Listening to The Game's mixtape "Purp & Patron" for the first time was like gaining your vision back after years of not being able to see. That may sound like a bit of an overstatement but considering my fondness for Hip-Hop, and the lack of Real Hip-Hop in recent years I would say its very accurate. Hip-Hop is at a weird place currently, a lot of rappers have become jacks of all trades, master of none, Lil Wayne for example is doing love song ballads, rock tracks, and Hip-Hop songs, and he's not the only one. Then "Purp & Patron" came out in January, it sounded like the Hip-Hop I grew up loving, while at the same time having a very modern sound to it as well. It was Hip-Hop at its purest and best, and far and away the best Hip-Hop album or mixtape I've heard in many years. Lyrically Game is unmatched on this mixtape, funny, clever, honest and finds Game telling stories versus just rhyming clever things, the production is ridiculous, featuring production from Phraell, Dre, T-Pain, Cool & Dre, 1500 or Nothin' to name a few. The 2 disc mixtape is loaded with nothing but great songs, ranging from fun tracks like "Soo Woo", or inspirational like "I'm The King", to Lakers themed tracks like the Wiz Khalifa inspired, rock infused "Purp & Yellow" to an Inspirational track like "The Kill". Game is channelling 2Pac, Dre, and Snoop at their very best on this mixtape, and I would dare say this mixtape is every bit as good as 2Pac's masterpiece "All Eyez on Me" and on the same level as Dre's "The Chronic" something before this year I never thought I would say.
A week later Game would come out with "Purp & Patron: The Hangover" which was every bit as good as the mixtape that came out the week before, it featured the songs and I quote "Not good enough for the Purp & Patron mixtape" one song off of the Hangover is the Requiem For a Dream of music called "Lost" really good, but really sad, and as great as it may be I never want to hear it again. In early August Game came out with "HoodMorning" which was just as good as his two previous mixtapes, and just 3 weeks later he release his much talked about, much hyped "R.E.D. Album" which more than lived up to the expectations set for it. There is no question to me that Game is far and away THE RAPPER OF THE YEAR, his 4 mixtapes/albums are better than anything else anyone else came out with all year, I actually considered separating all four, but that would make this list slightly redundant. "Purp & Patron" reopened my eyes to just how great Hip-Hop could be, and set the bar high for the rest of the year in January, a bar no other rapper was able to get over. Game is not only the best rapper of the year, but "Purp & Patron" is the best mixtape or album released all year.
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