My "L.A.X." review (official track by track review thread)

[Meho]

I know, another Game thread but I was thinking that we could make this an official track by track review thread. It's very rare that the Westcoast has something going on, so I think this album deserves it:

01. Intro - Don't rate intro's

02. L.A.X. Files 5/5 ---> Great opening track. J.R. drops a lovely piano loop and adds bunch of little elements to the beat (the violin in the 2nd verse is the shit). Game's flow and delivery are off the chain. Nothing special lyrically or subject matter wise but Game just straight spitting. Loved the last line " Look what the bloods did to Weezy, look what the crips did to Jeezy, this gangbanging shit ain't nothing to play with, me and Snoop Dogg just made it look easy..."

03. State Of Emergency 5/5 ---> J.R. bringing the heat yet again. Beat wise it sounds like California Vacation part 2 but the production is better on this one IMO. Same as on track 2, another killer flow and delivery from Game that covers up for some poor lyricism. The chours is the shit, one of the best from Game since the departure from 50. Oh and I don't know what you call that sound effect that starts at 0:34 in a correct english term but in a good system it will blow up your speakers. "California ain't state it's an army!"

04. Bulletproof Diaries 5/5 ---> And the great ride continues. I'm not a fan of Jelly Roll beats at all but this one is a monster. Rae and Game go back and forth like they've been doing it for ages, you can tell they were in the studio together.

05. My Life 4,5/5 ---> The production is great, nice dark piano and the hook from Weezy really grew on me (desšite being recycled and auto-tune). The only complaint is Game himself, who drops waaaaaay too many random names on a track that is suppose to be about his life. If anybody wants to know how it should sound like, check Chamillionares version.

06. Money 4/5 ---> This sounds too much like a Down South record from somebody like Rick Ross. Played out subject matter, nevertheless still enjoable track. BTW I think that with some Dre mixing this beat would be 10x better, that piano loop is way too low/silent. Dope sample though.

07. Cali Sunshine 4,5/5 ---> Was dissapointed with the Nottz beat at first but it grew on me like crazy. Game once again rides the beat perfect, with switching up to a more laid back flow and the hook from Bilal is perfect. He should shoot a dope summertime video for this, just riding through Cali. The ending is crazy "That's 10 funerals, 10 caskets, 10 three piece Ralf Lauren suits, 10 motorbikes stopping traffic and 10 reasons why I got California hotter than acid, don't you ever leave me out of your top 10 list, you fucking bastards!" A lil bit too much name dropping to give it a 5/5

08. Ya Heard 3/5 ---> Dissapoint beat from Nottz, on some Nintendo shit. Game is also very poor on this one, Luda killed it though.

09. Hard Liquor (Interlude)

10. House Of Pain 4/5 --> Didn't like this track at first at all because it sounded out of place, just like Scream On Em' from DA. Well both track grew on me eventually. It could've been done without jacking Dre's flow/voice in the chours.
11. Gentleman's Affair 4/5 ---> Not bad for a chick track, the simple, yet effectibe beat and Ne-Yo's voice bring a certain mature vibe to the song. The 1st verse from Game is awful 

12. Let Us Live 2/5 ---> I was really anticipating this, hey, it's Scott Storch and Game. And what do I get ? A beat that sounds like it was made in 98 and Game jacking Nas's flow. This track is a joke to me, he should've put it on a mixtape like Chamillionare does and not on a fucking LP.

13. Touchdown 2/5 ---> Awful. Just horrible. Wack production, wack verses, annoying flow, the hook is the only highlight.

14. Angel 5/5 ----> Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about! I wasn't a big fan of the previous 2 Kanye/Game collabos but this one is pure magic. Game stepping out of the box on this one. Both Common and Game killed it, the flow they used was perfect for the beat. Best Kanye beat in ages, reminds me of the old Kanye that used a soulful sound and not that Graduation tehcno bullshit. And let's not forget about the hook, I get chills everytime I hear it.

15. Never Can Say Goodbye 4,5/5 ---> Another creative concept from Game. Some great storytelling when doing all 3 rappers. Why am I not giving this a 5/5 ? Well, for one thing, I don't understand why he didn't completley copy their flows/voices on this track, which would make perfect sense, like he did with Nas on Let Us Live. 2nd thing is the hook, just repeating one bar, should've come up with something more creative. And the 3rd reason is that I've heard Royce Da 5'9's version before this and it's better.

16. Dope Boys 4/5 ---> Very energetic track right here, with some help from Travis Baker on the drums. The beat bangs hard, it's just that Game obviously dumbed down his flow, taking these 2 seconds pause every few bars, just like on Big Dreams. And it has some very cheesy punchlines/poor lyrics.

17. Game's Pain (feat. Keyshia Cole) 4,5/5 ---> Great choice for a 1st single, something different. Game once again switched his flow, to a more laid back one but it's still sharp and fast unlike on Dope Boys. Only complaint is that the beat is a lil repetitive and the hook from Keyshia could've been better and shorther.

18. Letter To The King 4,99/5 ---> As usual for Game's albums, it ends with a bang. Another more emotinal and out of the box track. Nas and Game obviously have great chemistry, both killed it, especially Game's last verse is very impressive. I'm giving it a 4,99 only because the beat from Hi-Tek is a lil bit boring, Ole English was much better.

19. Outro /


So, what's left to say ? Game is definetly top 5 mainstream rappers right now. He's not a great MC or anything, his subject matter is predictable for most of the time but his great flow and delivery make up for all of that AND he knows how to make an album, that can be played from top to bottom (he'll be a great executive producer one day). At first I thought this album was all over the place but it takes some time to play it, to see that it flows nicely. But still it doesn't have that cohesive vibe that Doc and DA had, the production is not as good as on the other 2 and it doesn't have that many "omg!" tracks. Which brings me to comparing Game's discography:

The Documentary -- 4,75
DA - 4,5
L.A.X. - 4,25

I took 3 factors when grading them: a) Replay value (both 3 have them), b) Tracks I skip (Doc had "Don't Worry", DA had "Bang" and "Around The Word" and L.A.X. has "Ya Heard", "Let Us Live" and "Touchdown" + the unnecessary intro, outro and interlude) c) Overallvibe (Doc>> Da>> L.A.X.)

[AnybodyKilla]

Agree with your whole review its The Doc(4.75/5)>>Doctors Advocate(4.5/5)>>L.A.X.(4.25/5), same as how you rated it. BUT the only thing i have to disagree on is that "Let Us Live" track, its one of my favs off the album!!!

[LongBeachsFinest]

out of 5 for me on all three albums doc [4.5/5] / L.A.X [4/5] / D.A [3/5]

good review . . apaert from let us live that track is crazy!!

[Ezekiel Whitmore]

13. Touchdown 2/5 ---> Awful. Just horrible. Wack production, wack verses, annoying flow, the hook is the only highlight.

Decent review, The only one I disagree with.

[R1ZE]

Just some random, unorganized thoughts. I use a 5-point scale, .5 increments

01. Intro - Kept my attention... I like it, but its unneccessary.

02. L.A.X. Files 4/5 ---> Good song. Interesting that he doesn't start the album off "with a bang" but its a nice slow burner

03. State Of Emergency 5/5 ---> Ghetto Bird Part Two... this shit is bananas. Game kills the verses and like Meho said the hook is one of his strongest. The sound and lyrics really take you to another place.

04. Bulletproof Diaries 4/5 ---> Jelly Roll is really hit or miss... this is a hit. I was kinda wary of this, with the harsh Wu Tang sound on it, but it works. The back and forth between The Chef and The Game is great, but I'm a sucker for that shit. imo a tiny bit too long.

05. My Life 3.5/5 ---> I said it before, I'll say it again, fuck this hook. That autotune bullshit doesnt have the soul or the pain a hook like this needs. The verses, as everyone knows, are out of place too. That said... still listenable.

06. Money 4.5/5 ---> Rick Ross is kicking himself for not grabbing this shit... I agree about the piano being too low, too. Damn near forgot about that part. Still, this is a banger... and the last line (though played) always makes me smile: "I'm about a dollar, 50 cent aint real!". Theres actually alot of good wordplay here, his mcdonalds line (flippin them orders) is another highlight.

07. Cali Sunshine 3.5/5 ---> I wasn't feeling this at first, from the beat to the hook to the verses. All have grown on me, but its a different sound than I'm used to. Not a big fan of bilal, either, but this can pass. We hear it too often on this board, but Nate shoulda been on this.

08. Ya Heard 4/5 ---> I really like this song. It's too bad more people don't... its really funky imo.

09. Hard Liquor (Interlude) - useless

10. House Of Pain 1.5/5 --> not my style... too dark/annoying. Took it out on my burn.

11. Gentleman's Affair 4/5 ---> Generic, but it'll do. I like this song more for Ne-Yo than Game.

12. Let Us Live 5/5 ---> Whoa, how can you not like this Meho? Yeah, it sounds like 98. Yeah, he sounds like Nas. But thats what makes it dope. People are begging for that old school sound... and this track delivers. The hook is intoxicating.... very mature song. Just like State of Emergency takes you to South Central on a sunny day, this track takes you to Queens in the darkest night. Mood music.

13. Touchdown 5/5 ---> This song is sexy as fuck, no homo. The beat is impeccable, the hook is too smooth, and the verses are fun as fuck to rap along with. The whispering at the end iof lines very reminiscent of the "uuuh"s from How We Do.

14. Angel 5/5 ----> Another amazing hook (by John Legend), and a great beat. Someone on here said it doesn't change at all - it does, you just need to clean out your ears.... very bouncy, and funked to the max. Com is one of my favorite rappers, so of course I wish he had a second 8 bars. Great song though. Game pays homage to "I used to love HER" in the second verse, Coms verse is focused on the green leaves

15. Never Can Say Goodbye 4/5 ---> I agree that Royce's track was better around the concept, but I listen to this one more. It's too bad he didn't try Pac's flow (which is so easy to replicate), or eazy's voice/flow. I guess the eazy shit was cause of the bronchitis, but its whatever. Lyrically, pac's verse is weak, and biggies is spot on. Eazy's is the best. The radio snippets in the beginning were a nice touch.

16. Dope Boys 4/5 ---> Fucking HARD track, but bad placement. The albums supposed to be winding down at this point; I put this earlier on my copy.

17. Game's Pain  4.5/5 ---> Game has good verses on this song. I noticed his voice is alot higher than usual; reminds me that theres no "drunk" song on this album. The beat has alot of nice elements in it, that aren't brought out enough. all you really hear is the main piano loop, but if you listen close theres tons of shit in there. Too bad about the mixing. I also really like the additional elements right when the song fades out. As an aside, I don't really like this hook. The first half of it isnt very melodic.... I still think Tyrese would have done better. (this song is also too late in the tracklist imo)

18. Letter To The King 4.5/5 ---> Nas was kinda weak on this  . Good song, though. Introspective, emotional, but... I'm not sure if its the greatest song to end your carreer on, if he really is retiring. The shot at Jay (just like all the others on the album) is kind of out of place too.

19. Outro - I thought the intro was enough.


Overall : 4.5/5

DA > DOC > LAX, but they're all great. The name dropping fits more on this album, due to the LA-focus. The constant references to Kanye, Wayne, and Jay are out of place though. At the end of the day, Game leaves a nice legacy. Three great albums. For me, all will probably be "personal classics", but I don't think I'll be classifying him with Biggie like he said I would on his first album. His albums are a testament to his song-making abilities, as well as his beat selection. Lyrically, though, he hasn't grown very much.

Bonus Disc:

1. Camera Phone: 3.5/5 --> I liked the old track. I like the sample in the new beat, too, but the song is just way too busy now. That sample shouldve been saved for a deeper song.
2. Nice: 3/5 --> I really didn't like the old version of this song. Sounded like a bad old school Mobb Deep ripoff track. The new version replaces the old school new york sounds with pianos and makes it more westcoast. Overall, still a weak song. The hook is annoying, too.
3. Spanglish: 4/5 --> HARD beat. Good hook (although I have no idea what its saying - along with half of the verses). Game raps in spanglish, so it really depends on if you can tolerate that for a whole track.
4. Big Dreams: 4/5 --> I didn't get the big deal about this song when it first came out: it was just "okay" to me. It's grown on me a bit. The new verse is delivered kinda weak, imo, but the lyrics make his outro more sensical ("my momma said marijuana was just a phase"). His comments about continueing (and finishing) the chronic legacy also makes it a good album outro, imo, which is why it is on my version:

The Game - LAX (Rize's version)

LAX Files
State of Emergency
Bulletproof Diaries
My Life
Money
Dope Boys
Cali Sunshine
Ya Heard
Game's Pain
Camera Phone (old version)
Spanglish
Gentleman's Affair
Let Us Live
Touchdown
Angel
Never Can Say Goodbye
Letter to the King
Big Dreams

just baaaaaaaarely fits on one disc.

Now, I'm looking forward to the cut songs. Especially those Scott Storch songs (the one with Bus that was supposed to be on the album should be a banger).

[Meho]

^^^ Nice job man.

I just can't help but wonder if he replaced those 2,3 weak tracks with that Scott Storch produced track featuring Busta and that Just Blaze track featuring Marsha & Busta (not to even mention the Khalil joints). Then it would be better than DA, which had too many tracks jacking either Dre's or 50's flow. But I gotta look at the overall pciture and DA is slightly better.

[Matty]

yeah the added production on camera phone really messes up that track. i like the og version more.

[R1ZE]

^^^ Nice job man.

I just can't help but wonder if he replaced those 2,3 weak tracks with that Scott Storch produced track featuring Busta and that Just Blaze track featuring Marsha & Busta (not to even mention the Khalil joints). Then it would be better than DA, which had too many tracks jacking either Dre's or 50's flow. But I gotta look at the overall pciture and DA is slightly better.

oh yeah, I forgot about the Just Blaze song

Its interesting when you look at the differences and similarities in Game's trilogy...

DOC - no nas, jr rotem, nottz, jelly roll, ep
DA - no cool & dre
LAX - no just blaze, porter, marsha, busta, "drunk" song

all have hi-tek, kanye, scott storch

[Makaveli's Food & Liquor]

I'm only gonna give a quick track by track review, not greatly in-depth

01. Intro 1/5 - Thought it was cheesy

02. L.A.X. Files 4/5 ---> Great way to start the album, dope beat, the perfect chorus and the games verses are sick

03. State Of Emergency 5/5 ---> I cant stop listening to this tune, the beat is the best I've heard in a long while, the ice cube features perfect and the game kills it with the flow even though lyrically its the same ole same ole

04. Bulletproof Diaries 3.5/5 ---> Not really a fan of this track, the verses are sick but i just find the beat boring/ mediocre

05. My Life 5/5 ---> Wasn't a fan when it first leaked, but its a grower, Weezy murks the hook, i only wish the game had actually spit something about his life, i love the Kanye line though, "...then i see my sons and put on that Kanye smile, damn i know his mama proud, and since you helped me sell my dream, we can share my mama now..."

06. Money 4/5 ---> Club banger, but sounds like something which would suit Rick Ross rather than Game, and of course the subject matter is played out

07. Cali Sunshine 3/5 ---> Thought Nottz had the worst beats on the album with this and Ya Heard, the beats boring, hooks annoying

08. Ya Heard 3/5 ---> Again the beat is the problem, i was really hoping to hear a banger but instead we get this, i don't even know how to describe it, the only thing i can say is that as usual Luda kills it!

09. Hard Liquor (Interlude) 0/5 - What's the point of this skit?

10. House Of Pain 4/5 --> The beats grimey and a real banger, the hooks perfect but i just thought games verses was average, especially his first verse  

11. Gentleman's Affair 3/5 ---> Eh, how they chose to put this on the album instead of the official version of Camera Phone bemuses me, the beats boring and the game just doesn't suit the track, sounds like something which should have been on Ne-Yos album

12. Let Us Live 4.5/5 ---> I love the beat, its simple but dope, and the hooks great. The only thing which stops it from being a 5/5 is the fact that Game decided to swagger jack Nas's flow, i don't see why he couldn't have of just rapped normally

13. Touchdown 4.5/5 ---> It seems some love this while others despise it, the productions great IMO, love the whisper effect on the verses, i just wish the hook was better, this should be the next single

14. Angel 4/5 ----> Game and Kanye collabs are always great, this ones no different, Common drops a nice verse while Kanye produces an awesome beat.

15. Never Can Say Goodbye 3/5 ---> This was the song i was most anticipating since the concept is great. However, i was so disappointed when i first heard it, didn't like the Lil choir bit at the beginning, thought the chorus was subpar and unoriginal, he could have of at least tried to impersonate their voices, i.e Royce - Taxi Driver. EP laced a dark monster of a beat though  

16. Dope Boys 3.5/5 ---> This tracks a grower, and the beat is epic, but the games verses are poor and the hook's cheesy with the constant 'Whassup' in the background

17. Game's Pain (feat. Keyshia Cole) 4/5 ---> Thought it was a nice change up having this as the lead single, the beats perfect and the games verses are nice, only thing i didn't like was the hook which was weak.

18. Letter To The King 5/5 ---> These two need to make a collaboration album, their chemistry is   And this track is no different, great concept, nice laid back beat from Hi-Tek, just wish it had a chorus from Marsha.

19. Outro 1/5 - Again thought this was cheesy

Overall the albums great, far better than most of the crap that gets released nowadays, but it lacks any real cohesiveness, its all over the place, i feel its on par with the DA but far behind the Documentary. Also I'm hoping there was a good reason why Red Magic, Just Blaze and Busta didn't make the album.

The Documentary - 4.75/5
The Doctor' Advocate - 4/5
LAX - 4/5

[Gambler]

I'm giving this album another week in rotation, i honestly am not feeling it anywhere near the amount i felt Documentary or Doc Advocate.

The ratings seem overally high for what the tracks are but maybe this album is one that will grow on me.

And one final point, how can u rate this album on replay value when it has only been out a week? ha

good work taking the time out to do the review.

[Lunatic]

Good job, I am going to do my part.

1. Intro - Don't rate Intro's

2. LAX Files - 5/5 - What a monster of an opening beat. JR Rotem really did his thing on this.  Shorty provided an absolute MONSTER of a hook wow - sounds like poured his entire heart and soul into this one; like he knew how big it was to have the first hook on a Game album and took his time to literally perfect it. Game really raps/flows his ass off on this one. Couldn't ask for a better opener.

3. State of Emergency Ft. Ice Cube - 5/5 - Another hell of a beat by JR Rotem. This dude drops nothing but fire. Ice Cube's hook is NUTS - better than any of his hooks on his own album, "Raw Footage" (great CD too btw). Game once again raps his ass off on this. Perfect, west coast sounding track.

4. Bulletproof Diaries Ft. Raekwon - 4.75/5 - Something outside the box for a Jelly Roll beat, but I like it a lot; dope as fuck. Sounds like an old school Wu-Tang song in many ways. Love the trading bars of Game and Raekwon and even the title of this track is classic. Fantastic all around.

5.  My Life Ft. Lil Wayne - 5/5 - This song is a personal classic to me. I absolutely love everything about it. Cool & Dre are ON FIRE right now. Lil Wayne drops such a sick hook, it's ridiculous. I am not a fan of the autotone, but it really works perfectly on this song. Lyrically/subject matter wise, this is easily Game at his best.

6. Money - 4.5/5 - Love the Cool & Dre beat. As many have said, Rick Ross is somewhere snapping for not getting this record lol. Should definitely be dropped as a single.

7. Cali Sunshine Ft. Bilal - 3.5/5 - HATED this song at first. It's grown on me a bit but is still easily 1 of the album's worst tracks. Nottz didn't bring it. Bilal is very dope but he also came extremely weak on this.

8. Ya' Heard Ft. Ludacris - 3/5 - another wack ass Nottz beat. Too video game ish for my liking. Luda killed it though. Still a weird track.

9. skit - don't rate skit's

10. House Of Pain - 4.5/5 - DJ Toomp is an absolute beat, my personal favorite producer over the last 5 years - dude is a monster and this beat is more evidence of that. Sounds like some old school grimy shit and Game tears it apart. Absolutely love it.

11. Gentleman's Affair Ft. Ne-Yo - 3.75/5 - Not bad for the type of track it is; expected worse. Ne-Yo did his thing on the hook.

12. Let Us Live Ft. Chrisette Michelle - 5/5 - Love the Storch beat; somethin' diff for him but I love it. Chrisette really does her thing on the hook. Game raps his ass off on it (sounds like Nas lol) and it's a personal favorite song of mine.

13. Touch Down Ft, Raheem Devaughn - 2/5 - this is awful lol. hate that whispering shit. Raheem was weak on it and I like dude. Game should release this lol.

14. Angel Ft. Common - 5/5 - Is this John Legend on the hook? Probably the best song on the album. The beat is way 2 classic (although Kanye didn't change it up much). The beat is epic. The hook is epic. Game and Common kill it. Epic track.

15. Never Can't Say Goodbye Ft. Latoiya Williams - 5/5 - I love the concept. Don't care if anyone thinks its cheesy or whatever, i fuckin love it. This has done been needing to be done. I really liked all 3 parts. Eazy-E was a cool way to end it, especially the way he did. He sounded a lot like Biggie, did a good job. 2Pac was done well 2. Latoiya could have come better, I am disappointed with her hook since I am fan of hers. Classic song though.

16. Dope Boys Ft. Travis Barker - 4/5 - Very energetic sounding production. Was never a HUGE fan of this. It grew on me a bit but it's really not the type of beat I want to hear Game rapping over.

17. Game's Pain Ft. Keyshia Cole - 4,25.5 - Been out forever now. Cool summertime sounding track is all I am going to say.

18. Letter To The King Ft. Nas - 5/5 - Game & Nas are 3/4 when it comes to collabo's. This one is epic. Just as good as the one from DA. The production is a bit simple, but a song with this kind of content needs to be done over (for lack of a better word) "boring" production.

19. Outro - dont rate

Overall - 4.5/5 - GREAT album with LOTS of replay value. Not as hard hitting/first impression as his first 2 projects, but really is fantastic. 2 early to tell where it ranks compared to the other 2, but it is EXTREMELY close 2 call.

[Black Gloves]

i cant believe how people say DA > LAX

again, its that he used a westcoast flow and few westcoast beats that makes yall say that.

other than one night, cali vacation, ol english and why u hate the game the album was average.

he sounded lke dre the whole fuckin album.

average/below average: one blood, too much, remedy, compton, da shit, lookin at u, scream on em,

wack: wouldnt get far, around the world, bang (yeah yeah yeah the beat was great but that doesnt mean its a good track),


LAX: state of emergeny, bulletproof diaries, never cna say goodbye, let us live, letter to the king, my life, lax files thats above average!



I find it funny cuz the same people say they didnt even like The Documentary at all but now all of a sudden thats their favorite album???

Its my favorite album 2 probably, but the fact that people here switched cuz i remember most of yall said DA > DOC but now its...somehow DOC > DA > LAX?

haha

[Elano]

http://www.dubcnn.com/connect/index.php?topic=190425.0

[The-Leak (aka) kingwell (bka) JULES]

lol wow @ the ratings...  yall need to play the trust game and fall back from reviewing.

[R1ZE]

holy shit people have opinions oh noes