West Coast rap died Sept. 13, 1996, with the murder of Tupac Shakur. The classic picture of Tupac striking his “thug-angel” pose can be viewed as the tombstone for what was once the epicenter for rap’s biggest artists.

Since that tragic day, the rap scene has since migrated to the East Coast and Dirty South. However, Dr. Dre and 50 Cent are striving to resurrect the California hip-hop scene with new frontman The Game and his premier album The Documentary.

The Game shares the typical rapper’s plight of a previous life of violence and drugs, which gives him automatic street credibility. In 2001, The Game was shot five times in a robbery attempt. While recovering in his hospital bed, he decided to leave a life of vagrancy for a more glamorous career in hip-hop. By spitting rhymes on last year’s underground mix-tape tour, The Game was discovered by Dre and subsequently adopted into Dre and 50 Cent’s record label G-Unit.

The Game, born and raised in Compton, is the only West Coast member of G-Unit. On his new album The Documentary, he often lets listeners know that with his help, California hip-hop is the new hottest “game” in the rap industry.

The Game does not sound specifically like any other rapper. He has neither the deep booming bass of Notorious B.I.G., nor the sultry smoothness of Andre 3000. He does not have Kanye West’s playful attitude or the complexity of Busta Rhymes’ rapid-fire lyrics.

What The Game does have is an intangible quality in his voice. An amalgam of coarseness and the ability to flow perfectly with a beat make The Game’s songs addictive to listen to. Playing the album loudly enough, you can almost feel as if you are in the studio as he lays down his rhymes for the first time.

The Game’s first single “How We Do,” featuring 50 Cent, has a strong and addictive beat. The superb production of the album shines through in this song with a head-shaking beat and an easily memorized hook. While The Game’s style features serious lyrical ballad rhymes, 50 Cent’s gruff voice and more succinct style fit perfectly in the “How We Do,” hook.

The strongest song on the album is “Church for Thugs.” The beat employs an array of remixed horns and is blended with an irresistible upbeat tone.

The Game’s most mature song is also the album’s last, “Like Father, Like Son.” The Game ruminates over the birth of his son in the only track on the album that does not explicitly reference his previous gangster life. Although The Game has found success in his life, he states that he hopes his son does not chose the same path, a rather mature message at the end of an immature album.

Something should be said for the sheer number of guest rappers who make cameos on many of The Game’s tracks. Maybe Dre was unsure of The Game’s ability to sustain quality rhymes, but whatever the case, The Game uses a slew of previously established artists as a crutch. While this might seem like the kiss of death, the album is brilliantly produced to the point where each song has an addictive aspect to it. The Documentary isn’t as much about what The Game has to say, but more of how he says it.

The Game also feels a necessity to drop the names of every popular rapper dating back to 1996. On each track The Game is fond of mentioning the brilliance of Dre, how he is mad at Jay-Z for not contributing to his album or pondering over the reasons why Tupac and Notorious B.I.G were shot. Whether The Game does this to cement himself in rap history or to prove that he is well versed in the more classical hip-hop form is unclear. Either way, neither is impressive and the excessiveness of it grows annoying and the album develops.

In-between his lyrical shootouts, The Game also raps about his life of violence and drugs. Instead of maturely reflecting on his experiences, The Game spits stereotypical gangsta-rap. While this was popular back in the tranquil days of West Coast rap, it now comes off as passé.

The compelling sound on The Documentary might show more brilliance on the part of Dr. Dre than The Game himself. Dre’s ability to transform The Game’s often ridiculous rhymes into catchy tracks is testament to Dre’s uncanny ear for hip-hop. The Documentary is enjoyable to listen to, but it seems more like a prelude of better things to come, like 50 Cent’s new album or Dre’s long-awaited and much anticipated Detox.

Grade: B