Review Summary: The Game over-hyped this album by delaying it multiple times but it is still an excellent album with multiple classic songs.
While many had mistaken the albums title as a reference to Game's early life as a Blood in Compton, Game informed them as he stated the RED album standed for REDedicated to Hip Hop. The Game has given credit to Nas, NWA, Public Enemy, Big Daddy Kane and many other older rappers for paving the way for his career in songs such as "Game's Pain" on his previous album LAX, but this album was meant to be entirely dedicated to hip hop culture through the craft of the album.
Did the game succeed? No. He failed miserably at making an album rededicated to Hip Hop. But he did create an album with 2 undeniably classic songs (Mama Knows, Speakers on Blast). Along with 4 songs that are great (Good Girls Go bad, Ricky, Paramedics, All I know) and about 5 other songs that are good.The entire album is more than worth listening to all the way through. To Game fans its one that you won't get sick of, but the problem was he has about 6 songs on here that are good - average because of Interscope's influence on this album so people who aren't already into the Game are going to, I think, be pessimistic about this album because of a few average-bad songs (The City, Pot of Gold, Basic Bitch).
TRACK BY TRACK
1 6/10 The City- Kinda a weird intro, game raps really slow and simply and lyrics are not that impressive then Kendrick Lamar kills it at the end, seems like interscope forced him into this song to introduce lamar to his fans.
2 Drug test- 8.5/10 Cool party song with ridiculous uptempo beat and solid lyrics from game and sly but repeats the hook too much for my taste. It also says "featuring dr. dre and snoop dogg" when snoop dogg comes in for 2 whole bars and dr. dre isn't even on the song (or maybe its him on the course idk)
3 Martians vs Goblins. 8/10 This is a dope song but it gets old after a while, the beat is amazing but the song is typical of Odd Future Wolf Gang (this song features Tyler the Creator) and sounds cool but isn't really about anything but killing or raping a bunch of famous people.
4 Red Nation. 7/10 Decent song with Lil Wayne on the hook but mainstreams influence is obvious in this one. Game dumbs down his lyrics and rhymes for mainstream audiences which he almost never does so this song is disappointing but even saying all that the song is good (it just coulda been better if game went all out).
5 Good Girls Go Bad. 9/10 one of the realest songs game has ever made... then he gave drake a verse on it. But whatever, drake has a good verse in this song, this song sounds like it was made in the park in Harlem in the 80s even with Drake on it... yeah.
6 Ricky. 9/10 With excerpts from "boyz in the hood" game makes an incredible song about his earlier life in compton and the way the City continues to be.
7 The good, the bad the ugly. 7/10 Decent at first but not a song a find myself listening to after I know the lyrics.
8 Heavy artillery. 7/10 Decent but too much beanie seagle and rick ross and not the games best verse on the album
9 Paramedics. 9/10 dope. game and jeezy go together really well you need a good system for this song! the beat is incredible its like a rock concert going on during a battle from world war 2.
10 Speakers on blast. 10/10 one of the best songs on the album, big bois verse is the ***. games 2 verses are great, so is e-40s
11. Hello ft lloyd. 7/10 games verses are cool but the overall production on this song is kinda sappy (just get really sick of the chorus fast)
12. All the way gone. 8/10 this song is also kinda poppy but way less so than Hello. although games verses arent as good as Hello the overall sound is more jazzy than poppy and its a good song overall but again a little sappy for people expecting game to still be on gangsta rap
13 Pot of Gold. 5/10 I dont think he should put this song on the album... clearly a single to try to increase sales...but its ok, not trash.
14. All i Know. 9/10 dope. clever word play overall great song.
15 Born in the trap. 8/10 great song but not quite a classic. not one of primo's best beats and games first verse isnt as good as the other 2 so listen patiently
16 mama knows. 10/10 this is one of my favorite songs of all time. this combines old school hip hop lyricism with new school flows and a jazz sound from Pharelle and comes out absolutely incredible.
17 California dream. 8/10 a song about the birth of his daughter. real *** but damn he couldnt have picked a more annoying hook.
18 basic bitch. 6/10 this songs hook is too bad for me too even give a chance. game's verses are good but after my favorite lyric "you bitchesll never get a rang(ring): Lebron James!" became old i stopped listening to this alltogether because the hook is seriously terrible.
