The Game Addresses Criticism That He Name-Drops Too Much

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Rapper The Game attends Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers pre-season basketball game at Staples Center October 19, 2015 in Los Angeles, California.
The Game says there are 377 name drops on his latest album.

The Game is undoubtedly a legend in rap but his career hasn't gone without its fair share of criticism. Though these days, he faces criticism for his bold and seemingly exaggerated statements in interviews, a common flaw that fans point out is that he name-drops too much. Whether it's celebrity friends like Kanye West or legends like Eminem, it got to the point that fans actually analyzed his projects to determine the exact number of times he mentions other artists or celebrities.

Rapper The Game arrives at the 11th Annual BMI Urban Awards on August 26, 2011 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Valerie Macon/Getty Images)

During his recent interview on Rap Radar, B. Dot and Elliott Wilson got the scoop on The Game's reaction to this criticism. The Compton rapper explained that he nearly added a disclaimed to his latest album, Drillmatic, for the number of name drops he had on the 30-song project.  

"One thing I forgot to do on the album when I put out the tracklisting, I was literally going to count the name drops myself and put a disclaimer, like, 'Just so you know, there are 377 name drops on this album," he said.

He explained that he's not the first rapper in the history of hip-hop to name drop, though he might be the most obvious about it.

"Before I came, n***as wasn't doing it in the space that they are now but everyone name drops. It's wordplay, it's lyricism, it's metaphors, and everybody has adapted to it. I'm the one that gets all the flak for it but I love it. Like, I be saying n***as names. I want you to know exactly what I'm talking about, right?"

Check the clip below. 



About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
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