but only sell 10 more thousand than Ross means people aren't buying into the bulls--t anymore.

Billboard: You're still wrapping up this album. Are there any surprises you've got up your sleeve?

Game: I'm trying to get (Interscope co-founder and chairman) Jimmy Iovine to throw me in the studio with Lady Gaga. She's a rebel, and I go against the grain every day, so, if it happens, it'll be monumental for the state of music. (source)

Game & Pharrell Williams In LA Studio Working On 'The R.E.D. Album'

Game - 'The R.E.D. Album' on Black Wall Street/Interscope coming February 2010.

Game Video Interview With DubCNN

DubCNN caption:
When it comes to mainstream West Coast hip-hop in the last 5 or so years, Game is the number one representative for the West Coast. As part of Dubcnn I was privileged to sit in on a studio session with Game and Pharrell as they worked on Game's "RED Album", scheduled to drop in February of 2010. Game also talked to us about his changed outlook, The Black Wall Street and label boss Jimmy Iovine.

Game - 'The Red Album' on Interscope/Geffen/Black Wall Street in stores February 16, 2010.

Dr. Dre, Will.i.am & Jimmy Iovine On The Decks At 'Club Beats' Best Buy Event NYC

More photos:
Getty Images
Wire Image

also at the same event Dr. Dre speaks about Detox, 50 Cent, Game, etc as seen on RR.





Related:
Dr. Dre And Best Buy Create 'Club Beats' In Store Area For DJ's And The Like

(twit pic main photo courtesy of Monster Cable)