The Game [The R.E.D. Album]

The Game’s highly anticipated R.E.D. Album has been delayed again, a source familiar with the situation confirmed to AllHipHop.com today (June 2nd).

The rapper’s album was originally supposed to be released in the crowded month of June, which will see releases from Drake, Young Jeezy, Sean “Diddy” Combs and Eminem.

The R.E.D. Album was originally due in stores on June 15th, but that date was changed to June 29th.

The next release date given for the rapper’s fourth studio album was listed as July 6th, but that date has been pushed back as well.

While an exact release date has yet-to-be confirmed, the album should land in stores this Summer.

According to sources close to Game, he canceled a series of listening sessions slated to take place this week, so that he could focus on recording new material for the R.E.D. Album.

mufcboy1999 wrote: »

starting to sound like detox at this stage

Since you came on the scene the West Coast really got some life back. You have to give credit where credit is due. Of course Snoop, Cube and them are still active, but you helped rejuvenate the scene too.

At this point Snoop, Dre, and Cube are all so iconic that they are in the West Coast Hip Hop hall of fame. It’s up to us new cats to hold it down and keep the torch burning.

Where would you like to see West Coast Rap in the next five years?

I would like to see it back where it was when the Death Row dynasty was around, when it was just us. Not to take anything away from the South, because even back then the South had Scarface and all those cats putting it down and New York had it poppin with DMX and them. But I would like it to swing back our way for a minute so these new cats could get a chance to eat and shine and be glad that they are a part of something. We are still the mighty West Coast.

We can’t forget about artists like Spice-1, Ant Banks, Too Short and them up in the Bay.

You already know what's up with that. E-40 has been doing it big for a minute. All of that is dope boy music right there. I thought we was talking about Hip Hop, ha ha. I got a whole ‘nother CD changer for all of that right there. That’s that dope boy music!

Nowadays it’s really about the music instead of the lyrics, but you always make sure to bring tight lyrics. Are lyrics important to you?

Most definitely. That’s what I do. You have to take it for what it is because Hip Hop has many faces and it changes and you can’t get mad at it. Personally, I am a lyricist so I am going to keep my lyrics poppin’ and making sure that I am creative and that people still acknowledge me as one of the top MCs. I’m gonna let everybody else do what they do because that way I will stand out.

I always liked the chants like Luke and different artists do, but also I appreciate a good lyricist. Will we get a good dose of some heated lyrics on “The R.E.D. Album”?

“The R.E.D. Album” is like something that you haven’t heard before. “The Documentary”, “The Doctor’s Advocate”, and “LAX” were good, but none of them can **** with “The R.E.D. Album”.

What makes “The R.E.D. Album” stand above the rest?

I finally got an album where I got to ****in’ rap the way I want to rap without no beef and having my mind clear without the label stepping in and telling me I can’t say this or that.

Did the label step in before?

You know they did, but this album was different for the fact that there is no beef. You will see what I mean, because this album will reflect what I am saying.

Dre wasn’t on the last album and now he is back on this one. How did it make you feel to work with him again?

It is beautiful, man. Dre is the teacher and I am the student. When I work with him I am sitting there and just learning. Even though he don’t think that he teaches me anything I soak up everything, because he is always watching me and he is the biggest. It don’t get no bigger out here on the West Coast than Dr. Dre. It’s funny because I’ve known Dre for a long time now and we have had a close relationship over the years. Even though everything went sour with the whole 50 situation, me and Dre always stay on point.

From the way you talk about Dre I can tell that you have a deep admiration for the man.

Oh yeah. That dude did it for me. He took me out of the hood and gave me the opportunity to be somebody. Without that I wouldn’t be on the phone with you right now, and a lot of people would still have their head low about the West Coast. I just appreciate him in every aspect.

In a game where arrogance is part of the image, how do you manage to stay humble?

The part about being humble is just being real. It comes from how I came up and how I understand life as a whole. I understand all walks of life and cultures and languages; I just appreciate it all. I know there is nothing in this world that makes me better than you or you better than Mayweather or him better than a 30 year old Mexican dude who just crossed the border. It’s just as simple as “I gotta be me!” I gotta keep it 100 with the people, myself, and where I’m from with my city and my town. I keep it 100 with other cities and towns, as well as in every environment and every culture.

Not many people see it that way or even think about these things.

That’s just a rule of the thumb for me. I think over the years it has really kept me here as a factor and a fixture within Hip Hop. That type of attitude keeps longevity and that is what I’m about.

You seem like you can go anywhere on the map and just fit in, whether it’s Czechoslovakia or Compton!

I just embrace the different cultures and make sure to remain who I am as a person at all times. You have to be able to adapt to what is around you.

What is it like for you when you go to other countries?

I love it. Even though in my city and my state they embrace me and love me and have kind of crowned me king at this point, I think I am much more well received when I am out of town. Definitely overseas! I think they look at me like I am some type of god and it kills me every time.

Why do you think that is?

You can tell that my music really effects them and they can relate to it. It’s like their outlook on certain things and how they can overcome certain situations and obstacles. It’s like they can relate to it on a different level where they feel it inside.

Out of all the places you have travelled to, which was your favorite place to go?

That’s a good question, but honestly there ain’t nothing like Africa. In Africa I’ve been told so many times that I am the realest rapper alive. People have told me that besides Tupac it is just me. These are people on many levels that don’t have **** and don’t even know where their next meal is coming from, but they still have the will and a way to take time out to tell me how much they appreciate me. I appreciate them for taking the time out to even listen to my music. That is what makes me feel good. I’ve been everywhere though, man.

Africa is the place where Rap music originally came from. When you go over there have you ever had someone break out with some music and ask you to spit some **** for them?

No, because the places that I’ve been to have not really been too cool to hop out the car like that. A lot of times we’ve had to speed through, because we went through some war zones and **** like that.

Was that was unsettling for you?

Naw, but it is different in another country than it is over here. We had to show credentials to get past check points, otherwise they was gonna shoot up the van with some choppers and ****. When we went to Africa we went through some of the craziest parts in Africa. That is the type of mutha****a that I am; I go through the grimiest parts to see the people. But don’t get me wrong, it’s not all like that. We have been to a lot of places where **** was all good.

What parts of Africa did you travel to?

We stayed all throughout the Congo, in northern Africa. We were where people were living real grimy with buildings that had been bombed and **** like that. The people were still living in the buildings even though they had been bombed and ****. It was crazy!

It’s good that people like you take the time out to go to places like that and show the people that you care. So many successful people don’t give a **** about their fans outside America or Europe.

That’s the type of person that I am. I come from Compton, California and I grew up in a hostile environment myself. I know to a degree what people go through.

I see you have put together a team of real talented people known as Goon Squad. Let’s hear about that.

The Goon Squad was assembled by myself, really hand picked. I put together a nice team of talented artists. First, I got my partner Juice, who hails from Arizona. I’ve been knowing him for a minute. I’ve been grooming him for awhile now, and he will probably be the first to jump out into the limelight to make an impact in Hip-Hop.

He must be very talented to be the first artist you’re putting forward.

Oh yeah. I think he has got it figured out now. He has been down for about 3 ½ years now so I know he’s ready. Just been honing his craft and he has been studying. I’ve been taking him around, showing him different things and taking him around the world, so I think he is finally ready to make his real life debut. I got confidence in him that he will be able to do his thing.

Who else is on the roster?

Next I got the homie X.O. who I’ve been rolling with since the beginning of my career. He reps L.A. like I do and he goes hard. He is a little bit more of a lyricist than me at this point and he is ready. He’s been putting it down for a minute and I know he has what it takes also.

Isn’t there a female member too?

We got Kanary Diamonds, who is a dope artist. She writes her own rhymes and she has been grinding for a minute.

Most of the classic camps have had a female on the team.

Exactly. If you look throughout history, many camps had a female who represented like how Rocafella had Ashanti and Junior Mafia had Lil’ Kim. I knew we ain’t gonna be able to get this off the ground without a girl. She looks good and is appealing to females and dudes. Every time I read a comment about her they are always saying, “She is sexy and she can spit!” Every response on her has been nothing but positive.

Mixtapes have been big part of your arsenal over the years. Do you have DJs down with the Goon Squad?

I got a bunch of DJs down with the team. DJ Skee for one has been down for awhile. Me and him started off as nobody and then we both ended up like this. He ended up as DJ Skee and I ended up as Game, and we both came up from nothing. Also DJ Chris Styles is my tour DJ and he’s putting in work. Plus DJ Haze and DJ Shake have also been holding it down. So we got plenty of DJs in the mix.

Who else is in the Goon Squad as far as rappers go?

We got the homie Mysonne the General who is from the Bronx. That’s the Bronx Bully right there. He is very gifted! Then we got Inglewood’s own Mad Max. He is crazy! He’s a little bit different from other rappers. Sometimes he might sound more Gangsta, and other times he might sound so Pop but Gangsta as well.

It sounds like you got people from different parts and different styles.

That’s what it is all about. We finally got the Voltron and now we are ready to play. **** is looking real good for the Goon Squad. Also I can’t leave out the homie Nujerzey Devil. That’s my guy right there. He’s all over the map, I mean everywhere. If he ain’t in Jersey, he is in Vegas, Miami or Chicago, always getting’ it poppin’. He just took the imprint and just ran with it. I can’t even control that cat.

You hand picked everyone yourself?

I hand picked all of them myself. They couldn’t get past the boss. I had a hand in it because I wanted to make sure everything was what I needed it to be. **** had to be unique across the board! I wanted to make sure that skills were up to par, but also that different styles and abilities were in place. I think I achieved that because so far everyone is getting positive comments from people.

Rap fans have been looking for the next big crew for some time. Throughout history we had NWA, GB, Wu, and many others to name. Do you think that Goon Squad will be the next big crew in Rap music?

I definitely think so. Over the years I’ve had artists come and go and I tried to do things with different people, but right here I think this is set and ready to roll.

I noticed that in the past you’ve worked with a lot of cats that were up and coming.

I tried to work with a lot of people. I had a part in the early risings of people like Glasses Malone and J-Rock, as well as Nipsy Hussle. I took Nipsy on tour when a lot of people didn’t really know who he was.

It’s always good to look out for up and coming people, help to bring the new talent up.

I agree, because I was there myself at one time. I always try to stay doing for my coast and make sure the younger talent is seen and heard and now I got my own squad and they are ready for the world.

Do you have any plans to step into acting in the future?

A lot of people have been asking me that lately. I’ve been getting a lot of scripts, and hopefully I will get one good enough where I can touch base in a way that will be memorable. If not I will just wait until that happens.

Your life is truly remarkable. Here you are a Blood on the streets of Compton and next thing you know you are in the lab with Dr. Dre, traveling to the Congo and doing shows around the world. What about working on a life story book?

That could happen too because I’m open for anything. I want to give a chance for people to look inside my windows. This would give them a deeper understanding of how **** is. Also anything that has any financial support to my full house/eight car situation is all good (laughs).

My favorite cover story that I’ve done for Murder Dog has to be your first time on the cover with the red rag over your face.

Hell yeah, that was iconic. I love that cover! I still got that magazine on the wall in my office. That was one of the best interviews and one of the best covers I’ve done. Murder Dog is one of the best magazines that I’ve ****ed with over the years.

How have you been the last few years?

These days I’m mostly just living it and assembling my squad. I’ve been taking in a lot of free time that I’ve had off while working on this album, just relaxing and having a good time. Above all else I’ve been just hanging out with my kids and spending a lot of quality time with the family. That is my favorite thing to do because I love seeing my kids grow and hanging out with them. It’s beautiful.

The track you did “400 Bars” is insanity! When did you find time to breathe on that one?

I didn’t really take no breaths! It came together after I did the track because I was gonna put it out but I didn’t really like it, so I changed the whole concept and the beat.

You did the “Red Room” mixtape with DJ Skee. What happened to the DJ Drama situation with that mixtape?

I was working on the “Red Room” and we were gonna do the tape with Drama, but then Drama said that he didn’t want to be involved with any beefs. Even though I wasn’t beefing on the tape I felt like if I wanted to then that was a decision that I could make. I didn’t want to factor in what Drama didn’t want to be part of, so I got it done without Drama. I got it done with Skee, and you know Skee as we have been down that road together a bunch of times.

Are you and DJ Drama cool?

Oh yeah. There are no bad feelings towards Drama or nothing.

Do you think that the two of you will ever work on something together in the future?

We’re gonna do a tape at one point together. It’s just a matter of when. Regardless, me and the homie Skee got it done and the end result is the “Red Room” mixtape.

This is like the preview to “The R.E.D. Album”?
It’s just to give you a glimpse of what is coming when it drops in July, so you can say it’s like a preview. At the same time the “Red Room” has a life of its own. “The R.E.D. Album” and the “Red Room” are two separate entities, but you know what I can put down on any of my ****. I come in to drop something serious.

I see that Pharrell is not only doing some production on the album, but is also executive producing the album along with yourself. The two of you have a great working relationship and have also developed a great friendship. How did all of that come together between you and Pharrell?

Since the beginning of my career I had everything going for me but one of the only things that I hadn’t done that I wanted to was to work with the Neptunes. We never figured it out until recently.

Why did it take so long?

Everything had to fall into place. It just wasn’t the right time until now. I used to think that maybe he didn’t want to work with me or maybe that he had an opinion and that it wasn’t a positive one on me or my work. I just kind of got mad at him without ever even speaking to him. Then one day we chopped it up and we hit it off. We are like the best of friends coming into this album.

Being that Dre wasn’t on the “LAX” album, were you looking for Pharrell to possibly be on that one too?

We were going to work on the “LAX” album together but our schedules conflicted and we just couldn’t get it done. We ended up saving this for the “The R.E.D. Album”.

When did you realize that you and Pharrell had such good chemistry working together?

It happened real fast. As soon as we got in the lab we worked so good and so fast that the joints would come out so crazy, and the methods were so effective.

At what point did Pharrell become an executive producer of the project?

After us gelling in the studio and working together so good I saw that we had taken **** to the next level, so I asked him if he wanted to be the executive producer of the album. He said, “I would be delighted,” and that’s where it started.

Both of you come from two different sections of the map, so for you to come together with your different styles is a plus all in itself.

Exactly. It shows people that talent recognizes talent no matter where you are from.

In addition to Pharrell, you have an incredible cast on “The R.E.D. Album”.

We got all kinds of crazy features to tell you about, starting off with of course Dre, Pharrell, Snoop, Beanie Sigel, Rick Ross, Nelly Furtado, Robin Thicke, Lupe Fiasco and Justin Timberlake, to name a few.

It’s crazy because you are this West Coast Gangsta MC working with the likes of Nelly Furtado and Justin Timberlake. What a unique combination.
I’m just showing how I can do different things with different people from all angles. You never know what the Game will hit you with. I come at you from everywhere. This is definitely my best to date. I am not just saying that. I let loose on all levels on this one.

Nelly Furtado is known for her singing ability. How did she sound on her feature with you?

She was just singing like the song bird that she is. Nelly Furtado would just come on and start singing like crazy. If I could put you in the mind of anything, she probably could remind of you of Janet Jackson on this one. She came in and really did her thing.

Justin Timberlake and you are an odd combination. You are gutter and street and can rap like nobody’s business, and he is as Pop as you can get. How was it to work with him?

Again that’s me showing how I can work with various people on so many levels. He’s a dope dude. He came in there and was only there for about ten minutes. He did the hook and left after ten minutes. He is serious about his ****. He came in did the hook and looked around and said, “Is everybody happy with it?” He was in and out like the wind; as quick as he came in he was gone!

What about you? When you come to the studio do you have to get into a certain mood or are you ready to roll as soon as you walk in?

I come in there and I go to work. All I need is a slurpy from 7-11 and a pint of Hennessy. I mix the Hennessy in with the slurpy and there it is. Ideas will start to form and from there I’m gone. That’s all it is with me, nothing else! I don’t write nothing outside of the studio. I only getting in the mode when I am physically in the studio. That’s when the ideas start to flow.

That’s amazing. A lot of rappers are constantly thinking of ideas and have patterns for writing.

I take my work very serious, but at the same time I keep it at the studio because when I’m not in the lab I really can’t catch a vibe.

Why do you think that is? A person as lyrical as you are, I would think that you could hear a beat anywhere and just start flowing. Especially after hearing classic mixtape tracks like “100 Bars and Runnin” and **** like that where you flow continuously.

When I’m out of the studio I just live my life and spend time with my kids. It’s all about the family and having fun; I don’t stress on the writing at that point. When I’m with my kids I don’t want to worry about writing records, but when I’m in the studio it’s like a switch is turned on and I’m in a different mode. I know when to go to work and when to leave it alone.

To me you are one of the greatest lyricists in the game because your flow is so smooth and your choices of words are always on point.

I really appreciate that. A lot of haters out there would like to disagree with that statement though.

When you are gifted people want to tear that down. You are not only gifted as a rapper, but you carry yourself in a good light as well. You are always humble.

You know me man, I don’t change! The way that I came in is the same way that I am going out.

I remember when your son was born. That was the same year my daughter was born.

It’s crazy because Harlem is so huge now. He will be 7 on June 30th. In five years that **** just jumps on you some time right? You see them growing and now they are seven, but you can also remember what life was like back when you were seven years old. Of course they are on a whole ‘nother thing now with iPods and **** like that. We didn’t have none of that **** back then.

On the cover of your first album “The Documentary” your son was so small.
To see him go from the cover of “The Documentary” when he was only seven months to watch him play football and basketball is amazing to me.
Sounds like he’s athletic. How is Harlem on the court?

Harlem is great at basketball. He stopped playing baseball and started playing basketball and football, and he’s great at basketball.

Have you been on the courts lately?

I‘ve been slacking because I‘ve been working on the album. I haven’t been able to get it in and get in the gym as much as I’ve been wanting too lately. I might be even getting a little bit chubby from my lack of exercise, but I gotta take care of the fam.

What was your favorite era in basketball since you have been a fan?

My favorite era was straight up the Magic John era when you had Magic, Kareem, James Worthy, Byron Scott. And even a little bit after that because I enjoyed the Nick Van Excel days as well. When Magic tried to make that comeback and did that around the back pass on Spreewell. There was nothing like that.

There was nothing like seeing Jordan and Magic play though!

Oh man. I went to a couple Laker games, but I never got to see Mike play at one. I know that **** was really special though just from knowing the game of basketball.

mufcboy1999 wrote: »

interesting going through my ipod playlists where i have all my game red album tracks and possable red tracks, all of the below songs were made for red but created no buzz what so ever, 9 in total maybe more thats a hell of an amount of tracks and to still have no buzz or excitement around the album outside of game fans.

american dream (where did the finished version end up with diddy?)
bang along
big money
better days ft andre merritt
heaven
breakin rules ft busta
shake
it must be me ft pharrell
aint no doubth about it ft jt and pharrell
pushin it ft t.i and robin thicke

In the studio wit the lil homie @drakkardnoir & @coolanddre n all I can say is R.E.D. album........ Track #2