Doctor's Advocate
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Doctor's Advocate is the second studio album by West Coast rapper The Game. It was released on November 14, 2006 by Geffen Records. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making it The Game's second number one album.[1] The album was produced by three producers from The Game's debut album—Kanye West, Just Blaze and Scott Storch—as well as newcomers like will.i.am and Swizz Beatz. A glaring difference between his debut album, The Documentary, and his second album is the absence of Dr. Dre. Although Dre does not appear on Doctor's Advocate, The Game dedicated the album to him,[2] and referenced him over 30 times throughout the album.[3][4]
The Game made a point to prove that he could still make acclaimed music, as he did on The Documentary, without help from Dr. Dre or 50 Cent.[5][6] Guests featured on Doctor's Advocate include Busta Rhymes, Nas, Nate Dogg, Snoop Dogg, Tha Dogg Pound, Jamie Foxx and Xzibit.
Music
Content
Doctor's Advocate contains various staples of West Coast hip hop albums including explicit rhymes about gang violence, drug use and sex. Other lyrical motifs include allusions to The Game's favorite hip hop artists and braggadocios rhymes.[7]
Production
With its use of more West Coast-type beats, crispier drums, and deeper bass, the album leans more towards the West Coast sound than The Documentary.
Reception
Critical
Doctor's Advocate received mostly favorable reviews from music critics.[8] Allmusic wrote that while the album "is nothing new" from The Documentary, "the fact remains that every track here is as good as or better than those on his debut."[9] Entertainment Weekly disagreed, saying "it doesn't live up to the nihilistic brilliance" of his previous album.[10] Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone stated that the album "isn't the classic that message boards are calling it, but it is a middling yet pleasurable record." Hoard also wrote that "lyrically, it's a mixed bag. The Game is still kind of corny, but his skills have improved... He's more nimble and more assured than before, and he switches up his flow more often".[7] Stylus Magazine noted that The Game "brought his personality—occasionally funny, disarmingly needy, a little lunkheaded—into the booth" and that despite Dr. Dre's absence, "the album sounds just as big-budget and lavishly appointed as The Documentary".[11] The New York Times shared this view saying, "this album sounds much more like an Los Angeles album than its predecessor" and that the rapper "has a terrific voice, bassy and raspy".[12] Similarly, The A.V. Club wrote that The Game "boasts a raspy-voiced, belligerent charisma" and that the album "succeeds primarily on the strength of its beats."[13]
The album received a near perfect 4.5 mic rating from The Source.
Personnel
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Chart positions
Album
| Charts (2006)[14] | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australia Top 100 Albums | 28 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 46 |
| Dutch Albums Chart | 40 |
| French Albums Chart | 27 |
| Canadian Albums Chart | 1 |
| German Albums Chart | 29 |
| Irish Albums Chart | 8 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart | 15 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart | 24 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 15 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 | 1 |
| UK Albums Chart | 21 |
| United World Chart | 1 |
Singles
| Year | Song | Chart positions | |||
| Billboard Hot 100 | Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Singles & Tracks | Hot Rap Singles | |||
| 2006 | "It's Okay (One Blood) | #71 | #33 | #15 | |
| 2006 | "Let's Ride" | #46 | #55 | #14 | |
| 2007 | "Wouldn't Get Far" | #64 | #26 | #11 | |
References
- ^ "The Game: Billboard Albums". All Music Guide. Retrieved July 4.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Sanneh, Kelefa. "Doctor's Advocate Review". New York Times. Retrieved July 4.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Berkman, Seth. "Doctor's Advocate Review". PrefixMag.com. Retrieved July 4.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Dombal, Ryan. "Doctor's Advocate Review". Entertainment Weekly'. Retrieved July 5.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Bernard, Adam. "The Game Interview". RapReviews.com. Retrieved July 4.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Gamble, Ronnie. "The Game: Game Time Again (Interview)". BallerStatus.com. Retrieved July 4.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ a b Hoard, Christian. "Doctor's Advocate Review". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 5.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help); Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help); Unknown parameter|accessyear=ignored (|access-date=suggested) (help) - ^ Doctor's Advocate. Metacritic. Accessed August 3 2007.
- ^ Jeffries, David (2006). Doctor's Advocate Review. All Music Guide. Accessed August 3 2007.
- ^ Dombal, Ryan (November 10 2006). Doctor's Advocate (2006). Entertainment Weekly. Accessed August 3 2007.
- ^ Greene, Jayson (November 17 2006). Doctor's Advocate. Stylus magazine. Accessed August 3 2007.
- ^ Sanneh, Kelefa (November 9 2006). Repentant Yet Defiant, a Rapper at His Best. The New York Times. Accessed August 3 2007.
- ^ Doctor's Advocate Review. The A.V. Club. Accessed August 3 2007.
- ^ World Chart Positions. aCharts.us. Accessed September 5 2007.