The Game Bio - The Hip Hop Insider (2024)

The Game is one of the most influential West Coast rappers of the early to late 2000s. From his debut, The Documentary, to his 2022 release Drillmatic, the Game has cemented himself as an LA icon who is still highly relevant more than 15 years into his career.

I’ve been listening to the Game for years, after discovering his debut project and early work with G-Unit. My favorite game album is the Documentary, but I also love The Documentary 2, Born2Rap, the Red Album, and Doctor’s Advocate. The Game has had a long and fruitful career full of undeniable hits and viral moments. Here is a look at his life and musical journey.

The Game Quick Facts

The Game Birthplace

The Game was born on November 29th, 1979, in Compton, California. He was raised in an area dominated by the Crips called Santana Bloc, although Game later became a member of the Bloods.

The Game Parents

The Game is the son of Lynette and George Taylor. Both of Game’s parents were members of the Crips, and Game has described his upbringing as dysfunctional. His parents were also frequent drug users, and his father was once addicted to heroin and PCP. He witnessed his parents prepare for a drive-by and commit other violent acts as a child. His mother once ran his father into a metal gate driving 20 mph in a Buick Regal, leaving him temporarily paralyzed.

When Game was six years old, his father was accused of molesting his sister, and someone called social services. Game spent the next six years in foster care and only went to live with his mother again after she and his father broke up. In 2018, George Taylor passed away in his sleep at age 65.

The Game Early Life

The Game had a rough upbringing growing up in Compton. He and his six siblings were in and out of the foster care system, and he lived at the Carson Boys’ home until he was a teenager.

At six years old, he lost his first friend, who was killed in a park by a stray bullet. He also lost his older brother Jevon Taylor in 1992.

He went to Compton High School and was quickly sucked into the gang culture that was all around him as a teenager. Even though he grew up in a Crip neighborhood and his parents were Crips, Game ended up joining the Cedar Block Piru Bloods because his half-brother, Big Fase 100, was a high-ranking member of the set. In his late teens and early 20s, he was heavily involved in the streets and began selling drugs to support himself.

He also played point guard on the basketball team at Compton High and even got a scholarship to play at Washington State. But his scholarship was quickly retracted after he was caught selling weed on campus.

After that, he spent some time at various schools, including Antelope Valley, Harbor, and Cerritos community colleges. But his brother, Big Fase 100, was making serious money on the streets, so he decided to forget college and put his energy into the drug game.

But his career as a drug dealer didn’t last long, and he was put into a coma after being shot when he was 21. The experience was a wake-up call that he needed to change his life. So, while still in the hospital recovering, Game told his brother to buy all the classic hip hop albums, and he began crafting a strategy to become a rapper.

The Game Professional Career

After getting out of the hospital, Game and his brother started a record label that featured local artists like Glasses Malone, Nu Jersey Devil, and Vita. He dropped his first mixtape, You Know What It Is Vol. 1 in 2002, which landed him a deal with an indie label called Get Low Recordz. That helped him start to gain attention from big names in the industry, including Puff Daddy, who wanted to sign him to Bad Boy Records. But before the deal was official, Game was also heard by Dr. Dre, who signed him to his label, Aftermath, in 2003.

Joining G-Unit

Not long after signing, Dre and Interscope CEO Jimmy Iovine decided to have him join 50 Cent‘s group G-Unit. They thought the proximity to someone like 50 Cent, who was hot off the success of his major label debut, Get Rich or Die Tryin, could help create hype for the Game and attract more attention for the group. So, the Game began working closely with the other members of G-Unit while recording his debut album, The Documentary.

Although it took several years for Game to complete his album, he maintained the hype by appearing in ads and doing endorsement deals with companies like Sean Jean and Boost Mobile. He was also featured on hit mixtapes by Dipset and G Unit.

In September 2004, he released the first single from his upcoming album, West Side Story. The song peaked at 93 on Billboard and helped to generate excitement for the album. He also released an independent album, Untold Story, through Get Low Records, which failed to gain much attention.

The Documentary

The Documentary was finally released in January 2005 and debuted at number one on Billboard. The album was executive produced by Dr. Dre and 50 Cent and featured contributions from Kanye West, Just Blaze, Timbaland, and more. It also spawned the hit singles How We Do and Hate It or Love It, which earned him multiple Grammy nominations.

The Documentary is my favorite Game album and is his most classic. While he’s had many other solid projects over the years, the Documentary is his most timeless and well-constructed. It helped revive interest in West Coast Gangsta rap which was beginning to wane in the early 2000s and featured some of the most iconic records of that time period.

But despite the success of his debut album, Game also began having issues with his former collaborator, 50 Cent. Fifty felt betrayed that Game didn’t have his back in a feud with Fat Joe and Jadakiss, so he kicked him out of the group. Over the next few years, Game and 50 would trade disses back and forth, turning his former allies into enemies.

The Game even released a 14-minute diss track called 300 Barz and Running, where he went in on 50 and G-Unit. Even Roc-a-fella Records caught a few shots on the song, growing the Game’s list of enemies in the industry.

Doctor’s Advocate

In 2006, Game left Aftermath to sign with Geffen Records to terminate his contractual obligation to G-Unit. He followed up with his sophomore album, Doctor’s Advocate in 2006. The project also did well commercially and debuted at Number 1 on Billboard. It also featured appearances from Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, Snoop Dogg, Nas, and many more, and production from Kanye, Just Blaze, Scott Scorch, and Hi Tek, among others.

Doctor’s Advocate is a solid follow up to The Documentary. Sonically and stylistically, it’s a similar record and didn’t show Game experimenting much with his sound. However, he continued to excel lyrically and proved that he could still make good music without the help of 50 and Dr. Dre. While I prefer the Documentary, Doctor’s Advocate is still a solid project.

LAX & The RED Album

The Game returned in August 2008 with LAX, which featured appearances from a long list of musical all-stars, including Lil Wayne, Raekwon, DMX, Nas, Travis Barker, and more. However, it was his first album not to debut at number one, having been beaten by All Hope is Gone by Slipknot by a margin of about 1100 copies.

The project still did well commercially and was generally well received by critics. However, many saw it as a decline in quality from his first two albums. While LAX does have several songs I love, it isn’t as consistent and cohesive as his first two albums.

The Game would return in 2011 with the RED Album. The RED album featured a more grandiose and cinematic sound that showed the Game’s progression as an artist. It also saw the Game return to the top of the charts and debuted at number one on Billboard.

The project featured appearances from legends like Lil Wayne, Beanie Sigel, and Young Jeezy, as well as the new generation of talent, including Drake, Tyler the Creator, and Kendrick Lamar. The RED Album showed the Game embracing the changing sound of rap without turning his back on the style that made him famous. The RED album is my second favorite game album after the Documentary. It showed the Game taking risks with his sound and continuing to innovate and mature as an artist.

Jesus Piece and OKE

The Game would return the following year with Jesus Piece, a conceptual album that focused on his struggles with maintaining his faith in God while also living a gangster lifestyle. The project featured appearances from Meek Mill, 2chainz, Kanye West, Common, Pusha T, Kendrick Lamar, and more and debuted at number 6 on Billboard. While not my favorite Game album, Jesus Pieces has its solid moments.

He would also drop a mixtape in 2013 called OKE: Operation Kill Everything and announce that he was working on a follow-up to his highly acclaimed debut album.

The Documentary 2

The Documentary 2 was released on October 9th, 2015, followed shortly after by the Documentary 2.5, which served as the second half of the album. The sprawling project featured 37 tracks in total for a runtime of over 3 hours. It featured appearances from virtually every prominent name in rap, including Kendrick Lamar, Future, Ice Cube, Kanye, Drake, Nas, Schoolboy Q, Anderson Paak, and Skrillex, among many others.

Although a bit bloated, The Documentary 2 is an impressive work that proved the Game was still hungry as an artist and could go head to head alongside some of the biggest names in music. It was a major triumph and proved he could recapture some of the early magic of the Documentary yet produce a project that sounded fresh and modern.

The Game has continued to release critically acclaimed and commercially successful albums, including 1992, Born2Rap, and Drillmatic Heart vs. Mind. After close to two decades in the industry, he’s still a relevant artist with a high degree of influence in music.

The Game Video

The Game Family

The Game has several siblings and half-siblings, including two sisters, Sherani and Tiasha Taylor. He also had a brother named Jevon Taylor, who was killed in 1992. His half-brother Big Fase 100 helped him start his music career, although they later had a falling out over money.

The Game has two sons and one daughter named Harlem Caron Taylor, King Justice Taylor, and California Dream Taylor.

The Game Dating and Relationship History

The Game has been involved in several high-profile relationships. He’s had relationships with many famous models, actresses, and influencers, including Kim and Khloe Kardashian, Blac Chyna, India Love, Leaux Lolo Steez, Draya Michelle, and many more.

He was briefly engaged to actress and model Valeisha Butterfield, the daughter of Congressman GK Butterfield. But they called off the wedding in June 2006.

He was also engaged to a sixth-grade teacher named Tiffney Cambridge. The couple was the subject of a VH1 Reality show called Marrying the Game, which lasted multiple seasons. Although they eventually ended the relationship after eight years together.

The Game Controversies and Scandals

The Game has been the subject of frequent controversies throughout his career. In 2005, he was sued for assault along with Snoop Dogg and the Dogg Pound after a fan claimed the rapper’s entourage beat him on stage during a show in Auburn, Washington.

The same year, the rapper was arrested for disorderly conduct after causing a scene at a Greensboro, North Carolina mall. The Game later claimed he was completely innocent and was pepper sprayed by mall security for no reason. But the officers later sued him for defamation and won $5 million in compensatory damages.

In 2017, the Game pled no contest to assaulting an off-duty police officer during a basketball game. The victim, an officer with the LAPD, intentionally fouled the Game, so the rapper responded by sucker punching him. After pleading no contest, he was sentenced to three years of probation, 120 hours of community service, and a 6-month suspended sentence.

The Game Net Worth & Career Earnings

The Game’s net worth is estimated to be around $10 million. He has 11 studio albums, most of which debuted in the top 10 upon release, and has sold millions of records worldwide. He also makes money touring, doing features, and selling merch.

Outside of music, he’s been featured on several reality shows, including 2000’s Change of Heart and multiple seasons of Marrying the Game on VH1. He’s also been a voice actor and character in multiple video games, including Def Jam: Icon, Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas, and NBA2K22.

In 2012, he founded his own label called Rolex Records with music manager Stat Quo but later changed the name to Blood Money Entertainment after a lawsuit from the luxury watch brand.

The Game Real Estate and Residence History

In 2013, the Game sold his mansion in Glendale, California, for a loss of over $200,000. He purchased the home in 2005 for $1.9 million. The 4,667 square foot property featured four bedrooms, five bathrooms, a game room, a swimming pool, and a barbecue area. He sold the property in 2013 for $1.7 million.

The Game Famous Quotes

For me, it’s more of an intellectual battle first. I feel like if everybody could be sitting in a seat where I was sitting, it would be easier to kind of elevate as a people.”– The Game

“Dream come true for me, and I simply want to build with the right people and brands so I can be a part of shaping what this industry looks like. It’s exciting to know that my ideas, my words, my voice… make a difference in the industry. That’s the kind of stuff that keeps me inspired to be pushing limits with the best in the biz.”– The Game

“They say sleep is the cousin of death, guess we related. Cause I’m the most slept on, and the most hated.”– The Game

The Game Discography

• 2005 – The Documentary
• 2006 – Doctor’s Advocate
• 2008 – LAX
• 2011 – The R.E.D. Album
• 2012 – Jesus Piece
• 2015 – Documentary 2
• 2015 – Documentary 2.5
• 2016 – 1992
• 2019 – Born 2 Rap
• 2022 – Drillmatic – Heart vs. Mind

The Game FAQ

Question: Does the Game Still Have Beef with 50 Cent?

Answer: Yes and no. 50 Cent and the Game have been engaged in one of the longest feuds in rap history, ever since the Game joined G-Unit early in his career and didn’t support 50 in his many beefs. The two have traded countless diss records and throw shade at each other in interviews. They claimed to have squashed their problems, and the beef was dormant for a while. But the two rappers recently traded shots on social media after Game alleges he wrote some of 50’s biggest records. So, while their issues don’t seem all that serious, they still don’t like each other.

Question: Why Did Game Leave G-Unit?

Answer: The Game left G-Unit because he wouldn’t back 50 in his beef with Fat Joe and Jadakiss. Although Game was behind him in a few prior incidents, he didn’t want to alienate himself from hip-hop legends, especially because the beef had nothing to do with him. But, Fifty felt this was disloyal and kicked him out of the group.

Question: Why is the Game Called the Game?

Answer: The Game was a nickname given to the rapper by his grandmother. She was a huge fan of the 1997 film The Game, starring Michael Douglas and Sean Penn, and she used to tell him that he could “game” anything he wanted. So he used it as his stage name when he started rapping, and it stuck.

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Game_(rapper)
• https://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-game-mn0000073749/biography
• https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-sep-19-ca-hilburn19-story.html
• https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/music/la-ca-black-lives-matter-music-20160714-snap-story.html
• https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1667139/bio
• https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/richest-rappers/the-game-net-worth/
• https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/5722432/who-is-the-game-dating/
• https://www.the-sun.com/entertainment/4982614/50-cent-and-the-game-beef-explained/
• https://web.archive.org/web/20080927033743/http://www.mtv.com/bands/g/game/news_feature_012705/index3.jhtml
• https://www.latimes.com/business/realestate/hot-property/la-fi-hotprop-jayceon-taylor-20131024-story.html

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