"He was out there, helping them firefighters" - Netizens divided as Compton mayor honors The Game during Black History Month event

Rapper The Game a.k.a. Jayceon Terrell Taylor was recently honored by the City of Compton during a Black History Month event held at the Dollarhide Center on Saturday, February 22, 2025. The honor recognized Taylor's influence on the city's music and the Compton community as a whole.

In a statement shared on Instagram, the rapper expressed his gratitude, adding:

"Being able to come back to the city that raised me, use my platform & help in any form is truly a blessing. Thank you, not only to the city of Compton... but to the people of the city of Compton."

As news of the development spread, internet users were quick to react. One referencing The Game's recent fire relief efforts during the LA wildfires wrote:

"They call him corny, but he was out there, helping them firefighters."

A comment reacting to the news (Image via Instagram/ @theshaderoom)

Many celebrated the occasion, noting that the rapper did a lot for the community and deserved the recognition. Here are some comments seen under @thehaderoom's post on X:

Comments reacting to the news (Image via Instagram/ @theshaderoom)

Some were critical, stating there were other people more deserving of the honor.

Comments reacting to the news (Image via Instagram/ @theshaderoom)

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The Game was faced with backlash for seemingly supporting Drake during the latter's rap beef with Compton rapper Kendrick Lamar

The Game hails from Compton and began his rap career working under fellow West Coast rapper JT the Bigga Figga.

Following a series of mixtapes and a debut album, Untold Story (2004), record producer Dr. Dre discovered him, signing him to his label, Aftermath Records.

His debut major-label project, The Documentary (2005), earned him fame. It peaked atop the Billboard 200. Some of his other works include Doctor's Advocate (2006), LAX (2008), The R.E.D. Album (2010), and 1992 (2016).

Last year, Drake and K. Dot were involved in a rap beef, with each dropping diss track after another targeting the other's career and personal lives.

Amid the feud, The Game took to his Instagram (in April 2024) to share a video of him listening to Drizzy’s 2015 song Energy, with a caption featuring a line from the song:

"I got rap n***as that I gotta act like I like."

According to an April 2024 article by Hip Ho DX, his fans were not happy, and many criticized him for going against Compton and betraying the West Coast.

When Lamar held his star-studded Pop Out concert in June, The Game was surprisingly absent, bolstering rumors of the rapper choosing Drake. At the time, Taylor hopped onto Instagram Live to address the claims. He began:

"When the f**k you heard me say a motherf**kin’ thing about who I’m sidin’ with and this and that? I be in my own lane chilling, n***a, taking care of my kids, out the f**king way"

He claimed that the industry played a part in him not attending the concert, before praising Kendrick and his impact on West Coast hip-hop. The Game continued:

"As far as my relationship with Drake, Drake is my brother, n***a," adding "I’m a father first, and my loyalty is with motherf**kers that’s loyal to me."

Taylor has collaborated with Drake on tracks like 100 and Good Girls Go Bad and worked with Kendrick on songs like The City, On Me, and See No Evil.

Notably, he, along with Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg, and others, passed the metaphorical torch of West Coast hip hop to Lamar during a 2011 show.

In an interview with HipHopDX in 2022, The Game praised both Kendrick and Drake and their respective talents.