Born 2 Rap is the ninth studio album by American rapper the Game.[2] It was released on November 29, 2019, via eOne Music. Its release coincided with the Game's fortieth birthday.[3] It was advertised as his final album before retiring, although Game resumed his recording career in 2021. It features guest appearances from Dom Kennedy, Ed Sheeran, 21 Savage, Anderson .Paak, Bryson Tiller, Chris Brown, D Smoke, J. Stone, Just Liv, Masego, Marsha Ambrosius, Miguel, Mozzy, Nipsey Hussle, Osbe Chill, Red Café, Sly Pyper, ToBi, Travis Barker and Trey Songz.
| Born 2 Rap | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 29, 2019 | |||
| Recorded | 2018–19 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 90:12 | |||
| Label |
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| Producer |
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| The Game chronology | ||||
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| Singles from Born 2 Rap | ||||
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Background
editThe Game announced Born 2 Rap as his final album, stating on social media: "I've had a great run & surpassed my rap goals a long time ago. It will always be 'QUALITY' over 'QUANTITY' from where I stand. The REAL music will always prevail & this album will cap off an amazing run".[4]
In 2019, The Game was found guilty of sexually assaulting Priscilla Rainey, a contestant on She's Got Game. Rainey was awarded $7,000,000 in damages, plus the royalties to the album. The Game's manager Wack 100 claimed that he owned all the royalties to the album, and that he doesn't owe her anything.[5][6]
Critical reception
edit| Aggregate scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Metacritic | 82/100[7] |
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [8] |
| HipHopDX | 3.4/5[9] |
| NME | [10] |
| RapReviews | 9/10[11] |
Born 2 Rap was met with widespread critical acclaim. At Metacritic, which assigns a weighted average rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, this release received an average score of 82, based on four reviews.[7]
RapReviews.com critic Steve 'Flash' Juon said, "Both the length and the effort he put into it justify why it took over three years for it to come out and all the bases are covered here. ... It's hard to find anything to complain about".[11] AllMusic's Fred Thomas said, "It's a dense volume of street storytelling and especially reflective lyricism from this rap MVP, and even at its extensive running time, Born 2 Rap delivers lots of highlights".[8] Will Lavin of NME said, "Born 2 Rap isn't just a library of classic records blended together: it's a lesson in storytelling, something The Game has never received enough credit for. ... There's a flawless project somewhere among the album's 25 tracks, which could certainly do with trimming".[10] Aaron McKrell of HipHopDX said, "As it stands, Born 2 Rap is a proclaimed swan song that feels more like a playlist. Let's hope Jayceon has one more in him".[9]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(s) | Producer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "City of Sin" (featuring Ed Sheeran) |
| 1:43 | |
| 2. | "No Smoke" (featuring Miguel and Travis Barker) |
|
| 3:19 |
| 3. | "Five Hundred Dollar Candles" (featuring Dom Kennedy) |
|
| 4:47 |
| 4. | "The Light" |
| Brandon "Tec Beatz" Sewell | 3:18 |
| 5. | "Carmen Electra" (featuring Mozzy, Osbe Chill and TOBi) |
| Brandon "Tec Beatz" Sewell | 4:16 |
| 6. | "Dead Homies" (featuring Red Café) |
|
| 2:53 |
| 7. | "Gold Daytonas" (featuring Dom Kennedy) |
|
| 2:37 |
| 8. | "West Side" |
|
| 2:50 |
| 9. | "40 Ounce Love" (featuring Just Liv) |
| Brandon "Tec Beatz" Sewell | 2:57 |
| 10. | "Gucci Flip Flops" |
| Swizz Beatz | 3:43 |
| 11. | "Born 2 Rap" |
|
| 4:00 |
| 12. | "Welcome Home" (featuring Nipsey Hussle) |
| BongoByTheWay | 4:33 |
| 13. | "Help Me (Interlude)" (featuring Sly) |
| Sly | 2:18 |
| 14. | "I Didn't Wanna Write This Song" (featuring Marsha Ambrosius) |
| Focus... | 4:21 |
| 15. | "The Code" (featuring 21 Savage) |
|
| 5:49 |
| 16. | "Stay Down" (featuring Bryson Tiller) |
|
| 3:36 |
| 17. | "Hug the Block" |
|
| 4:57 |
| 18. | "Ask for Me" |
| 2:38 | |
| 19. | "Stainless" (featuring Anderson .Paak) |
| Track King Cole | 3:59 |
| 20. | "Gangstas Make the Girls Go Wild" (featuring Chris Brown) |
|
| 2:48 |
| 21. | "Blood Thicker Than Water" (featuring Trey Songz) |
|
| 3:47 |
| 22. | "Rewind II" |
| Chris "Big Duke" Malloy | 2:24 |
| 23. | "One Life" (featuring J. Stone and Masego) |
|
| 5:14 |
| 24. | "Cross on Jesus Back" (featuring D Smoke) |
|
| 3:28 |
| 25. | "Roadside" (featuring Ed Sheeran) |
| Ed Sheeran | 3:56 |
| Total length: | 90:12 | |||
Notes
- "Born 2 Rap" features outro vocals by Nipsey Hussle
- "I Didn't Wanna Write This Song" features additional vocals by Dom Kennedy
Sample credits
- "Five Hundred Dollar Candles" contains an excerpt from Crips and Bloods 80s Interview (2016), courtesy of CBS News, and uncredited elements of "If Light Escapes", written by April George and Matthew Thompson, and performed by April VISTA.[12]
- "The Light" contains samples of "Open Your Eyes", written by Bobby Caldwell, Norman Harris and Bruce Malament, and performed by Caldwell.
- "Carmen Electra" contains samples of "Devil's Pie, written by Christopher Martin and Michael D'Angelo Archer, and performed by D'Angelo.
- "Gold Daytonas" contains a sample of "Get Money", written by Roy Ayers, James Bedford, Lamont Porter, Sylvia Striplin and Christopher Wallace, and performed by Junior M.A.F.I.A.
- "Gucci Flip Flops" contains a sample from "Dead Presidents", written by Shawn Carter, Davis Willis, Lonnie Liston Smith, Nasir Jones and Peter O. Phillips, and performed by Jay-Z.
- "Welcome Home" contains samples from "Shine", written and performed by Lamont Dozier.
- "I Didn’t Wanna Write This Song" contains a sample of "I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto" by 2Pac.
- "Hug the Block" contains interpolations of "Selfish", written by Aretha Franklin, R.L. Altman III, Jason Powers and Kanye West, and performed by Slum Village.
- "Stainless" contains an uncredited sample of "Winter Sadness", written by Robert "Kool" Bell and Claydes Charles Smith, and performed by Kool & the Gang.
- "Gangstas Make the Girls Go Wild" contains a sample of "People Make the World Go Round", written by Thom Bell, Linda Creed and George Perry, and performed by the Stylistics.
- "Rewind II" contains a sample of "Rewind", written by Nasir Jones, William Mitchell and Rick Rubin, and performed by Nas.
- "One Life" contains an excerpt from That Blackness, performed by Nina Simone, courtesy of the Estate of Nina Simone.
- "Roadside" contains elements of "Happier", written by Ed Sheeran, Ryan Tedder and Benny Blanco, and performed by Sheeran.
- "Blood Thicker Than Water" contains elements of "I Shall Wear A Crown" written by Deleon Richards
Charts
edit| Chart (2019) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums (ARIA)[13] | 53 |
| Canadian Albums (Billboard)[14] | 18 |
| Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[15] | 70 |
| New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[16] | 40 |
| Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade)[17] | 66 |
| US Billboard 200[18] | 19 |
| US Independent Albums (Billboard)[19] | 5 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[20] | 7 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[21] | 10 |
References
edit- ^ Brabo, Joseph (November 30, 2019). "The Game Releases Final Album "Born 2 Rap" Ft. Nipsey Hussle, Dom Kennedy, Miguel, Mozzy, Ed Sheeran, D Smoke, More". Respect My Region.
- ^ Ivey, Justin (November 28, 2019). "The Game Releases 'Born 2 Rap' Album". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on November 20, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ "The Game Releases New Album 'Born 2 Rap'". Complex. Retrieved September 1, 2022.
- ^ "The Game Is Not Retiring, Readies New Project '30 for 30'". Rap-Up. January 17, 2021. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- ^ Espinoza, Joshua. "The Game's 'Born to Rap' royalties and record label seized to pay $7 million to accuser". Complex. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ "Wack 100 Says The Game's 'Born 2 Rap' Royalties Are His: 'I Don't Owe That Bitch A Dime'". HipHopDX. April 18, 2020. Retrieved June 21, 2024.
- ^ a b "Born 2 Rap by The Game". Metacritic. Retrieved December 20, 2020.
- ^ a b Thomas, Fred. "Born 2 Rap - The Game | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ a b McKrell, Aaron (November 30, 2019). "Review: The Game Jogs Through A Marathon On 'Born 2 Rap'". HipHopDX. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved December 2, 2019.
- ^ a b Lavin, Will (November 29, 2019). "The Game – 'Born 2 Rap' review". NME. Archived from the original on December 1, 2019. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
- ^ a b Juon, Steve 'Flash' (February 11, 2020). "The Game :: Born 2 Rap – RapReviews". www.rapreviews.com. Archived from the original on February 13, 2020. Retrieved February 13, 2020.
- ^ Mowatt, Robyn (December 9, 2019). "The Game Gets Called out for Sampling Uncleared April VISTA Song on 'Born 2 Rap'". okayplayer. Retrieved January 8, 2020.
- ^ "ARIA Chart Watch #554". auspOp. December 7, 2019. Archived from the original on December 8, 2019. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "The Game Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – The Game – Born 2 Rap" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "Charts.nz – The Game – Born 2 Rap". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 7, 2019.
- ^ "Swisscharts.com – The Game – Born 2 Rap". Hung Medien. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "The Game Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved December 10, 2019.
- ^ "The Game Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "The Game Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
- ^ "The Game Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved December 11, 2019.
External links
editBorn 2 Rap at Discogs (list of releases)