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Doctor's Advocate is the second studio album by West Coast rapper The Game. It was released November 14, 2006 on Geffen Records. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it The Game's second number one album. The album was produced by three producers from The Game's debut album—Kanye West, Just Blaze and Scott Storch—as well as newcomers like will.i.am and Swizz Beatz. A difference between his debut album, The Documentary, and his second album is the absence of Dr. Dre. Although Dre does not appear on Doctor's Advocate, The Game dedicated the album to him.

The Game made a point to prove that he could still make music, as he did on The Documentary, without help from Dr. Dre or 50 Cent. Guests featured on Doctor's Advocate include Busta Rhymes, Kanye West, Nas, Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Jamie Foxx and Xzibit.

Conception

Background

When The Game signed onto Aftermath Entertainment, it was later arranged that he would work with 50 Cent and his hip hop group G-Unit. The sudden feud between the pair, who had been marketed as having a mentor/protégé relationship, started soon afterwards. The two were able to put their differences aside for the release of The Game's debut album, The Documentary which was released on January 18, 2005. The album was a success for The Game and had three singles that featured 50 Cent. The release date of 50 Cent's second album, The Massacre, was pushed back in order to accommodate The Game's album, causing a rift between 50 Cent and Interscope Records. Tensions would rise during the filming of the music video for The Game's third single, "Hate It or Love It", when 50 Cent refused to shoot a scene in the front seat of a car with The Game, instead sitting in the back (The Game's brother, Big Fase 100, would replace him).

50 Cent later dismissed The Game from G-Unit on Hot 97 radio. After the announcement, The Game, who was a guest earlier in the evening, attempted to enter the building with his entourage. After being denied entry, one of his associates was shot in the leg during a confrontation with a group of men leaving the building. When the situation escalated, both rappers held a press conference to announce their reconciliation. Fans had mixed feelings as to whether the rappers created a publicity stunt to boost the sales of the albums they had just released. Nevertheless, even after the situation deflated, G-Unit criticized The Game's street cred. The group denounced The Game and announced that he will not be featured on their albums. During a Summer Jam performance, The Game launched a boycott of G-Unit called "G-Unot".

After the performance at Summer Jam, The Game responded with "300 Bars and Runnin'", an extended "diss" aimed at G-Unit as well as members of Roc-A-Fella Records on the mixtape You Know What It Is Vol. 3. 50 Cent responded through his "Piggy Bank" music video, which features The Game as a Mr. Potato Head doll and also parodies other rivals. Since then both groups continued to attack each other. The Game released two more mixtapes, Ghost Unit and a mixtape/DVD called Stop Snitchin, Stop Lyin.

G-Unit posted a cover of The Game's head on the body of a male stripper for "Hate It or Love It (G-Unit Radio Part 21)" mixtape, as a response to The Game displaying pictures of G-Unit dressed as Village People. Although he was signed to Aftermath Entertainment, The Game left the label and signed with Geffen Records to terminate his contractual obligations with G-Unit (although others claim 50 Cent pressured Dr. Dre to kick him off). G-Unit member Spider Loc had also begun to insult The Game on various songs. In addition, The Game released "240 Bars (Spider Joke)" and "100 Bars (The Funeral)" both attacking G-Unit, Spider Loc and others. 50 Cent's response was "Not Rich, Still Lyin'" where he mocks The Game. Lloyd Banks replied to the Game on a Rap City freestyle booth session. The Game quickly released a "diss" record called "SoundScan" where The Game pokes fun at Lloyd Banks' album Rotten Apple falling thirteen spots on the Billboard 200 chart and disappointing second week sales. Lloyd Banks replied on his mixtape Mo' Money In The Bank Pt. 5: Gang Green Season Continues with a song called "Showtime (The Game's Over)". Lloyd Banks states that 50 Cent wrote half of The Game's first album The Documentary and pokes fun at The Game's suicidal thoughts.

Music

Lyrics

Doctor's Advocate contains various staples of West Coast hip hop albums including explicit rhymes about gang violence, drug use and sex. The album looks into The Game's relationship with his former mentor Dr. Dre on several tracks, most notably Doctor's Advocate which also features former Aftermath Entertainment rapper Busta Rhymes. This album is known for its heavy West Coast hip hop sound, something that didn't feature much in his debut The Documentary. He worked with a number of west coast artists such as Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit and Tha Dogg Pound giving more west coast oreientated lyrics. Rapreviews said "He is absolutely quintessentially relentlessly and unapologetically thugging it up on this CD, but unless your name is Joe Lieberman or Tipper Gore you're gonna enjoy the hell out of the dope beats and lyrical bravado and be begging for more." DJBooth praised his lyrical skills by saying "to briefly touch on the lyrics, only Eminem and Lil’ Wayne are currently equals." However, once again many critics panned The Game's namedropping throughout the album, but Steve Juon of Rapreviews says that "some accused him of being a "name dropper" back then and still will today, the references seem more in keeping with his "soldier of the West" philosophy and less like a filler for lack of content."

Production

The production on the album was praised by critics. Allmusic writer David Jeffries stated: "beat-makers like Kanye West, Just Blaze, Scott Storch and Swizz Beatz are all on fire" and went on to praise will.i.am's return to his "hood sound after years with the polished The Black Eyed Peas". A.V. Club's Nathan Rabin noted that the beats created a "gleaming, hydraulics-enhanced '64 Impala of an album to ride".

With its use of more West Coast-type beats, crispier drums, and deeper bass, the album leans more towards the West Coast sound than The Documentary. The album's production stands out with its combination of sampling and live instrumentation. Tracks like "Why You Hate the Game" combine soul samples with string arrangements, and piano-playing, while other tracks like "Remedy" rely heavily on sped-up funk samples. "Too Much" was noted for being an "ABBA-inspired disco-thump", while "Remedy" revolves around "pilfering Public Enemy's hard-hitting sound". The production on "Ol' English" was depicted as "slow-rolling" music, and "Compton" was declared a "return to old-fashioned gangsta rap". "Why You Hate the Game" was driven by a "sparkling piano-heavy...track". Production for the album would also be contributed by DJ Khalil, Hi-Tek, Jellyroll, Jonathan "J.R." Rotem, Mr. Porter, Nottz, Reefa, Ervin "E.P." Pope and D-Roc.

Guests

The Game confirmed that guests on the album would include Junior Reid, will.i.am, Nate Dogg, Kanye West, Swizz Beatz, Busta Rhymes, Dion, Snoop Dogg, Xzibit, Tha Dogg Pound, Jamie Foxx, Nas, Marsha Ambrosius, Fergie, Keyshia Cole, Riz, Nu Jerzey Devil, Yummy Bingham, Anthony Hamilton, Kokane and his mentor Dr. Dre.

Concept, title and cover

This album was set out by The Game to prove that he is able to make good music and be a successful artist without the help of Dr. Dre or 50 Cent. In the final moments, it was revealed that the cover art shamelessly references his debut, and then — towering above it all — there was Dre's absence from the final product, and yet the album's original, Dre-boasting title sticks like a final "screw you"/"bring it on" pointed right at the haters. As all this drama spills into the actual album and feeds the cocksure rapper's craving for chaos, it becomes obvious the "sophomore slump" wasn't enough of a challenge for the Game, and even more obvious that he's following a career path of his own. Just like The Documentary, Doctor's Advocate is obsessed with the West Coast, especially Dre. The Doctor's name is dropped incessantly, to the point it will drive haters and anyone unfamiliar with the Game's history crazy. The ghost of Dre is there in every instantly grabbing club-banger and fierce street track that arcs up to the key title track, where the Game lays it all on the table with an open letter to the producer.

He uses words like "family" and "father" to pay tribute to their relationship before Aftermath and Dre associate Busta Rhymes is brought in as a guest just to amp up the desperation question. On paper, Doctor's Advocate sounds like the blueprint for the most desperate follow-up ever, with the Game treating the universe as his fanboy while constantly referencing people who aren't here and an era of which he's not a part, the golden age of the West Coast.

Release and promotion

As the release date of his heavily anticipated Doctor's Advocate approached, things got weird. Because of the G-Unit contract, nobody was sure if the album would say Aftermath Entertainment or Insterscope Records on the back. Doctor's Advocate was released through Geffen Records on November 14, 2006.

Promotional mixtapes

While his big rival and former employer, 50 Cent, squandered his success by spreading himself too thin with video games, films, and a whole lot of time devoted to the G-Unit empire, The Game spent his time working the streets with beef-minded, sometimes-epic freestyles landing on mixtapes. Every time the G-Unit versus Game beef was just about to be settled, The Game showed up late to sign the treaty, and then, when he was called out on it, he would retaliate as hard as before, bringing everything back to square one. His mentor, Dr. Dre, told him to lie low, but give The Game good advice and he'll do the opposite, as if he were compelled to do so by some unseen force (probably his mile-high ego). On November 7, 2005 The Game released a promotional Mixtape entitled Ghost Unit through 101 Distribution and West Side Entertainment. The Mixtape was used to promote his second studio album, Doctor's Advocate. Also somewhere around 2006 The Game released another promotional mixtape album/DVD entitled Stop Snitchin–Stop Lyin through The Black Wall Street Records. The mixtape features artists like Lil' Kim, Ice Cube, Lil Rob, Chingy, WC, Paul Wall and others. The DVD is directed by Éngel Thedford of AREA51 Media Group. This mixtape is the third of three diss mixtapes aimed at the G-Unit members. It is quite possibly the most popular of the three due to the DVD advertisement. It also features disses by other Black Wall Street Members. Repeatedly DJ Clue? says "Come on Game it's the last one" suggesting there would be no more diss tracks or mixtapes aimed at G-Unit any more. The track "Niggaz Bleed" is a subliminal diss to Suge Knight. The mixtape was used to promote his second studio album, Doctor's Advocate. In 2006 the mixtape was certified platinum in Ireland, which sold 15,000 units and the DVD was also certified gold.

Singles

The first single, "It's Okay (One Blood)", peaked at 71 on the Billboard Hot 100". The Game himself revealed that the song would be released on July 31, 2006, but actually was released on July 24. The song was originally to be released on July 4, but got pushed back by The Game. Jimmy Rosemond, head of Czar Entertainment and The Game's manager, explained how "One Blood" would receive positive radio airplay and prove the talent that The Game has. It features Junior Reid and is produced by Reefa. The second single, "Let's Ride", peaked at 46 on the Billboard Hot 100". The song was written by The Game and Scott Storch and was released as the album's second single on September 25, 2006. The Game mentioned on radio station KDAY in Los Angeles, California that the track was recorded in Miami, Florida, but had the feel of a West Coast Dr. Dre record. The song peaked at number 46 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song heavily references Let Me Ride released by Dr. Dre in 1993. "Let's Ride" received mediocre reviews from music critics. MusicOMH wrote that the track "lacks in any of the vigour and enthusiasm that came with his debut major release album". Pitchfork Media gave the song a negative review saying, "What an embarrassment this song turned out to be, lumberingly obvious and poorly crafted from the first awkward gang reference to the last Dre namedrop." About.com's Henry Adaso called the track "just another boring mantra devoid of substance" with The Game delivering "a lethargic sprawl, replete with 50 Cent-esque crooning and tautological Dre odes ("Ain't nuthin' but a G thang, baby, it's a G thang")." Entertainment Weekly, in a review of Doctor's Advocate, wrote that that the song "recycle Dre's signature high-pitched synths and plinking pianos" and is "marred by stale rhymes chronicling cartoonish gangbanging." Chocolate magazine said the track "lacks charisma and substance, and is filled with 50 Cent-style tuneless crooning, endless name checks for Aftermath, Eminem and Dr. Dre and empty lyrics". The third single, "Wouldn't Get Far", peaked at 64 on the Billboard Hot 100". The song is produced by and features a verse from Kanye West. It contains a sample from Creative Source's "I'd Find You Anywhere" (which was also sampled on Jadakiss' "By Your Side"), and a sample from "Long Red (Live)" by Mountain. Kanye West revealed that the beat for the song was originally made for Common, and if The Game had turned it down, Kanye would have used it for himself.

Reception

Commercial performance

Doctor's Advocate The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it The Game's second number one album. The album sold 358,000 copies in its first week and as of March 2008 has sold approximately 969,000 copies in the United States according to Nielsen Soundscan. The album has sold over 3,000,000 copies worldwide.

Critical response

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	2006
Entertainment Weekly	(B) 2006
Pitchfork Media	(8.1/10) 2006
PopMatters	2006
HipHopDX	link
RapReviews	2006
Rolling Stone	2006
Stylus	(B+) 2006
USA Today	2006

Doctor's Advocate received mostly favorable reviews from music critics. It received an average score of 73 based on average critic scores. Allmusic wrote that while the album "is nothing new" from The Documentary, "the fact remains that every track here is as good as or better than those on his debut." Entertainment Weekly disagreed, saying "it doesn't live up to the nihilistic brilliance" of his previous album. Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone stated that the album "isn't the classic that message boards are calling it, but it is a middling yet pleasurable record." Hoard also wrote that "lyrically, it's a mixed bag. The Game is still kind of corny, but his skills have improved... He's more nimble and more assured than before, and he switches up his flow more often". . Stylus Magazine noted that The Game "brought his personality—occasionally funny, disarmingly needy, a little lunkheaded—into the booth" and that despite Dr. Dre's absence, "the album sounds just as big-budget and lavishly appointed as The Documentary". The New York Times shared this view saying, "this album sounds much more like a Los Angeles album than its predecessor" and that the rapper "has a terrific voice, bassy and raspy". Similarly, The A.V. Club wrote that The Game "boasts a raspy-voiced, belligerent charisma" and that the album "succeeds primarily on the strength of its beats." The album received a near perfect 4.5 mic rating from The Source. The first single was It's Okay (One Blood) which was met with positive acclaim and it charted moderately in the US and the rest of the world. It has one of the biggest remixes ever with 24 artists featured on it, something which has not been done before. The second single was Let's Ride which was met with mediocre reviews, it charted in the top 50 in the US. The third single Wouldn't Get Far is featured and produced by Kanye West, it was released only for the US.

Track listing

An asterisk (*) indicates a bonus track.

Unreleased tracks

In 2007, The Game released several tracks that did not make the final cut for Doctor's Advocate on Amie Street, an online music store.

Personnel

Chart positions

Album

References

1. ^ "The Game: Billboard Albums". Allmusic. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
2. Sanneh, Kelefa (November 9, 2006). "Doctor's Advocate Review". New York Times. Retrieved July 4, 2008. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
3. Berkman, Seth. "Doctor's Advocate Review". PrefixMag.com. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
4. Dombal, Ryan. "Doctor's Advocate Review". Entertainment Weekly'. Retrieved July 5, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
5. Bernard, Adam. "The Game Interview". RapReviews.com. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
6. Gamble, Ronnie. "The Game: Game Time Again (Interview)". BallerStatus.com. Retrieved July 4, 2008.
7. Reid, Shaheem (February 28, 2005). 50 Drops Game from G-Unit; Shots Fired at Radio Station. MTV. Accessed June 2, 2007.
8. Hope, Clover (March 2, 2005). 50 Cent Cancels New York Appearance amid Shooting Inquiry. AllHipHop. Accessed July 20, 2007.
9. Fresh, Remmie (March 9, 2005). The Game and 50 Hold Press Conference Today to End Dispute. AllHipHop. Accessed July 20, 2007.
10. Rodriguez, Jayson (March 1, 2005). Update: Man Shot Not with 50 Cent; Violator Offices Shot Up. AllHipHop. Accessed July 20, 2007.
11. Williams, Houston (May 9, 2005). Game: Winds of Change. AllHipHop. Accessed July 20, 2007.
12. Rodriguez, Jason (June 6, 2005). The Game Taunts 50 Cent, Jay-Z Returns at Hot 97’s Summer Jam. AllHipHop. Accessed July 20, 2007.
13. A-Plus (August 5, 2005). "50 Strikes Back in "Piggy Bank" Video". Hip Hop DX. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
14. Reid, Shaheem (July 10, 2006). Mixtape Monday: 50 Cent Strips Down The Game. MTV. Accessed June 15, 2007.
15. Petipas, Jolene (August 1, 2006). Update: The Game Officially Leaves Aftermath. SOHH. Accessed June 9, 2007.
16. Chery, Carl (February 3, 2006). The Game takes on Spider Loc, 50 Cent strikes back, SOHH. Accessed July 23, 2007.
17. ^ http://www.rapreviews.com/archive/2006_11F_advocate.html
18. http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/review/the-game-the-doctors-advocate/
19. ^ Jeffries, David (2006). Doctor's Advocate Review. Allmusic. Accessed August 3, 2007.
20. ^ Sales. Sales. Cite error: The named reference "AVClub" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
21. ^ Dombal, Ryan (November 10, 2006). Doctor's Advocate (2006). Entertainment Weekly. Accessed August 3, 2007.
22. Pareles, J. (2006, December 26). James Brown, the "Godfather of Soul" dies at 73. The New York Times. Retrieved January 31, 2007.
23. Breihan, Tom. (November 14, 2006) The Game: Doctor's Advocate Pitchfork. Retrieved July 20, 2008.
24. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gzfuxq9rldse
25. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:gzfuxq9rldse
26. Mixtape Platinum Certification
27. DVD Gold Certification
28. "Jimmy Rosemond Talks 50, Czar and Game's Album"
29. Yash (September 21, 2006). The beat was produced by Storch and cost $2 million. The Game "Let's Ride" (Strip Club) Audio. Accessed June 2, 2007.
30. Ahmad, Azeem (November 27, 2006). The Game - Let's Ride (Geffen). MusicOMH. Accessed June 1, 2007.
31. Macia, Peter (September 27, 2006). The Game “Let's Ride (Strip Club)” 2006. Pitchfork Media. Accessed June 1, 2007.
32. Adaso, Henry (2006). (The Game - Let's Ride (Strip Club) (Black Wall Street / Geffen). About.com. Accessed June 1, 2007.
33. Dombal, Ryan (November 10, 2006). Doctor's Advocate (2006). EW. Accessed July 1, 2007.
34. The Game: Let's Ride (Strip Club). Chocolate magazine. Accessed June 1, 2007.
35. Game, Kanye Goof On Video Vixens In New Clip - News Story | Music, Celebrity, Artist News | MTV News
36. http://www.billboard.com/#/news/g-unit-the-game-push-back-new-albums-1003794170.story
37. Doctor's Advocate. Metacritic. Accessed August 3, 2007.
38. Hoard, Christian. "Doctor's Advocate Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 5, 2008. {{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
39. Greene, Jayson (November 17, 2006). Doctor's Advocate. Stylus magazine. Accessed August 3, 2007.
40. Sanneh, Kelefa (November 9, 2006). Repentant Yet Defiant, a Rapper at His Best. The New York Times. Accessed August 3, 2007.
41. Amie Street – The Game's Music Store. Accessed August 3, 2007.
42. World Chart Positions. aCharts.us. Accessed September 5, 2007.

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