What the Game's Been Missing!
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| What the Game's Been Missing! | |||||
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| Studio album by Juelz Santana | |||||
| Released | November 22, 2005 (U.S.) | ||||
| Recorded | 2005 | ||||
| Genre | Rap | ||||
| Length | 75:57 | ||||
| Label | Diplomat / Def Jam Records | ||||
| Producer | Terrence Anderson Cliff Carlisle Chaos & Order Doe Boys Ebonikz Heatmakerz Infamous Darren Joseph J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League LVM Mayhem Soul Sizzle STREETRUNNER |
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| Professional reviews | |||||
| Juelz Santana chronology | |||||
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What the Game's Been Missing! is an album by rapper Juelz Santana. The album was released on November 22, 2005 on Diplomat Records and Def Jam Recordings. He released the singles "Mic Check", "There It Go (The Whistle Song)", "Oh Yes", and "Clockwork."[1][2]
Contents |
[edit] Concept
[edit] Development
In an interview with Hip Hop Canada, Juelz Santana remarked that his approach to the making of "what the games been missing" was different from others. what he really noted on was the amount of effort and work he was able to contribute to it, saying:
"I'm definitely going to say that I like this album the best mainly because I got to work on it and I got to grow with it. I took care of a lot of things on it and not to say that my other albums were not good, but I just got to put more work into the making of this one."
Originality 160 songs were recorded for the album [8], taking over a year to make. He described the process as "learning how to ride a bike." asserting to the fact that the basis of the album developed deeper into production.
[edit] Lyrics
Juelz Santana has often been criticized for his slow flow and delivery, and indeed it has been the subject of many board discussions and debate, with opposers stating that it is sequential and undeveloped, and often question as to weather he is relevant.
But fans often dispute this claim, proclaiming that Juelz Santana’s flow allows for greater lyrical creativity, in that it allows the listener to follow and to clearly and better understand what he says, as well as creating a better format to convey complex ideas through song, and fans are often quick to point to “what the games been missing” as proof of this, for example, in “Rumble Young”:
Greater than great I am
YES haters they hate I am
WHAT playing I play to win
PLUS still I remain up in
THE hood I came up in
BUT the hood I came up in
FUCKED since Bush done came up in YUP
The iteration of of words or sentences helps to direct the listener's attention, in this context the reiterated phrase being “I came up in”, each time it is repeated it is used as the antithesis of the original usage, allowing simultaneous messages to be conveyed at the same time coherently, in this case being that he is still among and interacting with his childhood community (a major preoccupation in Hip Hop) and that he is aware of the effects of George Bush’s reign as president.
Another aspect of Juelz's development is his increased use of Allusions, and this is evident in “what the games been missing”, for example in “Mic Check 1,2”:
the greatness (yes) da rap Ali,
jab I weave then come back with da same jab times three,
I blow smoke to the heaven I'm so dope its
a weapon raps one big casino I'm plottin' Ocean's Eleven
The obvious allusions here are Ocean's Eleven and Mohammed Ali, using these to get his point across in a more complex simile.
And in “Rumble Young”:
From my date of birth hun'
Till my day in the dirt come
I remain the earth's one
YES the matrix's first son
Here he is combining two allusions, that to earth and [The Matrix], drawing upon points of similarities in both.
But it cannot be ignored hat these displays of lyrical ability do not run throughout the album, since most of the subject matter is about crack cocaine and Mafioso relations, and this has led to critics labelling the album as having potential but not really delivering.
[edit] Sound
The beat selection on the album has been heavily criticised by many,being described as "basic" and "un-original". Rolling stones say "it is as if it was mainly composed of in house producers". But the main detracting points about the beats are that they are mainly club based, a big change of direction to his previous album that was soul based.
But many realise that to survive in today's music business, sounds must be appealing, and the singles released for "What the games been missing" have been received readily by fans, helping the album to make a strong chart performance.
The overall sound of "What the games been missing" is that of a club based album, with occasional embedding of other types of synchronized genres, being it rap and rock, soul or rap, or soul and base.
[edit] Feature appearances
Regular collaborators include members of the Dipset family, such as Cam'Ron who features on three songs, and Hell Rell who appears on one track.
Other prominent collaborators are Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy, whose performance on the Album is also disputed, since many feel that they did not add much lyrical weight to the album.
Lesser known artists are Sizzla, Bezel and Razah.
[edit] Reception
"What the games been missing" was released to recognisable commercial success but mediocre critical acclaim.
[edit] Tracks
- Intro
- Rumble Young Man Rumble
- Oh Yes
- Shottas (featuring Cam'ron and Sizzla)
- Clockwork
- Kill 'Em (featuring Cam'ron)
- This Is Me
- Make It Work for You (featuring Lil Wayne and Young Jeezy)
- Whatever U Wanna Call It (featuring Hell Rell)
- Gangsta Shit
- Lil' Boy Fresh
- Good Times
- Freaky
- Murda Murda (featuring Cam'ron)
- Gone
- Kid Is Back (featuring Ja'Quaye James)
- Changes (featuring Razah)
- I Am Crack
- There It Go (The Whistle Song)
- Violence (featuring Bezel)
- Daddy
- Mic Check
[edit] Chart Performance
What the Game's Been Missing! peaked at #1 on both the Top Rap Albums and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums charts and #9 in the Billboard 200 chart according to Billboard.com. [3] It has sold 850,001 in the US alone being certified platinum.
[edit] References
- ^ Juelz Santana official website @ defjam.com - Audio/Video
- ^ Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Juelz Santana
- ^ Billboard.com - Artist Chart History - Juelz Santana
[edit] External links
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