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  • Songs for the 2005 Mixtape: The Game’s “The Documentary”

    The Documentary, The Game

    2005 represented rapper 50 Cent at the height of his powers, capable of blessing an artist as a member of G-Unit and also dismissing them on a whim. The Game was a high profile member of the crew even before the release of his debut album, The Documentary. 50 Cent featured on three of the tracks, all of which were singles.

    One of these, “How We Do” is an iconic representation of mid-aughts hip-hop. A club anthem employing that playful tinker and kick drum sound, MTV would abuse the instrumental to signify that one of its on-screen personalities was reveling in opulence.

    One of the non-50 singles was “Dreams,” produced with pre-Nazi Kanye West. The song samples “No Money Down” by Jerry Butler and is explicitly pro-black, with allusions to MLK Jr. as well as several black artists who passed away early, including Aaliyah and Lisa Lopes. It speaks to The Game’s aspirations to be an important voice not only for West Coast rap, but for all the black experience in hip hop.

    But I think the one with the best shot to end up on the mixtape is “Hate It Or Love It,” another single featuring 50 Cent. This one samples “Rubber Band” by the Trammps and was produced by the duo Cool & Dre with Dr. Dre (no relation) doing additional production. This one is a cruising anthem, showcasing both 50 and The Game’s abilities against a genius interpolation. I don’t remember what school project I used it for, but I remember feeding the music video into some sort of project.

    Sadly, 50 Cent’s and The Game’s creative collaborations would not be long for the world. Shortly after the success of The Documentary, there were disputes over how much 50 Cent collaborated to writing the songs on the album. The Game was booted from G-Unit and would go on to have a full-on feud with its members. The beef with 50 Cent continues into this decade, with them trading barbs on social media.

    So we’ll pick “Hate It Or Love It” as a candidate for the 2005 mixtape as a tribute to old friendships.

  • My Review of American Fiction

    American Fiction is an engaging piece of work that walks a tightrope to get to its destination. If it falls from that tightrope, it could land for people as something of a toothless satire lugging around Oscar bait-y elements of familial conflict and generational trauma. Or it could land as an overly cynical rejection of progressive discourse that is disinterested in providing a remedy and merely sneering at society. Luckily, I think Cord Jefferson’s intent will ultimately work on audiences, even if you have to reflect on how the movie’s two distinct halves are in conversation with each other.

    Jeffrey Wright earns his accolades in portraying Theolonius “Monk” Ellison, a writer wielding his aversion to identity politics like a shield that protects him from having to interrogate his origins and his place in the world. Jefferson’s screenplay creates several laugh-out-loud moments when Monk observes the racist cynicism of the publishing industry and attempts to create something vile out of spite.

    The key to my enjoyment of the movie was my belief that even the things we participate ironically are imbued with our talents and have something to say about ourselves. So there’s a great scene in the movie where Monk is writing a send-up of something like “Push” by Sapphire and inadvertently ends up writing a reflection of his relationship with his deceased father as well as lifting the floorboards on a universal structure.

    Sterling K. Brown is possibly the acting MVP here, as he has to both deliver some great jokes, while also producing the dialogue that will help unlock this entire movie. Closeted and yet still rejected by his father, Sterling’s Cliff Ellison has to come to terms with being accepted for who he is. In a very important gesture by someone close to him and Monk, he comes to understand what is actually plaguing himself and Monk.

    American Fiction is not just a send-up of modern racism in the publishing and film industry. It’s ultimately a hopeful story, but one that is honest about the fact that you don’t just magically earn a catharsis when you originate from spite, envy, and malice. Your mileage will vary on whether the team manages to balance the family story with the industry satire to your satisfaction, but as far as a directorial debut, it’s refreshing work and one that I would be happy to see win best adapted screenplay.

    (Also, “Plantation Annihilation” is making fun of all of us who praised “Django Unchained”)

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