Shannon Sharpe once said, "Ray Lewis is the type of guy, if he were in a fight with a bear I wouldn't help him, I'd pour honey on him because he likes to fight. That's the type of guy Ray Lewis is."
The same can be said of The Game. Most rappers mellow out a tad as the acquire success. Not The Game, who, during a pick-up basketball game in 2015, punched and threatened to kill a man who turned out to be an undercover cop. Game brings this exact pugnacious spirit to his profession. He has instigated and carried out beefs in every conceivable forum: on Instagram, on wax, and in real life.
Game attributes his warrior spirit to being raised in Los Angeles, which he views as a more savage environment than a place like New York City. Perhaps this is true; murder rates across the country go up in the summertime, when the temperature rises, and in LA, it's summer 12 months a year.
“I think that the number one reason that LA rap has flourished is because, from the beginning, we never had filters," he explained in a 2015 interview wit HNHH. "We never gave a fuck. About what was politically correct. It was just, 'fuck the police,' when it was fuck the police. It was, 'we gang banging, and this is it.' Snoop taught the world how to Crip walk, I taught them how to Blood bounce, and we never gave a FUCK about who didn’t like it. And New York of course is the mecca of hip hop, but you guys were a little too safe. Even 'Fight the Power,' it was like ‘yea, fight the power.’ But see, we was like [sprays bullets from imaginary AR] rahhhhhahrhaahrrh!!!!!"
Today is The Game's 38th birthday. We're celebrating by revisiting his 10 most illustrious beefs. Of course, he beefed with more than 10 individuals. Check out the honorable mentions below... as well as the top ten below that.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Memphis Bleek
Bow Wow
David Beckham
Lil Eazy E
2Eleven
Chris Brown
Shyne
Wackstar
50 Cent & G-Unit
The Beef: 50 Cent installed The Game as the west coast representative of G-Unit. 50 was instrumental to the success of The Documentary, but apparently there was some tension between them, because 50 ended up dismissing The Game from G-Unit live on Hot 97. The Game then attempted to run up on Hot 97's studios with about 60 dudes at his back; a scuffle ensued outside, shots were fired, and thankfully no one died.
Thus, the G-UNOT movement was born. The Game responded with an incredible run of diss tracks directed at 50 Cent and the rest of G-Unit.
Diss tracks: too many to count.
Reconciliation: They squashed the beef at a nightclub in 2016. "I fuck with 50, what happened that shit was twelve years ago," Game told the club, "niggas ain't on that shit... Ain't nobody on that old shit. Drink your motherfucking Effen."
Stitches
The Beef: The Game called out Miami rapper Stitches for impersonating him in DMs. Stitches then proceeded to get knocked out by Game's manager Wack 100 and jumped by members of his own crew. The Game and Stitches then actually agreed to fight, though the match never came to be. A Complete History.
Diss track: Stitches's "Don't Fear Death" Game diss sits at a remarkable 11% user rating on HNHH. Unprecedentedly low.
Meek Mill
The Beef: The Game accused Meek of snitching on him for assaulting Sean Kingston and snatching his $300,000 chain. Supposedly that night there was a three-way phone call between all of them. Though Meek would later deny these allegations, Game sparked the beef by unexpectedly releasing the diss track "92 Bars." Beanie Sigel entered the fray, and eventually a side-beef between Sigel and Meek Mill would erupt. A Complete History.
Diss tracks: "92 Bars," "Pest Control"; Meek Mill - "OOOUUU" remix
Quotables: "Niggas supposed to throw up the Roc not smoke it" - Game, in regard to Beanie Sigel
The Beef: Footage emerged of The Game saying "I will fuck Young Thug up," and later, "I’ma do a nigga like I did 40 Glocc." Thus began the beef between these two heavyweights. It played out primarily on Instagram. Thug retaliated by reminding Game of the time he was a male stripper. The Game then declared Young Thug the lead singer of the fictional band "Wack MCs."
Reconciliation: Beef temporarily squashed -- until Game spontaneously threatened to "beat the Victoria secret out that boy/girl." Young Thug replied by posting a picture of Game's daughter to Instagram. “Such a cutie," he wrote. "Wish she was my kid!!”
Ras Kass
The Beef: Ras Kass believed The Game took a shot at his son in a song, and approached Game one night at the LA club Element. The Game may or may not have hit Ras in the head with a bottle. Ras followed up with diss track to which Game never responded.
Quotables: "I hit him one time, he went out, he was unconscious. And then we get home and he's got all these stories. If I was him, I would have just swallowed that punch and kept it moving... he won't ever come outside ever again." - The Game
Reconciliation: Never reconciled, despite Snoop Dogg's efforts to mediate.
The Beef: One of the most one-sided beefs in rap history. Early in his career, The Game initiated a beef against Jay-Z for reasons unknown. Jay-Z may or may not have said some mean things about him, and held a grudge for the next 5-10 years.
Diss tracks: "My Bitch"
Quotables: "I was introduced to her back in '96 / She had a wavy haircut and some big ass lips"
Reconciliation: "I was probably one of the only cats that went at Jay Z's neck and still had a career after. I think he knows I’m reckless and there’s nothing I can’t say." - The Game
Lil Durk
The Beef: Lil Durk refused to take out a line that referenced Blac Chyna, who was then engaged to Tyga. Tyga and Durk exchanged diss tracks, and The Game entered the fray to assist his Los Angeles comrade. The steamy beef came to a head during one drunken night at the club.
Diss tracks: Game's verse on "Chiraq to LA"
Quotables: “I just was looking out for Tyga. He called me, I never even heard of Durk before that. I just went in on somebody I ain’t know. People don’t really wanna beef with me. If it get real, then it’s a problem.”
Reconcilation: Game and Durk squashed their beef over the phone during the 2014 BET Awards weekend and simultaneously tweeted out "Chiraq x L.A."
Yukmouth
The Beef: Luniz emcee Yukmouth claimed The Game was slapped by Suge Knight.
Diss tracks: Numerous. Highlight: The Game's "I Got A Million On It."
Reconciliation: The Game and Yukmouth resolved their conflict with a phone call. As it turns out, Yukmouth's true beef was with Dr. Dre, and Game got caught in the crossfire.
The Beef: Budden called G-Unit "gangsta actors," not knowing that The Game would be rapping on the same song. Game retaliated with a diss track.
Diss tracks: The Game - "Buddens"; Budden - "Game Over"
Reconciliation: The Game invited Budden to perform at his LAX release party. "Me and Game never really had an issue. It was more so a Joe Budden vs. G-Unit thing" - Budden
40 Glocc
The Beef: The Game beat up 40 Glocc in a bush, and posted footage to a unique website, 40GloccGotKTFO.com.
Quotables: "Iphone in my left hand..... Mayweather'n this nigga with my right !!!" - The Game
Aftermath: 40 Glocc sued The Game for $4.54 million in damages. Two years later, Los Angeles judge orders The Game to pay 40G $3,000, citing 40G's “total disregard for the truth."