Game

Game (he dropped the “The” for his new album) has a new album coming out in August. It might actually be pretty good. I don't know if that's news to you or not, but I was a) convinced he was quitting the rap game after his 2008 album LAX, partially because Game told everyone he would and b) under the assumption that gangsta rap was too comatose as a genre to be meaningful in 2010. Rappers dominating radio talking about their feelings certainly didn't help keep tough dudes with Raiders hats in the forefront, but once TBS started mentioning a smiling Ice Cube as the producer of a new sitcom, there wasn't much hope for the gat and blunt crowd. Still, Game is as focused as ever at appearing hard, partially by maintaining a constant stream of beef with seemingly every English language rapper above the ground. While batting former Luniz member Yukmouth is probably more of a distraction than a boost to Game's rep, he's actually an intriguing character when he's matched with the right producer and The R.E.D. Album features a few tracks from the Neptunes, Dr. Dre, and others. Will any of this translate to a great concert? Hard to say, but at least, there's some comfort that the beats booming from the speakers will at least be interesting, and with nearly all the intimidating rappers of the past working on their 401k's, it's good to know Game is still detailing the perils of Compton.
Fri., July 23, 8 p.m., 2010