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Performer: The Game
Artist: Ice Cube; Raekwon; Lil Wayne; Bilal; Ludacris; Ne-Yo; Chrisette Michele; Raheem DeVaughn; Common; LaToya Williams; Travis Barker; Keyshia Cole; Nas
Engineer: Manny Marroquin; Geoff Gibbs; Steve Baughman
Producer: Knobody; J.R. Rotem; DJ Quick; Dahoud; Kanye West; Scott Storch; Cool & Dre; Ervin "EP" Pope
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel: Traci Nelson (vocals); 1500 or Nothin', Jay Mac, Ervin "EP" Pope (keyboard); William "Kidflyy" Taylor (bass guitar); Travis Barker (drums). Recording information: Encore Studios, Burbank, CA. Long hailed as the savior of contemporary West Coast hip-hop, The Game throws an ironic curveball at these expectations with L.A.X. Despite the specific locale of the title, this is a record that actually feels geographically homeless. Production wise, the 19 tracks pull from cross-coastal influences, and guest MCs range from Chicago (Common), New York (Raekwon), Louisiana (Lil Wayne), and, of course, South Central (Ice Cube, who appears on the post-intro banger "State Of Emergency"). All this confusion finds cohesion on two counts: Game's undeniable authority on the mic--emitting double-tracked raspy aggression that covers topics both conscientious and boasting--and the continuous, if uncharacteristic, undercurrent of sonic weirdness. Like Wayne's THE CARTER series, L.A.X. has a certain loose, idiosyncratic vibe that rolls along with a minimalist futuristic funk. Not that this undermines the Game's allure as a menacing presence, still evident on tracks like "Dope Boys," which rely on concrete-rattling beats, hard scratching, and captivating tales of harder times.

Rapper Jayceon Taylor, better known in the hip-hop world as the Game, turned to music for redemption after his wild youth led to his near-fatal shooting. By the time he recovered from his wounds, he had developed a formidable style rooted in old-school West Coast gangsta style. It's fitting then, that the Game wound up recording for Dr. Dre's Aftermath label, which helped propel the rapper to massive success with 2005's THE DOCUMENTARY.

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