
Somebody paying attention was The Game. In less than a decade after the Death Row Records single was released, Dre (and 50 Cent) groomed Jayceon Taylor into one of the West Coast’s new stars. Over the years, Dre provided his fellow Compton, California neighbor with some of the best beats he’s let out of the studio.
The Game Freestyles Over Old Town Road. This Ain’t Country (Video)
As Game embarks on what he is touting to be his final album, Born 2 Rap, he shows some West Coast love in a light similar to Dre and the late Pac. Like the first “California Love” video, this desert excursion pulls from the Mad Max franchise. On “West Side,” Game gets dramatic support from Dave East (who is playing Method Man in next month’s Wu-Tang Clan series) and Jackie Long. Notably, Dave plays The Game’s nemesis in this grand display.
In the song, Game kicks a menacing message, not unlike some of Tupac’s later work. He shouts out his neighborhood and suggests that Cali’ is still a land of opportunity for hustlers with guile and grit. Like the ’96 original, the action will continue in another visual.
Hear The Original Version Of “California Love” & It’s Nuthin’ But A Dre Thang
In recent years, The Game has made some very potent songs that examine the life and legacy of Shakur. He and Scarface made “Last Time You Seen,” and 21 years to the day after Pac’s death, the veteran rapper dropped “Heaven 4 A Gangster.”