Whenever conversations shift to hip-hop greatness, for whatever reason, The Game's name doesn't come up as much as it should. It's surprising to say the least, as the Compton rapper has been consistently putting out strong material since he first arrived to the game as the new signee to Dr. Dre's Aftermath label. Of course, The Documentary is rightly hailed as a classic, with many praising Game and Dre's chemistry on wax. Yet some of the most interesting tracks arose from Game's collaborations outside the Aftermath camp, as evidenced by the Just Blaze produced anthem "Church For Thugs."
Over Just's soulful horn loop, the likes of which have long paved the foundation for the Roc-A-Fella dynasty, Game's flow is given ample room to shine. "I handle bars, you ain't gotta ride a bike / to beat Game in his skills, here go some trainin' wheels," he spits, catching a slick pocket. "Let's roll, through the City of God, where n**gas trained to kill / We'll chop you up a hundred times worse than the Haitians will." It's a tried and true formula, one deeply evocative of the early millennium, when the biggest commercial successes came lined with bars and complete with three verses.
At the risk of getting overtly nostalgic, it's hard not to revisit "Church For Thugs" and pine for the days where Game was a newcomer and Just Blaze was holding it down as one of hip-hop's dominant forces. Check it out for yourself now, and be sure to show some love to this underrated Documentary classic cut.
QUOTABLE LYRICS
It go one brick, two brick, the boy movin' weight
Now three bricks, four bricks, I'm drivin' upstate
Five bricks, six bricks, the ni**a got cake
Not rap money, but money been wrapped since eighty-eight
Look at the world we live in, ni**as steady hate
Til the Heckler and Koch, leave 'em chopped up like Freddy's face
