2005: #7 - "Hate It Or Love It"

On "Hate It or Love It", The Game declares himself "rap's MVP", but he might not even be the most valuable asset in the song. He handles himself admirably, but guest rapper 50 Cent steals the show within 40 seconds, perfectly executing a charismatic verse and booming refrain, and production team Cool & Dre rips one of the smoothest, stuttering soul beats this side of DJ Premier or Erick Sermon circa 1992. After Lloyd Banks shows up to deliver a really sick verse (first lines: "How many of them boys is with you? / When you had that little TV you had to hit on to get a picture"), it becomes clear that, like RZA used to do with The Wu-Tang, all parties involved came with their A-game and forced out the best in each other, the way the best teams often do.