The Game

True to the N.W.A. tat plastered across his chiseled chest, the Game was slinging verses alongside Dr. Dre (the creeping keys of "How We Do," the 2Pac nods and neck-snappin' lead piano of "Westside Story") soon after he hit the hardcore hip-hop scene. In the years since, his course flow and cutting lyrics have lined up perfectly with such A-list producers as Cool & Dre (the shuffled beats and blood-letting balladry of "My Life" and the sputtering loops of "Camera Phone"); Kanye West (the pitch-shifting soul samples of "Wouldn't Get Far" and "Dreams"); and Scott Storch (the steely, sweeping hooks of "Let's Ride").

As for whether a feud with 50 Cent means the Game doesn't play well with others, our Next Steps is full of pass-the-mic sessions with everyone from E-40 to Ice Cube.

Dropping his drug-dealing days for a pen and a pad isn't the only thing that got the Game noticed by critics and clubs. Thanks to his Compton roots and certified G-Funk connections, the Game's been celebrated as the most important West Coast MC since gangsta rap's golden age. It's easy to understand why after hearing him attack three chart-crashing albums and a slew of guest spots, including the moonlit melodies of "LAX Files" and "California Vacation," the lumbering drums and sing-along choruses of "Crack Music," a couple of tense Nas cuts ("Hustlers," "Make the World Go Round"), and bar-raising remixes of "A Bay Bay" and "Throw Some D's."

Straight outta Compton with saw-toothed rhymes and a bullet-ridden back-story comes the Game, a G-Unit alum who went rogue after his chart-clobbering debut, 2005's The Documentary, and lived to tell the tale. That's because his skills hold up with or without the help of Dr. Dre and 50 Cent. Listen and learn as Game switches between his power-trio collabs with Dre and Fiddy ("Westside Story," "How We Do") and such lone-wolf long-players as Doctor's Advocate and LAX. Both of those post-breakthrough releases are bursting with street-savvy hits and undisputable fan favorites, from the stuttering synths of "Dope Boys" and "It's Okay (One Blood)" to the blunt, R&B-infused honesty of "Doctor's Advocate" and "Game's Pain." So forget what you've heard from haters — this Game's not over. Dude's just getting started.