Game

Born into the tough neighbourhood of Compton, LA where the Bloods and the Crips gangs ruled the streets, Jayceon Taylor (aka The Game) was kicked out of a basketball scholarship at Washington State University before being shot five times, which left him in a coma for three days. Using music as his escape route, he was taken under the wing of Dr Dre and released his major debut The Documentary (2005) to a huge response. Featuring contributions from Kanye West, 50 Cent, Eminem, Busta Rhymes and Mary J Blige, the album shot straight to Number 1 in the US, going on to sell over 6 million copies worldwide and producing the hit singles How We Do and Hate It Or Love It. A high profile "beef" with former friend 50 Cent saw The Game part company with Dr Dre and his record label shortly after, but he again topped the US charts with second album Doctor's Advocate (2006). Ongoing spats with Suge Knight, Lil Eazy E and Jay-Z have further increased The Game's notoriety, while third album LAX (2008) continued to pay homage to the history of West Coast gangsta rap.