The Rundown: Game, Jesus Piece

A track-by-track look at the Compton rapper's new LP.

The Rundown, Game's Jesus Piece - Despite his name, it's difficult to discern when Game is playing and when he isn't. He's one of rap's biggest provocateurs and most effective trolls, after all. So it was hard to know what to make of the controversial cover to his new album, Jesus Piece. The image, which blended a seeming gang member with a saint, suggests a deep exploration of the lines between good and evil, between religion and real life.  Because Game's never been one for album-length statements, it was easy to think the only one here was "any publicity is good publicity." Which way did Game end up going? A concept or just a product? And more importantly: Does it sound good? Check out this track-by-track rundown of Game's Jesus Piece to find our answers to these questions and more. — Alex Gale    (Photo: Interscope Records)

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The Rundown, Game's Jesus Piece - Despite his name, it's difficult to discern when Game is playing and when he isn't. He's one of rap's biggest provocateurs and most effective trolls, after all. So it was hard to know what to make of the controversial cover to his new album, Jesus Piece. The image, which blended a seeming gang member with a saint, suggests a deep exploration of the lines between good and evil, between religion and real life.  Because Game's never been one for album-length statements, it was easy to think the only one here was "any publicity is good publicity." Which way did Game end up going? A concept or just a product? And more importantly: Does it sound good? Check out this track-by-track rundown of Game's Jesus Piece to find our answers to these questions and more. — Alex Gale    (Photo: Interscope Records)

"Scared Now" feat. Meek Mill - Game launches the album with the appropriately creepy "Scared Now." Frustratingly, the song doesn't at all address the cover's concept, the intersection of religion and street life, but the sparse '80s horror-movie vibe and Game's stoic delivery build to an effectively menacing vibe. The album is filled with guest features, which are sometimes a great addition and sometimes totally needless — Meek Mill's uncharacteristically underwhelming verse here is definitely the latter. (Photos from left: Terrence Jennings/PictureGroup, Theo Wargo/WireImage)

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"Scared Now" feat. Meek Mill - Game launches the album with the appropriately creepy "Scared Now." Frustratingly, the song doesn't at all address the cover's concept, the intersection of religion and street life, but the sparse '80s horror-movie vibe and Game's stoic delivery build to an effectively menacing vibe. The album is filled with guest features, which are sometimes a great addition and sometimes totally needless — Meek Mill's uncharacteristically underwhelming verse here is definitely the latter. (Photos from left: Terrence Jennings/PictureGroup, Theo Wargo/WireImage)

"Ali Bomaye" feat. 2 Chainz and Rick Ross - Another scary beat from Black Metaphor (who also produced the previous track) matches the murderous motives the title suggests with a sped-up soul sample, relentless hi-hats and thumping tuned 808s. 2 Chainz's verse opens the song, but misfires with an offbeat, out-of-place line ("I like clubs where all the women working naked"), and his sense of humor seems superficial compared to the gravitas of the beat and verses from Rick Ross and Game, who ramps up his energy level here. (Photos from left: Mike Yarish/PictureGroup, Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET, C.M. Wiggins/WENN.com)

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"Ali Bomaye" feat. 2 Chainz and Rick Ross - Another scary beat from Black Metaphor (who also produced the previous track) matches the murderous motives the title suggests with a sped-up soul sample, relentless hi-hats and thumping tuned 808s. 2 Chainz's verse opens the song, but misfires with an offbeat, out-of-place line ("I like clubs where all the women working naked"), and his sense of humor seems superficial compared to the gravitas of the beat and verses from Rick Ross and Game, who ramps up his energy level here. (Photos from left: Mike Yarish/PictureGroup, Rick Diamond/Getty Images for BET, C.M. Wiggins/WENN.com)

"Jesus Piece" feat. Kanye West and Common - Game finally begins to explore the conceptual meat-and-potatoes promised on the album cover with the title track. Over a fantastic beat laced with building piano chords and reversed choir samples, Game is at his gravelly best. Kanye West, a master of mixing the profane and holy, assists on the hook, but Common sounds like an afterthought. (Photos from left: WikiCommons, Jo Hale/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

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"Jesus Piece" feat. Kanye West and Common - Game finally begins to explore the conceptual meat-and-potatoes promised on the album cover with the title track. Over a fantastic beat laced with building piano chords and reversed choir samples, Game is at his gravelly best. Kanye West, a master of mixing the profane and holy, assists on the hook, but Common sounds like an afterthought. (Photos from left: WikiCommons, Jo Hale/Getty Images, Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

"Pray" feat. J. Cole and JMSN - We know Game's a big fan of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city, and you can hear the influence here: introspective, intricate rhymes, drums that alter from filtered and woozy to Southern and bouncy, and a sample from an indie alt-rock band, in this case Sleep Party People, looped up by Game's old cohorts Cool & Dre. Kendrick's frequent collaborator J. Cole even clocks in with an impressive verse. It's one of Game's weirdest, most unexpected songs sonically, and one of the album's most memorable. (Photos from left: Jason Merritt/Getty Images, C Flanigan/WireImage, Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Usher's New Look Foundation)

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"Pray" feat. J. Cole and JMSN - We know Game's a big fan of Kendrick Lamar's good kid, m.A.A.d. city, and you can hear the influence here: introspective, intricate rhymes, drums that alter from filtered and woozy to Southern and bouncy, and a sample from an indie alt-rock band, in this case Sleep Party People, looped up by Game's old cohorts Cool & Dre. Kendrick's frequent collaborator J. Cole even clocks in with an impressive verse. It's one of Game's weirdest, most unexpected songs sonically, and one of the album's most memorable. (Photos from left: Jason Merritt/Getty Images, C Flanigan/WireImage, Andrew H. Walker/Getty Images for Usher's New Look Foundation)

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"Church" feat. Trey Songz & King Chip - Game goes the Meek Mill "Amen" route here, bringing the Holy Ghost to the strip club ("church" and "twurk" are rhymed, of course). The song goes along surprisingly smoothly until King Chip (formerly Chip tha Ripper) appears with a lackluster verse, wasting a Trey Songz hook and Game's jokey couplets.   (Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

Champagne for My Real Friends - Compton rapper Game performs an intimate concert at V Bar in Sydney, Australia. The hip hop star reportedly refused to take the stage unless his entourage received complimentary champagne.  (Photo:Robert Wallace/ WENN.com)

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"All That (Lady)" - It sucks to disagree with Dr. Dre, who loves this song, at least according to a recent tweet from Game. But "All That (Lady)" is a lazy, uninspired and overly obvious reinterpretation of D'Angelo's classic "Lady." Jeremih provides the chorus, but the inevitable comparison to the source material doesn't do him any good. Disjointed verses from Lil Wayne and Big Sean don't help matters. (Photo: Robert Wallace/ WENN.com)

Game: "Letter to the King" (2008) - Game recognize real. "I feel the pain of Nelson Mandela / Cause when it rains it pours, I need Rihanna's 'Umbrella.'" (Photo:  Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

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"Heaven's Arms" - Game is hungry on this album, and you can almost hear his stomach growl on "Heaven's Arms," which bounces from sinister to serene. "Part the Red Sea in red Louboutins, who the don? Walk inside the club with all his Gucci on, you’ve been warned. Packing Heat like two LeBrons," Game spits, channeling vintage Esco. (Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

"Name Me King" - Pusha T is no stranger to blending the streets and the spirit (Clipse album names: Lord Willin' and Hell Hath No Fury), and he turns in one of the best guest appearances on the album, complementing Game with his hook before dominating with his own cold-blooded verse. Bicoastal coke-rap at its finest.  (Photos from left: Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images, Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Heineken)

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"Name Me King" - Pusha T is no stranger to blending the streets and the spirit (Clipse album names: Lord Willin' and Hell Hath No Fury), and he turns in one of the best guest appearances on the album, complementing Game with his hook before dominating with his own cold-blooded verse. Bicoastal coke-rap at its finest.  (Photos from left: Stephen Shugerman/Getty Images, Rick Diamond/Getty Images for Heineken)

"See No Evil" feat. Kendrick Lamar and Tank - This song is one convenient measuring stick that shows Game stepped it up for this album. The last time Kendrick Lamar blessed Game with a guest verse, on "The City" from Game's The R.E.D. Album, he rapped circles around him. But here, despite Kendrick getting even more nimble and melodic, Game's confident street knowledge and raspy delivery is the perfect complement to eerie, wide-open production.(Photos from left: FameFlynet, Inc., John Ricard/BET, Atlantic Records)

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"See No Evil" feat. Kendrick Lamar and Tank - This song is one convenient measuring stick that shows Game stepped it up for this album. The last time Kendrick Lamar blessed Game with a guest verse, on "The City" from Game's The R.E.D. Album, he rapped circles around him. But here, despite Kendrick getting even more nimble and melodic, Game's confident street knowledge and raspy delivery is the perfect complement to eerie, wide-open production.(Photos from left: FameFlynet, Inc., John Ricard/BET, Atlantic Records)

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"Can't Get Right" feat. K. Roosevelt - Game repeats himself a bit here. It's another song that deals with the internal struggle against sin. Yes, he's sticking to the topic, but really he's just chewing the same concepts over and over in the same ways. But the focus is a new strength for Game, who in the past has often leaned on nonsensical name-dropping, and the dramatic beat, punctuated by reversed vocal samples that favor Kanye West's "Power," keeps him even more in line.  (Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

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"Can't Get Right" feat. K. Roosevelt - Game repeats himself a bit here. It's another song that deals with the internal struggle against sin. Yes, he's sticking to the topic, but really he's just chewing the same concepts over and over in the same ways. But the focus is a new strength for Game, who in the past has often leaned on nonsensical name-dropping, and the dramatic beat, punctuated by reversed vocal samples that favor Kanye West's "Power," keeps him even more in line.  (Photo: Amanda Edwards/Getty Images)

"Hallejulah" feat. Jamie Foxx - Producer Jake One channels Kanye West's College Dropout sonically here, which is fitting since "Jesus Walks" is the most obvious conceptual predecessor to the album's reconciling of rap and religion. There are the Sunday piano chords, a gospel choir sample and even Jamie Foxx over-singing. But, like on Kanye's debut, it all works together here, an album highlight for Game. (Photos from left: Jemal Countess/Getty Images, Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

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"Hallejulah" feat. Jamie Foxx - Producer Jake One channels Kanye West's College Dropout sonically here, which is fitting since "Jesus Walks" is the most obvious conceptual predecessor to the album's reconciling of rap and religion. There are the Sunday piano chords, a gospel choir sample and even Jamie Foxx over-singing. But, like on Kanye's debut, it all works together here, an album highlight for Game. (Photos from left: Jemal Countess/Getty Images, Christopher Polk/Getty Images)

"Freedom" feat. Elijah Blake - Game's ear for beats that sound like early Kanye West betrays itself again with this song's chipmunk soul beat. He can't quite keep up with the quick tempo, and the rhymes have nothing to do with the album's concept, but it's a needed breather after all the spiritual sturm and drang that preceded it. (Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

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"Freedom" feat. Elijah Blake - Game's ear for beats that sound like early Kanye West betrays itself again with this song's chipmunk soul beat. He can't quite keep up with the quick tempo, and the rhymes have nothing to do with the album's concept, but it's a needed breather after all the spiritual sturm and drang that preceded it. (Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

"Celebration" feat. Lil Wayne, Tyga, Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa - Game totally loses sight of the album's lofty goal with this obvious radio single, the album's biggest mistep. The beat, Game's singsongy verse and Wiz Khalifa's and Chris Brown's contributions have a warm-and-fuzzy, mid-'90s, Bone Thugs-meets-Skee-Lo comfort to them, but Tyga's pop-oriented verse takes it too far, moving the song from harmless, feel-good guilty pleasure to pure cheese. (Photos: Adrian Sidney/PictureGroup)

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"Celebration" feat. Lil Wayne, Tyga, Chris Brown and Wiz Khalifa - Game totally loses sight of the album's lofty goal with this obvious radio single, the album's biggest mistep. The beat, Game's singsongy verse and Wiz Khalifa's and Chris Brown's contributions have a warm-and-fuzzy, mid-'90s, Bone Thugs-meets-Skee-Lo comfort to them, but Tyga's pop-oriented verse takes it too far, moving the song from harmless, feel-good guilty pleasure to pure cheese. (Photos: Adrian Sidney/PictureGroup)

"I Remember" feat. Future and Young Jeezy - Game falls a little further off track here. This song could've been a decent mixtape track, but doesn't fit in either sonically or conceptually with Jesus Piece. Future's drunken verse entertains, but the beat sounds like another Lex Luger knock-off. Even Game is bored, or at least he rhymes like it. (Photos from left: REUTERS /ALEX GALLARDO /LANDOV, John Ricard/BET, Porton/PictureGroup)

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"I Remember" feat. Future and Young Jeezy - Game falls a little further off track here. This song could've been a decent mixtape track, but doesn't fit in either sonically or conceptually with Jesus Piece. Future's drunken verse entertains, but the beat sounds like another Lex Luger knock-off. Even Game is bored, or at least he rhymes like it. (Photos from left: REUTERS /ALEX GALLARDO /LANDOV, John Ricard/BET, Porton/PictureGroup)

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"Blood Diamonds" - Game finally remembers his somewhat muddled mission here. Though religion isn't the focus, there's again the struggle between right and wrong (here it's the violence that often comes with materialism), and yet another moody beat anchored by a cool vocal sample. Still, Game's clunky word repeating and occasional nonsense can be frustrating: "John Wilkes Boothe killed Lincoln, and you thought he freed slaves, what the f--k was you thinkin’? N---a f--k Lincoln. I’m rolling up kush in my Lincoln," he raps.     (Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

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"Blood Diamonds" - Game finally remembers his somewhat muddled mission here. Though religion isn't the focus, there's again the struggle between right and wrong (here it's the violence that often comes with materialism), and yet another moody beat anchored by a cool vocal sample. Still, Game's clunky word repeating and occasional nonsense can be frustrating: "John Wilkes Boothe killed Lincoln, and you thought he freed slaves, what the f--k was you thinkin’? N---a f--k Lincoln. I’m rolling up kush in my Lincoln," he raps.     (Photo: Peter Kramer/Getty Images)

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"Dead People" - "Dead People" is the first time Dr. Dre's produced a song for Game since his 2005 debut, The Documentary. It's strange that such a potentially big moment is tucked away as a bonus track — especially because the song is great. Like on "Blood Diamonds," Game links violence and materialism: The "Dead People" are both the presidents on dollar bills and the bodies left in their wake. The soft delivery perfectly matches Dre's paranoid production, which recalls the spooky piano tinkles of "Murder Ink" from his 2001 album. Yes, it's strange, and somewhat of a letdown that the religious loose ends explored throughout the bulk of the album are left hanging so blatantly unanswered. But sonically, Game once again shows off his expert ear for beat selection. And rhyme-wise, he actually managed to improve over his last outing — n...