The Game was among the most inquired-about West Coast rap stars on social media. On Wednesday (June 19), he was absent from Kendrick Lamar’s historic Juneteenth celebration at the Kia Forum. The Compton legend faced heavy scrutiny on social media after his absence, prompting him to address the concert.
On Thursday, the “One Blood” hitmaker hosted a brief Instagram live to discuss his absence from the show, Drake rumors, his validation in Los Angeles hip-hop, consignment, and more. In the 17-minute live, The Game begins by addressing the fans and acknowledging how their engagement has caused a lot of division in the past.
“Been seeing shit swirl around the internet, and sometimes, man, y’all got to hear it from the horse’s mouth, man,” said The Game as he awaited followers to arrive for the address.
He continued: “Motherfuckers in my DMs, and all on these blog sites and whatnot, talking about, ‘The West Coast ain’t fucking with you, and you ain’t this and you ain’t that, and you’re siding with this nigga and that n***a.’ When the fuck y’all heard me say a motherfucking thing about who I’m siding with or this and that? I’ll be in my own lane chilling, taking care of my kids out the fucking way. That’s how I made it this far in this game, man.”
He proceeded to set the record straight by sharing the love and importance of Kendrick’s concert and what it did for the L.A. culture. “I ain’t have to be there to think that the shit was motherfucking cool,” Game said.
He added: “And what he did last night, that shit was amazing for the West Coast. I sat back and I watched it, n***a. I ain’t have to be there to think that the shit was motherfucking cool to major. That’s cool, n***a. I think it’s a dub for the coast. I think that what K.Dot did for a lot of West Coast n***s last night was hard as fuck, n***a. I think it was hard. I think it was dope of him and big-hearted of him to do that shit for n***s.”
Game signed to Dr. Dre’s Aftermath in 2003 and became the legendary producer’s protege. They released Game’s classic debut, The Documentary, which crowned him the King of L.A. in 2005. Game released his sophomore album, The Doctor’s Advocate, without the support of Dr. Dre and solidified himself as a global superstar as it debuted at #1 in 2006.
Game reminded fans that he took West Coast hip-hop worldwide during his peak. He references a laundry list of names for validation.
“Ain’t going to try to strike Chuck Taylor, nigga, and saying I ain’t do what I did, n***a,” he said. “I looked out for everybody on the coast. Ask Glasses Malone, nigga. Ask anybody that you can ask, nigga. You go ask Big Boy, DJ Head, Fuzzy, anybody about motherfucking Game, Chuck Taylor on the West Coast, I ain’t did nothing but look out for niggas. It’s all I did, nigga, put on for my city. I took Compton around the world, nigga, and I did this shit for years, nigga. I did this shit for years on my own, nigga.”
The Game would identify his contribution to Los Angeles hip-hop, including taking rappers on tour, releasing classic albums, and receiving chart-topping accolades. He explained:
“I done sold platinum records, I done been around the world, I done been on fucking world tours, nigga. I’m still getting money off the brand I created in the hood with me and my brother and my homies, nigga. So if you want to say, “Oh, Game picked this side and picked that side,” Game pick Game side, n***a. And Drake, that’s my motherfucking brother, n***a. And Kendrick, that’s the homie, he know what it is, nigga. We came up in this shit. Kendrick watched me do it, nigga. Top Dawg watched me do it. Them n****s had what they had way back then, and I helped niggas where I could help niggas, and ain’t nobody going to take that from you or deny that.”
Game confirmed that he and Kendrick are on good terms after fans believed otherwise because he did not perform on Juneteenth. “ Me and Top Dawg, we’re solid. Me and K.Dot, we’re solid,” he said.
Game addressed his friendship with Drake, which many fans believe resulted in him being uninvited to the Pop Out. He told his followers, “As far as my relationship with Drake, n***a? N***a, Drake is my brother, n***a. … And my loyalty is with motherfuckers that’s loyal to me.”
The Game wasn’t the only well-known L.A. rapper fans wondered about their whereabouts. Other rap stars include Vince Staples, 03 Greedo, Joe Moses, and Snoop Dogg. A Drakeo Tha Ruler tribute was also pondered after Nipsey Hussle received a tribute during the Mustard and Friends set.