The Game’s new single “Don’t Shoot” is a dedication and response to the murder of Michael Brown, a news story the rapper has some strong feelings about. And he’s not alone in this feeling, as he discussed with the Hot Afternoon Crew.
“Don’t Shoot” features artists like Rick Ross, 2 Chainz, Diddy, Fabolous, Wale, DJ Khaled, Swizz Beatz, Yo Gotti, Curren$y, Problem, King Pharaoh & TGT, each contributing their own thoughts and reaction to the violence in Ferguson, MO. But while each artist’s voice comes through loud and clear, it was The Game who put this project together, and he started working almost as soon as he heard news about what was happening in Ferguson.
“One thing came to my mind when I heard about what had happened… I remember when I was young, we had so many deaths going around in Compton. So we had this ‘We’re All in the Same Gang’ song, and I thought, I can do this. I’ve got a lot of cool relationships with people, I think I can reach out to every artist I know and see if they’ll be a part of this song,” he said. “I wanted to make it to where you guys would still play it on the radio, but get enough people on it so it was impactful, and it looked like we’re a group, doing it and representing hip-hop.”
Even for an artist as big as The Game, rounding up this impressive crew for features took some hustle. But Game knew where to start, and everything else fell into place quickly. “I reached out to Diddy first, because that’s like my big brother. Him being a mentor and a mogul and the direction of where I wanted to go with the song, I slid it past him,” he recalled. “Once he okayed it, I hit Rozay and I hit Wale, and 2 Chainz and Yo Gotti. I was in the studio with Currensy and asked him if he wanted to be a part of it, and he was like ‘Hell yes.’ It just came together organically.”
“I put that song together in three days,” he continued. “Everybody I asked to do it just turned it around and I couldn’t wait to put it out for the world to hear it.”
Game is incredibly proud of the song, and he feels it does a good job of conveying the variety of thoughts, feelings and responses we’ve all had to the death of Michael Brown and Ferguson. “Luckily, nobody really spit a verse I was ashamed to put on there, or went crazy,” Game said. “The only person who was a rebel for the cause was Problem, but I think even his view was needed, because some people do feel angry and want to protest and do things…It’s mixed emotions, so I’m definitely glad I was able to get different minds and different voices on there from different areas throughout America to bring awareness to what’s going on.”
Still, the rapper knows that no one song will be enough to end the terrible cycle of violence in the world. But “Don’t Shoot” can at least be a rallying cry, to keep people ready for the next incident ahead of time. “This is an ongoing thing, and it’s going to take more than a song or a t-shirt or an Instagram post to stop it,” the rapper said. “I don’t know what’s going to stop it, I was just trying to do my part in the positivity of the situation.”
“Anytime someone raises their hands, that means they’re at ease and they’re under your command. When you’re an officer of the law and you’re trained and you go to this Police Academy, they tell you in what situations you are to pull your gun out and aim your weapon,” Game continued. “To let your index finger pull your trigger on anyone, not even just Mike Brown or a kid, but anyone who has their hands up, gracefully bowing out like they don’t want no problems and no drama, whatever it is [they did] they’ve been called for it and their hands are up. What goes through the officer’s mind, from the point where you pull the trigger until you’ve murdered Mike Brown. What happens? Where does ‘protect and serve’ get lost in translation? I can’t figure that out for the life of me.”
All the proceeds for “Don’t Shoot” will go towards Michael Brown’s Go Fund Me fund. Check out the interview below.
