The Game & Dr. Dre Sparked A New Era On “Westside Story”

Sixteen years ago, Compton rapper The Game inked a deal with Dr. Dre’s Aftermath label, beginning work on the project that would eventually become The Documentary. Released on this day sixteen years ago, Game’s debut album is widely hailed as a classic, boasting several bangers from Dr. Dre, who laced five of the album’s eighteen tracks. One such track was the album’s lead single “Westside Story,” a worthy introduction to everything the young lyricist stood for. Which is to say, representing Compton to the fullest, spitting premium gangsta rap bars, and namedropping to his heart’s content. 

Behind the boards, Dr. Dre holds it down with a typically minor-key piano banger, over which Game wastes little time in setting a menacing tone. “Gangbanging is real, homie, I’m living proof, Like Snoop Dogg C-walking on top of the Devil’s roof,” he spits. “Rap critics wanna converse about this and that, cause red strings in his Converse and this a Dre track.” While some may have since turned on the Compton legend, it’s impossible to deny that “Westside Story” remains a banger to this day, one that stands as a worthy anthem to the west coast’s storied history. Even sixteen years later, the masterful chemistry between Dre and Game still shines, capturing an era that many still hold in high esteem. 

QUOTABLE LYRICS

Gangbanging is real, homie, I’m living proof
Like Snoop Dogg C-walking on top of the Devil’s roof
Rap critics wanna converse about this and that
Cause red strings in his Converse, and this a Dre track