Today, January 18th in the year 2005, The Game released his debut album The Documentary and entered the mainstream Rap game with a bang. The album was released jointly by Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records and Interscope Records.
The album, which featured production from the likes of Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Hi-Tek, Timbaland, Kanye West and others, is definitely regarded as a “classic” in its truest meaning by music fans.
The Documentary celebrates its 12th anniversary today and to mark the day, Game posted a long caption on his Instagram about the album. He thanks the two main people behind the project — Dr. Dre and former rival 50 Cent, and talks about its impact on the West Coast as well as Rap music in general.
12 years ago today I dropped my 1st album. An album that would go on to sell 10 million copies worldwide & reshape my city & coast…. I’m forever in debt to @DrDre for believing in my dream… [YOU] my fans for the support then & the ones that are still going hard for me at this very moment…. ain’t no ME without YOU ! @50cent for helping push it through the final stages…. my brother @BigFase100 & @ComptonGRide for helping birth what the world would know as #TheBlackWallStreet & last but not least… my son @hvrlemtaylor for being the motivation behind everything I put into this album. Without the birth of my 1st son, I wouldn’t have ever had the fire inside me to be anything other than dead. Before him, I didn’t give a fuck about who’s life I took or who would take mine…. all I knew was #Compton…. & I figured I’d end up shot dead in the streets over gangbangin just because that is the mentality of a young African-American male coming from where I come from…… When I came out, it was just me, @SnoopDogg, @xzibit & @tyrese representing #LosAngeles on a worldwide scale in music & #TheDocumentary changed the way hip hop fans/critics viewed #WestCoast rap niggas….. after this album, they had to respect us for more than just gangsta rap, but for being lyricists as well…… from @IceCube to @KendrickLamar, we have flourished as a rap culture…. I can remember being at my grandmothers house listening to @Nas’s albums & perfecting my flow & the pocket listening to @2pac gave me the style & confidence to enter & win every freestyle battle I entered until I met #JTTheBiggaFigga & recorded my demo. The rest is history & this is my acknowledgement to my fans, family & all those who believed in & supported me the past 12 years…. #Happy12thBday #TheDocumentary