LAX (album)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
LAX
Studio album by
the Game
ReleasedAugust 26, 2008 (2008-08-26)
Recorded2007–2008
Genre
Length76:28
Label
Producer
The Game chronology
Doctor's Advocate
(2006) 		LAX
(2008) 		The R.E.D. Album
(2011)
Singles from LAX
  1. "Game's Pain"
    Released: April 29, 2008
  2. "Dope Boys"
    Released: June 24, 2008
  3. "My Life"
    Released: August 5, 2008
  4. "Camera Phone"
    Released: January 12, 2009 (UK)

LAX is the third

blunt
.

LAX debuted at number 2 on the United States

Nielsen SoundScan
to recount the album sale totals for the week. The recount placed LAX at #2, with final 1st week sales of 238,382 copies in the United States, and awarded Slipknot's All Hope Is Gone the top spot, with first week sales of 239,516 copies, a margin of 1,134 copies in the United States of America.

Upon its release, LAX received generally favorable reviews from most music critics, with music critics praising the album's production.

Background

After signing a deal to Interscope Records and Dr. Dre's Aftermath Entertainment label, Interscope Records' head COO Jimmy Iovine convinced 50 Cent to take Game under his wing in an effort to guarantee record sales. In 2005 the Game released his debut album The Documentary, but then left G-Unit following beef with 50 Cent. In 2006 he released his follow-up album Doctor's Advocate. On December 31, 2007, at Nas' New Year's Eve party, the Game announced the title and release date for LAX.[1]

Recording

On May 11, 2007, the Game was arrested at his home reportedly in connection with an incident that happened at a basketball game in

LaToiya Williams
were in the final album track listing.

All of these

Power 106 that he had worked with Just Blaze, Kanye West, Cool & Dre, Scott Storch, Timbaland, Knobody, Ervin Pope, JellyRoll and Tre Beatz, among others.[15] At a listening party on June 23, 2008, it was mentioned that the production duo Trackmasters would be included for the album.[16]

Release and promotion

The album was pushed back to June 24, in competition for

mixtapes; "Superman", featuring all original tracks, which did not appear on the album, in a week and a half and "You Know What It Is Vol. 5" after the album. He also blamed DJ Haze for the leak of the Just Blaze-produced title track "Superman".[citation needed
]

Promo singles

The first street single was released on March 18, 2008 "Big Dreams" which is produced by

Dre, from the production duo Cool & Dre commented that "'Big Dreams' is one of the most amazing records that I can honestly say that me and Cool have been a part of". Dre continued by stating "'Big Dreams' is a phenomenal record. It's very inspirational, It's gonna be big in the streets, but it's gonna be big all across the board. I feel like 'Hate It or Love It' was such an inspirational record that a lot of people didn't see coming. And this has the same feel as far as how it makes you feel, but it's gonna inspire the shit outta everybody. It's one of those records — his performance, his delivery, he's lyrically on a level that I can't even compare anyone to. He stepped it up to a notch that's amazing. He definitely has a new passion. And the fucking record is gonna really, really destroy."[21][22]

The second street single was "House of Pain" and it was released on August 19, 2008. The single is produced by DJ Toomp. The song "Touchdown" also debuted on the Hot 100 without being released as a single, it charted at number 57 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[23]

Singles

The first official single "

Hot Rap Tracks. The fourth and final single was released featuring Ne-Yo called "Camera Phone
" on January 12, 2009, it was only released in the UK.

Tour

On May 21, 2009, the Game announced upcoming tour dates for performances in the United Kingdom for the summer of 2009. The West Coast-bred emcee made his first United Kingdom appearance since last December 2008. Game returned to the United Kingdom with three live dates confirmed across the country. Game assembled a coast-to-coast US trek to support his latest effort, LAX.[27] The club/theater outing was scheduled to visit nearly 30 cities, starting with several California performances in mid-February 2009.[28]

The tour Begin on February 18, 2009 and concluding March 29, 2009 stops included

New York City, New York and more.[29] The following year Game went on the European Club Tour 2010.[30]

Commercial performance

The album received favorable reviews from critics, debuted at #2 on the US

Nielsen proceeded to the recount, which made no changes, and Slipknot in 2nd position with 239,516 copies scanned. Initially, Billboard published an article stating that the Game had secured the top spot with a margin of 13 units, in what was described as the "closest race for number one since SoundScan began tracking Data in 1991".[2] having sold 239,516 units.[2]

LAX attained respectable international charting. In

UK R&B Chart
.

Critical response

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork Media
(6.4/10.0)[38]
PopMatters(7/10)[39]
USA Today[40]
The Village Voicemixed[41]

Upon its release, LAX received mostly favorable reviews from music critics. At

J.R. Rotem, Kanye West, Cool & Dre, Scott Storch, Hi-Tek and DJ Toomp — with lyrical ferocity."[40] The A.V. Club noted "Only three major-label albums into his career, The Game has already appropriated the angst of rap's most beloved icons" and praised the album's production while stating "The Game has always borrowed from the greats. Here, he cannibalizes his own tired shtick so extensively, he lapses even further into self-parody."[44]

Pitchfork Media stated that "Relatively, he's won Round 3 by making his third straight album that's better than it has any right to be-- but the fact that the Game can make perfectly uncompelling competence sound like victory is proof that he's a master thespian of hip-hop theater."[38] Jordan Sargent of PopMatters complimented the Game stating that "On LAX, Game hasn't changed, but he's picked a group of beats that get him closer to extricating himself from both his West Coast Messiah complex and the post-G-Unit narrative. And while Game has yet to carve out his own identity as a rap artist, LAX shows that, on his third album, he might be on the right track."[39]

The Village Voice commented that "Taylor's best assets remain his compellingly ruined wheeze of a voice, relentless delivery, and uncanny ear for beats" and that "Somehow, the Game is still coasting on wispy, West Coast–nostalgia fumes—chronic, red rags, lolos, etc.—but the goodwill, at this point, has pretty much exhausted itself."[41] Sputnikmusic's Tyler Munro noted it as a "Solid hip-hop, but excessive to a fault. Too many guests, too many shifts in style and theme."[46] Slant Magazine's Wilson McBee viewed it as the Game's best album stating "With the Game's third and best album, LAX, which drops without the baggage of a high-profile beef, we learn more about who the rapper really is: a guy who loves hip-hop, from top to bottom, and is as comfortable giving shout-outs to Will Smith and Uncle Luke as he is to Wu-Tang and N.W.A" and "Listening to LAX is like witnessing the creation of a mural of hip-hop's history in which the artist paints himself hiding among the famous faces."[47]

Despite favorable reviews by critics and audiences, Game was critical about the album. In the first song on Game’s highly anticipated fourth studio album, R.E.D., The City, he said: "Came with LAX, since critics said it was average/ I was stressed the fuck out, torn between Aftermath and Geffen, Interscope".[48] He gives a similar statement about LAX in retrospect: "L.A.X., I was kind of lost, but my fans were pleased." said the rapper. He added: "If I had a choice, I would say fuck L.A.X. and The R.E.D. Album because I was kind of lost in trying to re-find the love for hip-hop." He also doesn't feel the album was perfect by his standards compared to his previous album.[49]

Track listing

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Intro" (performed by
DMX
)
Pope1:20
2."LAX Files"
J.R. Rotem
3:59
3."State of Emergency" (featuring Ice Cube)
J.R. Rotem3:38
4."Bulletproof Diaries" (featuring Raekwon)
Jelly Roll4:52
5."My Life" (featuring Lil Wayne)
Cool & Dre5:20
6."Money"
  • Taylor
  • Lyon
  • Valenzano
  • Montilla
Cool & Dre5:13
7."Cali Sunshine" (featuring Bilal)
Nottz4:33
8."Ya Heard" (featuring Ludacris)
Nottz4:04
9."Hard Liquor (Interlude)"
  • Taylor
  • Pope
  • D. Davis
Pope1:50
10."House of Pain"
DJ Toomp4:32
11."Gentleman's Affair" (featuring Ne-Yo)
J.R. Rotem3:39
12."Let Us Live" (featuring Chrisette Michele)
Storch4:39
13."
Touchdown" (featuring Raheem DeVaughn
)
1500 or Nothin'3:59
14."Angel" (featuring Common)
West4:28
15."Never Can Say Goodbye" (featuring LaToiya Williams)
Pope4:40
16."Dope Boys" (featuring Travis Barker)
4:00
17."Game's Pain" (featuring Keyshia Cole)
4:21
18."Letter to the King" (featuring Nas)
Hi-Tek5:45
19."Outro" (performed by DMX)
  • Simmons
  • Pope
Pope1:28
iTunes bonus tracks
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
20."Ain't Fuckin' With You"Trackmasters3:37
Deluxe edition (bonus tracks)
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."
Big Dreams"
Cool & Dre4:49
2."Camera Phone" (featuring Ne-Yo)Cool & Dre4:29
3."Nice" (featuring Newz)Irv Gotti4:40
4."Spanglish" (featuring Hyna)Tre Beatz4:14
United Kingdom reissue (2008)[50]
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
1."LAX Files"J.R. Rotem3:59
2."State of Emergency" (featuring Ice Cube)J.R. Rotem3:38
3."Bulletproof Diaries" (featuring Raekwon)Jelly Roll4:52
4."My Life" (featuring Lil Wayne)Cool & Dre5:20
5."Money"Cool & Dre5:13
6."Cali Sunshine" (featuring Bilal)Nottz4:33
7."Ya Heard" (featuring Ludacris)Nottz4:04
8."Hard Liquor (Interlude)"Ervin "EP" Pope1:50
9."House of Pain"DJ Toomp4:32
10."Gentleman's Affair" (featuring Ne-Yo)J.R. Rotem3:39
11."Let Us Live" (featuring Chrisette Michele)Scott Storch4:39
12."Touchdown" (featuring Raheem DeVaughn)1500 or Nothin'3:59
13."Angel" (featuring Common)Kanye West4:28
14."Never Can Say Goodbye" (featuring LaToiya Williams)Ervin "EP" Pope4:40
15."Dope Boys" (featuring Travis Barker)1500 or Nothin', DJ Quik (add.)4:00
16."Game's Pain" (featuring Keyshia Cole)Knobody, Dahoud Darien, Ervin "EP" Pope4:21
17."Letter to the King" (featuring Nas)Hi-Tek5:45
18."Camera Phone" (featuring Ne-Yo)Cool & Dre4:29
Sample credits

Personnel

Credits for LAX adapted from

Allmusic.[51]

  • DMX
    - Guest Appearance
  • Geoff Gibbs - Engineer all tracks

Charts

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
United Kingdom (BPI)[76] Silver 60,000^

^ Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

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External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=LAX_(album)&oldid=1229632658"