S. Samuel
West Coast rapper Game recently opened up about his issues with Jay-Z and revealed a bad first encounter years ago ultimately sparked his war of words toward the rap mogul.
Game said Jay’s cockiness ultimately killed his initial views and assumptions of him.
“I had it like that he was just a great dude. I grew up off of all Jay’s albums, and when I finally met him and he was just, I don’t know, he was overly cocky,” Game explained in an interview. “The way that he played fans – and I’m not saying it to say he’s the same person now, that was like seven years ago – this is my own personal experience, so it’s not to make anyone hate Jay-Z. It turned me left. Ever since then, I’ve been taking little potshots here and there, it’s nothing personal.” (Jam N 945)
Last week, Game said Jay’s catchy name made it easy to use on songs.
“‘Jay’ rhymes with a lot of words,” Game said in an interview. “So whenever you’re writing, it always pops in somehow or another. I shoot shots in the dark sometimes, but they ain’t to be taken personal…Certain people you know that ain’t gonna respond — I don’t think Hov is gonna respond, and if he does, it’ll be another shot in the dark subliminally or indirect, and I think that’s cool because Hov is a legend.” (MTV)
On the new “Uncle Otis” record, Game goes after Jay’s neck and also warns Kanye West about working with him.
“Here’s a dome shot to this n*gga named Otis/ N*ggas think they the coldest, but n*gga you just the oldest/ N*ggas just be chasin’ their youth, but it’s gone/ Yo ‘Ye this n*gga ain’t even wanna put you on.” (“Uncle Otis”)
Last summer, coincidentally, Game credited producer/rapper Pharrell for encouraging him to lay off dissing Jay-Z on records.
“Pharrell man, Pharrell pulled me to the side and he was like, ‘There’s only one thing that can’t happen,’ he said, ‘you gotta stop those shots at Hov. Like, that’s my man and I talk to him and he really don’t understand your gripe with him, he don’t have no problems with you, and I think he respects what you do and I know for a fact that you respect what he does so, you know, nip that.’ And I was like, aight, that’s fair. All’s fair, that’s it.” (Power 105.1)
Check out Game’s interview below:
