Jayceon Terrell Taylor (born November 29, 1979) better known by his stage name The Game, is an American rapper signed to Geffen Records. He rose to fame in 2005 with the success of his debut album, The Documentary, and his two Grammy nominations. Since then, he is considered to be a driving force in bringing back the West Coast hip hop scene and competing with many of his East Coast counterparts. The Game is the only West Coast solo artist to release a multi-platinum album (The Documentary) since Dr. Dre's 1999 album, 2001. Aside from releasing two albums that debuted at number one on the United World Charts and the Billboard 200, The Game has gained notoriety for the hip hop feuds he has taken part in.
Early Life
Jayceon Taylor was born in Los Angeles, California and was raised in the district of La Brea before his family moved to Compton, California when he was four years old. After his family split up he lived with a foster family for eight years in Carson, a suburb of Los Angeles (located immediately southwest of Compton). When Taylor was thirteen, his mother was re-granted custody and he was reunited with his family in Compton. He spent his later life living in a primarily Crip gang neighborhood known as Santana Blocc, although he grew up to become a member of the Bloods. After graduating from Compton High School, Taylor had a short stint at Washington State University on a basketball scholarship. However, he was kicked out in his first semester because of drug allegations. At the age of eighteen, he began to follow his older half brother, "Big Fase 100", who was the leader of the Cedar Block Pirus. Taylor was shot five times after a failed drug deal in 2001. The attack put him in a three day coma and while recovering in the hospital, he decided to pursue a career in the rap industry.
Early Career
Studying various influential rap albums, The Game developed a strategy to become a rapper himself and with help from Big Fase, they founded The Black Wall Street Records. The Game first gained prominence when he attended a hip-hop summit hosted by Russell Simmons and Louis Farrakhan, releasing his first mixtape "You Know What It Is Vol.1" in 2002, followed by a record deal with the independent label, Get Low Recordz. Originally Sean Combs of Bad Boy Records was going to sign him to his label, but The Game's mixtape found its way into the hands of Dr. Dre, who proceeded to sign him to Aftermath Entertainment. To capitalize on the gowing buzz, The Game continued to release music. In October 2004, he released his first album "Untold Story" through Get Low Recordz. The Game also appeared on other various mixtapes. He also released a second mixtape "You Know What It Is Vol.2" through his own record label and appeared on the video game NBA Live 2004 on a song called "Can't Stop Me."
Rise To Fame
The Game was originally signed as an artist ..math Entertainment, but Interscope Records CEO Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre decided to have The Game also work with 50 Cent and G-Unit. The arrangement was to help build a growing buzz around The Game which would also fuel interest in G-Unit. Since then, he made numerous cameo appearances in music videos. Even at this early stage in his career, he was embroiled in rap feuds associated with G-Unit, including those with Joe Budden, Ja Rule, and Memphis Bleek. His first appearance on a single was Jim Jones' "Certified Gangstas", before his own single "Westside Story" was released in 2004.
"The Documentary" debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and was the tenth best selling album of 2005 in the United States. It also debuted at number seven in the United Kingdom and sold over five million copies worldwide. Due to his disputes with 50 Cent, The Game left Aftermath Entertainment and signed with Geffen Records to terminate his contractual obligations with G-Unit in the summer of 2006. The rapper's second album Doctor's Advocate was released on November 14, 2006. This album was set out by The Game to prove that he is able to make good music and be a successful artist without the help of Dr. Dre or 50 Cent. The album debuted at number one in the U.S., selling over 358,000 copies its first week. In may 2007, The Game said while filming Beef IV that his third album, L.A.X., would be his last, explaining that three albums will be enough to have allowed him to "get his point across".
