The Game is from the birthplace of Gangsta' Rap, Compton, CA. But this is a new, different Westside story, one that joins with the Eastside while paying respects to rap's hardcore pioneers of the '80s, NWA. The Game, a former gangbanger who turned to rap after being shot five times and left for dead, is about peace not war.

"Everybody's rapping but they're not saying anything. NWA, Biggie, 2Pac, Snoop and Jay-Z all had something to say then Biggie, Pac and Eazy died and it was devastating. We almost let rap die until the Great White Hype (Eminem) saved hip-hop and 50 dropped the gangsta wake-up call. I feel like it's my turn now and I can fill the shoes." says the 24-year-old with a tattoo of NWA's Eazy-E on his right forearm.

What all three have in common is the guiding hand of Dr. Dre, Compton's own and one of the founding members of NWA. "The best moment I've had in rap was walking into his studio in 2002 and Dre saying he heard a mix tape of my freestyles and wanted to sign me," says Game. Game's beloved grandmother nicknamed him Game because he was always game for anything — basketball, running track, riding bikes, playing in the streets.

His sole regret is that his grandmother — the only person who ever believed he could make it out — passed away before she could see his success not just in rap but in life. In summer 2003, Game became a father for the first time with son Harlem Caron Taylor. He says the best moment he's ever experienced was watching his son's mother give birth. There's more than anger in this next generation NWA. There's pride and even optimism for the future. "I gave all I could to this album, it's me. Enjoy it because it's the last time I'm living it. As humans we grow and the next album will be about how I'm living now — and I'm loving life." The Game has only just begun.