The album starts off with three fairly strong tracks, including the lead single, It's Okay (One Blood). However, I tend to skip to track four, which is the grimy but catchy Compton, produced by and featuring BEP mastermind will.i.am. Thumping bass and funky synth leads creep their way under the infectious "Gangsta boogie!" chant on the hook.

The Kanye collab, Wouldn't Get Far, is a sort of open letter to video vixens. It still sticks to the usual script of "famous people Game hangs out with," but even switching the focus to a different group of people makes it a little refreshing. Add to that the fact that Game stays pretty light on his feet with little jabs like, "All these new video bitches tryin' to be be Melyssa Ford/But they don't know Melyssa Ford drive a Honda Accord." With a good contribution from Kanye both on the boards and on the mic, this is one of the more memorable songs on the album.

Two tracks later is one of the most bizarre tracks I've ever heard, the album's title track. It opens with a skit of Busta telling a drunken Game that they need to leave the club, and I suppose that what follows is supposed to be Game's uninhibited thoughts toward Dre, but the whole thing is just drippy and awkward. It makes the listeners feel like they've overheard something that really isn't their business. Busta shows up for some apparent Aftermath solidarity, and drops a third verse equally as weird as the Game's first two. I feel like I need a shower.

Two tracks later, however, is arguably the album's centerpiece, California Vacation. It's some hard, nasty, creeping west coast funk, courtesy of Jonathan “JR” Rotem, that finds Game, Snoop, and Xzibit in top form. The main theme is Crip-Blood unity, and X steals the show with his sixteen.

The album concludes with the triumphant nine and a half-minute opus, Why You Hate The Game, in which Nas drops by to lace a hot sixteen while Just Blaze masterfully takes 'em to church, assisted by Marsha from Floetry and a choir. It is a grand closer to an ambitious album.

In summary, this album is flawed. The Game is arrogant, single-minded, and obsessed with west coast icons in general, and Dr. Dre in particular. If he never addresses these issues, he will probably never make an unquestionably classic album. However, he’s made two that are damn good, in spite of everything working against them. He’s got a golden Rolodex and a fantastic ear for beats. Amazingly, the album does not suffer for lack of Dre production. The guest emcees put it down, and Busta aside, make positive contributions to the project. Beyond all that, Game’s own talent on the mic is formidable, and as complete packages, almost every single track is strong. While I can’t say whether The Game will ever live up to the potential he shows, I will say that he’s made a good product in the meantime.