Jayceon Terrell Taylor

Compton's own the Game (aka Hurricane Game) issued his debut LP, The Documentary, in 2004 through AftermathG-UnitUniversal. With everyone from Dr. Dre and 50 Cent to Nate Dogg, Kanye West, and Just Blaze contributing to the album, The Documentary made it clear from the outset that geographic squabbles weren't a part of the Game's

agenda. Rapping hadn't been at first, either. Having gotten involved in

the drug trade after a rough childhood, it took being shot during a

home invasion to cause an epiphany in the Game. Inspired by N.W.A, The Chronic, Doggystyle, and classic albums from 2Pac, the Notorious B.I.G., and Jay-Z, the Game began rapping in 2001 and never looked back. His barbed and bold freestyles caught the ear of Dre, who signed him to Aftermath in 2003 and executive produced his debut. It was delayed a few times, but The Documentary finally dropped in January 2005. Soon the Game and 50 Cent

were at war over the former's reluctance to beef with any and every

enemy of G-Unit. Freestyles and mixtapes were spawned in amazing amounts

from both sides, and every time a truce seemed possible, things fell

apart at the last minute. Dr. Dre was stuck in the middle, and while he never publicly denounced the Game, he passed on working with the rapper for his next effort. Despite Dre's absence, the Game's sophomore release kept its original title of Doctor's Advocate when it was released in late 2006. Two years later, LAX was released. With fewer mentions of Dr. Dre and 50 Cent,

the uneven album found the rapper moving on from his previous

obsessions. After periods of retirement talk, the MC had a change of

heart and began recording The R.E.D. Album ("R.E.D." being short for "rededicated"), for a planned 2010 release. ​