The Game, Red Nation | Controversial Tunes 😈🎶

In the 20^th edition of Controversial Tunes (2023), we explore the controversy behind the song, “Red Nation” by The Game.

Bring on the controversy! Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 is a column that provides background information and insight into songs that raised eyebrows and totally stirred the pot.  The records that grace Controversial Tunes are old and new alike, with all genres of music welcome.  In the 20^th edition of Controversial Tunes (2023), we explore the controversy behind the song, 🎵 “Red Nation” by 🎙 The Game.

“Throw your muthafucking Cincinnati hats in the sky, nigga don’t ask why.” Well, unless you know a substantial amount about gang-related things, you might actually need to ask 🎙 The Game why.  Early on, the rapper represents Bloods on 🎵 “Red Nation”, a highlight from his 2011 album, 💿 The R.E.D. Album.  The Cincinnati hats, specifically Cincinnati Reds hats, represent the gangs color… Of course, there’s another reference to red when The Game asserts, “Made the letter B more famous than a Red Sox fitted.” On this unapologetic cut, The Game enlists the services of 🏆 Grammy-winning rapper, 🎙 Lil Wayne.  “Red Nation” is produced by 🎛 Cool N Dre, who always put in work. Notably, this controversial tune samples 🎵 “Kernkraft 400 (Live Remix)” by 🎙 Zombie Nation. As far as pop success, “Red Nation” did spend one week on the Billboard Hot 100 peaking at no. 62.

Cincinnati and Boston Redsox merchandise aren’t the biggest source of controversy on “Red Nation.”  Throughout the course of the song, the gang references are pronounced. In the first verse, Game drops a Bloods greeting: “Get it? Nah, forget it, Soo Woo I live it.” At the end of the verse, he proclaims, “And stick my red flag in the ground, it’s Red Nation.” As for Lil Wayne, in the chorus, he contributes to the gang content encouraging “Now blood the fuck up,” and, “Blood, I’m a dog, call me a blood hound / Throwin’ blood in the air, leave blood on the ground.” The Game also has more gang references in both the second and third verses.  In the third, he asserts, “Russia got a red flag, US got red stripes,” all the while referencing violence and the Bloods life style. Red is everywhere including the fact The Game “Got my red Dre Beats on, tryna put my peeps on,” and “So many bloods in Compton had to get a NYC song.” The lyrics are the main source of controversy, with The Game citing the Weezy chorus as a big contributing factor in it. Of course, what ended up getting banned by MTV and BET was the music video 🎶📼. Gang references always court censorship, and this stellar, unapologetic rap banger is no different.

🎙 The Game • 💿 The R.E.D. Album • 🏷 DGC / Interscope • 🗓 2011

The Game, Red Nation: Controversial Tunes 😈🎶 No. 20 (2023) [📷: Brent Faulkner / The Musical Hype; DGC / Interscope; Anand Kulkarni, Aykut Bingül, Luân Phan, mohammadreza merhvand via Pexels; Anna, Gordon Taylor, harshahars from Pixabay; christian buehner on Unsplash]