The Game is a hip-hop scholar, one who birthed his passion through the act of stealing Illmatic and The Chronic in one fell swoop. Since then, he's wore his heart on his sleeve, celebrating the ones he admires by way of his signature name-dropping. In truth, it's cool to see Game paying homage to those he respects, and he recently took a moment to outline his Top Five favorite West Coast rappers during his stint on Everyday Struggle.
"I got a real respectable Top 5," replies Game, after Akademiks poses the question. "It's going to be undeniable. There's certain n***as that have to be put in the Top 5 dead or alive." After narrowing the window down to the West Coast, Game offers his picks. "I'm number one, but other than that, behind me...I do this shit like a motion picture, in order of appearance. I'm not gon' say nothing about my lil n***as skillset, cause skill wise, nobody can fuck with Kendrick, period. I seen early Kendrick, young Kendrick, Kendrick throwing up westside as I drove by in my Range Rover."
Image via HNHH
"In order of appearance, I gotta put myself number one. Not sleeping on Snoop, but I'm talking about being a lyrical muthafucka for as long as I've been. Snoop is my number one rapper. He would be number one. Behind Snoop, as far as West Coast hip-hop is concerned, it's me, it's Kendrick, I gotta give Ice Cube some shit. And then a n***a like, it could be Nipsey, it could be YG. I don't hate on my coast. I've seen all my n***as rise. I put Kendrick and Nipsey on tour when Nip had the flat top. When Kendrick had a flat top."
On the topic of his own position, Game recognizes that he might occasionally fly under the radar in the greater hip-hop discourse. Despite that, he remains level-headed in his self-assessment. "I might be the most underrated, most underdog, most slept on, most hated on, but what people don't understand is I don't give a fuck about that. One person's opinion is not gon' shape the way that I feel. My muthafuckin Lamborghini still gargle gas. I don't have to put out music as much as Drake do. That's my homie, we live in the same neighborhood. I don't gotta come out with a shoe."
