1st Assignment

Hello everybody,

your first assignment is to analyze the lyrics of a song. I chose the censored version of "My Life" by The Game and Lil Wayne. I want you to watch the video and tell me what you think the song is about, and what was most effective.

Assignment:

In a minimum of a page (in your journal), tell me what you took from this song. What is The Game trying to say to his audience? What do you think the song is about? What was effective in proving his points? I don't want broad answers. Provide textual (lyrical) evidence, which means, refer to the lyrics to back up your points.

Also, you can pick a particular verse you want to focus on. You don’t have to tackle the whole song. Be specific, so it might be best to only talk about a few lines.

Example: I think The Game is making himself into a Christ figure. This song is his sermon on music saving the black community. He says: “I'm from a Windy City, from a block close to where Biggie was crucified. That was Brooklyn's Jesus,shot for no reason, and you wonder why Kanye wears Jesus pieces? 'Cause that's Jesus people, And Game, he's the equal.” Game thinks Biggie was Brooklyn’s Savior, and he is picking up where Biggie left off (he’s the equal). People need someone to look to and he thinks he's the one. That's the reason he "grind[s] till [he's] tired" becasue he's "looking to find a way through the day, a light for the night," and he thinks if he works hard enough, he can be that light for everyone. He mentions a lot of entrepaneurs, people that paved the way: "Kurt Cobain, Rockafella, Lennon" and he wants to be like them. Maybe that's the reason God hasn't taken his life.

Extra Credit: The Game makes a lot of references to famous people in this song. Identify them, and tell me why he mentions them.