The Game (rapper)

Biography

The Game was born and raised in the Santana Blocc Crips neighborhood of Compton, California. His nickname is said to have been coined by his grandmother, who supposedly said that he was always "game" for anything. He lived in foster care in his late childhood and early adolescence; one of his songs apparently suggests that this was the result of his father's raping The Game's sister. Over the next several years, two of The Game's brothers (Jevon and Charles) were shot and killed. Meanwhile, his half brother (nicknamed "Big Fase Hunned") became an active member of the Cedar Block Piru Bloods gang. The Game eventually became active in Cedar Block Pirus as well -- a dangerous position for a resident of a Crip neighborhood.

Related Topics:
Crips - Compton, California - Piru - Bloods

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At 6'4" The Game was a star basketball player at Compton High School. He received a basketball scholarship to Washington State University but was dismissed from the school during his freshman year over allegations of drug use. (As a young man he knew Baron Davis, now a player in the NBA. Davis is godfather to The Game's son, Harlem Caron Taylor.)

Related Topics:
Compton High School - Washington State University - Baron Davis - NBA

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Back in California, The Game has said that he made a living "hustling" with his brother Big Fase Hunned, and his involvement in car thefts, drug dealing, and shootings prompted his mother to order him out of her house. He moved into a housing project nearby with Big Fase Hunned in 2000 and entered the local drug trade. On October 1, 2001, he was shot five times; he has said that as he recovered in the hospital he decided to mend his ways, put his past behind him, and pursue his dream of becoming a rapper. With his brother's encouragement, The Game says he studied rap albums by artists such as Notorious B.I.G., Snoop Dogg, Nas, and Jay-Z. Soon after, The Game was discovered by rap producer and former N.W.A member, Dr. Dre. Dre signed The Game to his Aftermath Entertainment label.

Related Topics:
Housing project - Notorious B.I.G. - Snoop Dogg - Nas - Jay-Z - N.W.A - Dr. Dre - Aftermath Entertainment

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Although The Game was originally signed as an artist at Aftermath Entertainment, Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre decided to have The Game work with 50 Cent and G-Unit. The arrangement was imagined to be mutually convenient, since the growing buzz about The Game would fuel interest in the burgeoning G-Unit act and raise its West Coast profile, and G-Unit would lend credibility to the ingenue. Dr. Dre and 50 Cent were producers on The Game's debut album, The Documentary. The album debuted at the number one spot on Billboard music charts with hit singles such as "How We Do," "Hate It or Love It," and "Dreams."

Related Topics:
Jimmy Iovine - 50 Cent - G-Unit

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Although The Game originally wanted to title his album Nigga Wit' An Attitude - Volume 1, an injunction filed at the request of Eazy-E's widow prevented him from using N.W.A.'s name in the album title.

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