The Game has boldly declared himself the undisputed king of West Coast hip-hop, insisting that no rapper—past or present—ranks above him on the region’s all-time list, TMZ reports.
Speaking during an appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s Club Shay Shay, the Compton rapper said he belongs at the very top of any conversation about West Coast greats, ahead of fellow heavyweights such as Kendrick Lamar, Snoop Dogg, Ice Cube and YG.
According to TMZ, The Game made the claim without hesitation, stating that his body of work, beginning with his landmark album The Documentary, places him firmly at the pinnacle of the region’s rap legacy.
He argued that studying legends like Ice Cube and Snoop helped him shape his own classics, and that he witnessed the rise of Kendrick Lamar firsthand, even participating in the symbolic “torch-passing” as K. Dot’s career took off.
Fresh from releasing his Gangsta Grillz mixtape, The Game dismissed any suggestion that his comments were hostile, saying confidence is part of West Coast DNA.
TMZ notes that he’s not alone in that belief. Fellow Los Angeles rapper Glasses Malone backed him up, saying West Coast artists are raised to carry that level of self-assurance — and that without it, “you’re not gonna make it.”
