What do you hip hop folks of The Game's Jesus Piece?

[WallyG]

Here's a review from PopMatters:


The Game: Jesus Piece
By David Amidon 7 January 2013

Given the tidal wave of music that surrounded last year’s R.E.D. Album, it’s both surprising and entirely predictable that Game would already have another retail product for us. Surprising because the album appeared with relatively little fanfare, finished on the sort of efficient schedule that Game’s found elusive in the years since 50 Cent and Dr. Dre steamrolled The Documentary to completion. Predictable because, well, Game seems to never stop rhyming and as long as pop culture continues to exist, many of his verses would appear capable of writing themselves. As Game’s seemingly limited capabilities have proven to exist in perpetuity due to his ear for production and apparently exceptional networking abilities (an amazing circumstance considering his infamous penchant for bridge burning) I’ve come to find that predictability somewhat endearing, though. I’ve been positing for a couple years now that aptly-AKA’d the Game is attempting to be exactly that – a siphon of all that the culture is and has been at a given moment. His references are fond reminders as much as lazy or awkward testaments to competitors and idols.

But adopting that stance can’t always help Game’s newest facet of admiration, that of his adopting other rappers’ deliveries and flows for mysterious reasons. “Jesus Piece” features Kanye West but it is Game delivering the signature “hanh!” exclamation Kanye peppers his latest verses with. Maybach Music Group leaders Rick Ross and Meek Mill help open the album, but it’s Game delivering fever dream imagery about opulence and faith as if Rich Forever were the only thing he’d listened to all year over a pair of Black Metaphor beats that split the difference between Maybach and G.O.O.D. Perhaps he does this because when the influences are less obvious, somehow so is Game – “Celebration” closes the album proper with a bland toast to success, and at five minutes it’s just stunning that the only memorable moments come when Chris Brown delivers his chorus and Lil’ Wayne sounds like Lil’ Wayne. He’s similarly hidden on the album’s other posse cut, “All That (Lady)”, but it’s harder to complain about since you get Jeremih (who’s been on a real tear in 2012) riffing on a sample of D’Angelo’s “Lady” while Lil’ Wayne turns in his most fun verse since “The Motto” and the Big Sean/Fabolous combo nod at each other knowingly.

None of the other tracks are so bloated with features as those two, but it’s worth noting, as usual, that with just 15 tracks Game’s managed to procure 24 collaborators, with Wayne appearing twice. Jesus Piece is anything but svelte; the butter of the features slabbed across a loaf of bread so thick only two songs clock under four minutes, and nine of the fifteen included on the Deluxe Edition clock in at five or more. Alongside producers like Cool & Dre, SAP, K Roosevelt and Boi-1da, it’s obvious that Game’s reacting to the increasingly orchestrated, movement-oriented composition of big budget rap albums, unfortunately Jesus Piece mostly feels a little stale or lifeless. Which is odd, because if you’re to believe that this is a concept album about the multi-dimensional existence of poor American black males – strip club on Saturday, church on Sunday, corner on Monday – then you’d probably expect this album to be pretty intriguing lyrically. That’s just not the case, though, and much of the religious imagery comes off as needless antagonizing of truly devout Christians at worst, dull allusions to grander ideas at best.

Take “Church”, a staggeringly massive six-minute collaboration with King Chip (frequently known as Chip tha Ripper) and Trey Songz. K Roosevelt’s wind chime plus rolling bassline beat is hypnotic as hell, and once Trey Songz’ vocal comes in it’s easy to find yourself awash in the pure sonic delight of it. But at further listen, it’s a strip club track awash with awkward imagery: “I’ma crucify that pussy / I’ma nail it here, I’ma nail it there.” I’m no Christian but, c’mon, son. Equally, “Ali Bomaye” is another six minute opus featuring Ross and 2 Chainz that spends its final minute on a skit with a crew giggling excessively about one member’s new Jesus chain, a $50,000 piece of neck upholstery that proves his religion can’t be questioned because of how much he spent and how shiny it is. Again, I’m a skeptic but I’m pretty sure what goes in the donation plate displays your faith, not your gaudy chest pieces. Later, another skit will brag about how many ones are in a parishioner’s pocket rather than the plate. Despite a number of track titles that allude to piety (“Jesus Piece”, “Pray”, “Church”, “Heaven’s Arms”, “See No Evil”, “Hallelujah”) this is an album decidedly enamored with vice and sin. Par for the course with a hip-hop album, it’s just frustrating to listen to music that’s confused about what it’d really like to be.

Jesus Piece is a sort of tough album to peg as a result. On a pure sonic level this could very well be Game’s most focused release, with a clear tilt towards R&B hooks and grandiose instrumentals. But on a lyrical level he seems to be running away from himself, mostly avoiding the storytelling tricks that made R.E.D. Album his most enjoyable release in years. To hear him spin the good girl gone bad tale of “Pray”‘s opening verse only to spend most of his other minutes on the album playing random word and celebrity association is just a pity. I mean, just try to take in his first two verses on “Scared Now” without shaking your head. The more spins Jesus Piece gets, the more its negatives seem to cancel its positives and vice versa. Sonically professional yet lyrically amateur to the point you may find yourself listening to the album multiple times without any idea what any of it was actually going on about. I’d argue he’s capable of better, but given how guided by the voices of others Mr. Taylor’s been throughout his career, it’d likely be a hard tact to succeed with.


Sounds like blasphemy.

[deeznutz1981]

Not gonna lie I really like the album. It's a banger

Jesus piece >>>>>> Red album

[main_man]

the game not only has one of the worst rap names of all time.

the way he's acted since his "break up" with g-unit has just made him look like a bigger & bigger bitch ass through the years.


i think the final straw for me was all the shit last year.
jumping 40 glocc and taping it = little boy type shit. not grown man gangster shit.

and then putting his business out on some horrible vh1 show.

i think i checked the song with scarface & kendrick, but games become one of the corniest females in hip hop. i cant even check for the whole album.


on top of the fact that all the name dropping has become unlistenable to me.

[Miliato]

bit off of Priest album cover and it probably is a piece of shit compared to The Offering. oh yea, biting is OK in 2013.

[Apocalypse]

Originally Posted by Miliato

bit off of Priest album cover and it probably is a piece of shit compared to The Offering. oh yea, biting is OK in 2013.

The Game is such an ignorant, he proly doesnt even know who Killah Priest is.

[THUGNIFICENT]

i havent listened to game since 300 bars

Originally Posted by main_man

the way he's acted since his "break up" with g-unit has just made him look like a bigger & bigger bitch ass through the years.


i think the final straw for me was all the shit last year.
jumping 40 glocc and taping it = little boy type shit. not grown man gangster shit.

and then putting his business out on some horrible vh1 show.

i think i checked the song with scarface & kendrick, but games become one of the corniest females in hip hop. i cant even check for the whole album.

he acts like who he is, a former male stripper

[GhostlyRaes]

maaaan.....fuck that album...shits a weed plate

[deeznutz1981]

This thread A bunch of salty euro fags I'm guessing????

[theheavens]

as stated before, I'm sure Game is too ignorant to know about Killah Priest, but the resemblance is uncanny

[main_man]

Originally Posted by THUGNIFICENT

he acts like who he is, a former male stripper

^^^^^ THAT, is a great point.
i never even thought about it like that.







AND he had his oversensitive heart broken in public TWICE.

number one as "J-T":




and then by......well......you know.


so anybody believing this guy is a for real gangster, i have all 700 lost rza beats from the 90's on a harddrive. just hit me off with $5000 and your address and we can make something happen.

[Willis]

I liked the Documentary, Docs Advocate was ok, I thought LAX was great. Everything since has been shit.

Game fell off something awful. His new albums sound like quickly thrown together mixtape, it would appear Game doesnt write a bar until he knows whos on the track with him so he knows whos flow to copy.

How could you go from albums like the Documentary and Mixtapes like Ghost Unit, which was a great mixtape almost as good as an album, to the shite hes putting out these days. He must be desparate for cash and is struggling to remain relevant even though he faded out the spotlight 5 years ago.

[STYLE]

i like about 3 songs and plus the holy water cut off the mixtape. why is he on jay-z dick so hard?