The Game’s third album L.A.X. is available now. Find out what the critics are saying…
The New York Times: On L.A.X., his third album, for the first time he’s a joyless name checker; it’s as if the letters of his album title were all in lowercase. Almost everything here, from the boasting (“Money”Â) to the baiting (“L.A.X. Files,” “Cali Sunshine”Â), is pro forma. Worse, the Game, never a fluid rapper, sounds positively lumpy, as if he were delivering verses while running up a steep flight of stairs, or as if the last few years of pugnacity have finally left him winded.
Los Angeles Times: The Compton-raised rapper’s conservative inclination to stick to the gangsta tropes of money, drugs and guns feels limiting at times, as does the album’s bloated 1-hour-and-16-minute running time. While L.A.X. boasts several tracks too many, few remain outright duds, with the album heavily boosted by The Game’s all-star squad of guest performers.
The Boston Globe: L.A.X. spins beautifully at first, but, like a ’64 Chevy with chrome rims that hasn’t paid a visit to the mechanic in 20 years, it doesn’t take long before the wheels come off entirely.
Newsday: When The Game is on—in the mournful “My Life” with Lil Wayne, where he says, “My life used to be empty like a Glock without a round,” and in the old-school tribute to civil-rights leaders “Letter to the King,” in which he’s smart enough to let Nas shine as well—he proves himself to be one of hip-hop’s best. B