Nothing was expected of any artist from the side of America that sat opposite New York, so when N.W.A. became the scariest thing to middle-aged white people since they discovered Parkinsons Disease, the West was not expected to make much more noise.  Of course, they became home to two of the most omnipresent personalities in American pop culture and helped birth the careers of thousands.  Yet since Dre decided to detox and Cube became the black Tim Allen, a whole side of the country has been virtually unheard of on the major level outside of their crooning, elder statesman Snoop Dogg.  So some guy who got shot in California who just decided to start rapping in a hospital bed has no chance to sell more than outside of his trunk, right?  Right?  Well, no.  Now that guy is shouldering the biggest expectations of almost any artist in hip-hop history, as the Game is expected to bring a whole coast back to life with The Documentary.

Such hype could kill a lesser man, but the Game, and the marketing powers that be behind him, knew that an album like this could succeed, and they were onto something.  What would be needed first is an excellent production team, and a cast like this one is unprecedented on a debut.  With Just Blaze, Scott Storch, Kanye West, Timbaland, and plenty of Dr. Dre in tow, the Game is given a headstart most are not afforded.  Tracks like "Higher", "How We Do ", and "Start From Scratch" sound like what Dre wanted to keep for Detox, and the Game works to their strengths perfectly.  He shows a sense of humor through the scowl when he speaks on a certain famous female in "Higher": "I'll do anything/ but I won't f**k Mar-i-ah/ Even if she had Ashanti butt-naked in bed/ Cause she got a forehead just like Tyra/ I can say what the f**k I want".  After months of stepping his game up, the aptly-titled Game showed a flow that no one could've expected when he got famous from tracks like "Still Crusin" months ago.  As Game and Dre have decided to bring their A-game on this album, even 50 Cent decides he should become a rapper again.  His verses on "How We Do" and "Hate it or Love It" are the stuff that St. Valetine's Massacre dreams are made of.  Yet, ths album does have it's share of slip-ups.  "Westside Story" is a song which begs for some serious funk, while a lazy Game dissapoints.  On "We Ain't", Eminem delivers an underwhelming beat and verse and almost is outrhymed by a guy who learned to rap 2 years ago.  In the end though, the Game proves himself on numerous levels, as an above-average rapper, a guy with a hell of an ear for beats, and a hip-hop fan (the references to Rakim, Ice Cube, Nas, and many, many more can't do anything but put a grin on cynical heads' faces).  As Dre says on "The Documentary", Game was supposed to do "Calvin Broadus numbers".  They certainly have the formula right.

Albums may have had more hype then The Documentary, but almost none have had the expectations laid on Game's back.  He stepped up, though, and made the best mainstream album since Kanye West's College Dropout, so us cynics may have to quiet down for a while about G-Unit.  This saga may have led to more hype, but it's the music that makes the story, not vice versa.

iPod Worthy:  "Higher", "Hate It or Love It", "Start From Scratch", "The Documentary", "Dreams"

Skip 'Em:  "We Ain't", "Westside Story", "Where I'm From"

Overall:  4.5 out of Six Shots

Peep the official The Game Website here!