The Game has never hidden his influences and on his albums he names them quite liberally. However, AllHipHop.com had to get the definitive Top 5 Dead or Alive from the Compton wordsmith. In typical Game fashion, the list is perplexing with a dose of standard fare at the same time. Furthermore, he completely broke tradition and doubled the Top 5. The R.E.D. Album drops on June 15, and he celebrates the recent release of The R.E.D. Room., keeping fans pleased.
If his influences are any indication of future success, Game is about to have a banner year. The Game: Top 5 Dead or Alive…or something like that.
AllHipHop.com: I need your Top 5 lyricists of all time.
Game: You know that can’t be done.
AllHipHop.com: Why not?
Game: Because there ain’t five it’s like 10 of them ni**as.
AllHipHop.com: OK so give me 10 and why?
Game: B.I.G that’s gotta be number one.
NO. 1 – THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
AllHipHop.com: Why?
Game: Because you said lyricists and that’s B.I.G. He made it cool to be an emcee, he made it funny, he talked about himself and still kept it hot. He made the women go crazy and hes a big 300 lb fat nasty ugly ni**a and I can say that because he said it. But BIG was just that dope when he repped Brooklyn he repped New York and still to this day he’s the king of New York. That’s what they call him that’s what I call him because with two albums and he was only alive for one album, look at the impact he made. Dope
NO. 2 – NAS
Game: Then NAS, man a 12th grader with a platinum album. That’s what I like 17 years old 12th grade with one of the top 3 Hip-hop albums of all time, 10 tracks just so Hip-hop. 17 with that mind? Gotta be #2, crazy.
NO. 3 – ICE CUBE
Game: Ice Cube, he wrote all NWA’s sh**. From the skits on to the raps so that’s him.NO. 4 – TUPAC
Game: #4 Tupac, because he makes you feel good. He makes you feel like you somebody, makes you feel like your a part of something, especially the ladies. Tupac love the ladies. He always made you feel good though, always made you think. But he had one flaw he talked about the same thing all the time. I’d be like did this ni**a say thug passion again? (Laughs) But I’m a super super Pac fan.
NO. 5 – EMINEM
Game: #5 Let’s go Eminem and he’d be #1 if I didn’t have those other 4 guys up there. I love Em he’s dope hes always been dope and as far as any type of lyrical war the guys above him, I don’t think could win in a battle. You don’t f### with that crazy white boy. You notice out of everyone I’ve ever talked about i never f##### with Em and I never will when he p##### off he ain’t gonna punch you in the mouth and he probably can’t beat you up, but he’s gonna f### you up. And we’re all going to believe in it and we’re listen and we’re gonna love it and we’re not gonna love the other guy so much because he’s gonna rip you a new a######.
NO. 6 – JAY-Z
Game: Jay-Z, I would’ve put him up higher but I don’t have to its my list. Naw but Jay could be in anyone of those slots. But with BIG and PAC’s untimely demise, he capitalized on that. He was the most prominent emcee after those two deaths and he held for us, for Hip-hop throughout and still. 40 plus and still kickin sh** fresh like it was 96. Do this n#### put out anything that’s not cool? He’s always changing the game, he’s always making the s### that we think is cool, not hot anymore. Ya know, we be on something and he’ll come and be like that ain’t the sh** we off that change clothes, and did EVERYBODY change clothes? I remember we all used to be so hood my sh** used to be baggy, everybody changed clothes, what man do you know that ain’t got a belt? If he ain’t got nothing else he got a name brand belt. That was Jay he did that.
NO. 7 – SNOOP DOGG
Game: I gotta so Snoop cause I’m getting to close to the end and # 7 is actually too far for Snoop cause that’s my friend he’s like my brother and he’s dope. He’s still dope but the old Snoop? Like right now he’s daddy day care he’s chillin, but before that, the flattop with the hoodie on and the electronic Johnnie 5 I’m alive movements yo! Snoop at #7
NO. 8 – WU-TANG CLAN
Game: Wu Tang as a group. Because we all know that era we were all trying to kick through walls trying to be Chinese with them they did it so Wu Tang as a group. And definitely Method Man on the stand-out just for being a part of that group being dope but still being able to get commercial and still keep it lyrics and hood, ya know. That s**t with Mary J you know the one, the one, the one. That’s Method Man and so Wu Tang as a group that’s number eight.
NO. 9 – SCARFACE
Game: #9 Gimme Scarface and at #10 Gimme DMX and I’m good. My reason for DMX is because remember how I said PAC always took care of the women? Well DMX, them ni**s with the dirt under they nails and not a dollar in their pocket trying to figure out whats next? Where I’m going? Where am I gonna sleep? Those ni**as the ones out there that people gave up on DMX looked out for them he was one of them and gave them what they needed. And all of us that weren’t like that or were still hood but I at least had a dollar in my pocket and a place to sleep we felt that because we knew people like that and then he took that mainstream and it worked and he barked and growled on everything.
NO. 10 – DMX
AllHipHop.com: Do you think we gave up on DMX?
Game: We gave up on him, but we’re like that. We gave up on Micheal Jackson when we let him die like that. We give up on people – that’s who we are.
THE SIDEBAR – GURU
AllHipHop.com: Speaking of death, we just lost Guru do you have any words on that?
Game: If I had a Top 20 I would give it to Guru, but Gang Starr is iconic. When death springs up on you, it ain’t really nothing you can say that’s gonna make too much sense so I just wish him the best on his journey up top. And condolences to his family cause it could happen to anybody and it will happen to everybody. So you can cry and feel sad but not too much because all of our day’s will come so we’re just living til we can’t live no more. I’m sure he was holding onto life and really didn’t want to go but sometimes its OK to just let go.