Confident or just controversial? The Game stirred up LA rap circles with his new Top 100 list, ranking himself at No.5, above Dr. Dre and other West Coast heavyweights.
He crowned 2Pac, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube, Kendrick Lamar, and himself as the Top 5, leaving Dr. Dre down at No.8. Other legends like Xzibit (No.10), Nipsey Hussle (No.11), and Warren G (No.21) were also given lower ranks, with Ab-Soul at No.27 and Ras Kass (misspelled) at No.43.
There are a couple of Shady Records ties here, too. KXNG Crooked, who worked closely with Eminem as part of Slaughterhouse and as a solo artist featured on Em’s “Music to Ve Murdered By” album, is at No.34 (listed under his old name, Crooked I). Westside Boogie, currently signed to Shady Records, appears at No.62.
Of course, Eminem himself is not on the list, he’s Detroit to the core, but his shadow definitely looms over it. After all, The Game owes a big part of his career to his early connection with Dr. Dre and Shady/Aftermath. Game’s debut album “The Documentary” was executive-produced by Dre and 50 Cent, and Eminem featured on a standout track like “We Ain’t”. While the relationship later soured, that moment in the early 2000s was a major launchpad.
Game’s list might raise eyebrows, but it also reminds us how intertwined West Coast and Shady history really are.
