The Documentary

The Documentary
Studio album by the Game
Released	January 18, 2005 (2005-01-18)
Recorded	2003–2004
Genre	West Coast hip hop gangsta rap
Length	69:57
Label	Aftermath G-Unit Interscope
Producer	50 Cent (exec.) Dr. Dre (also exec.) Buckwild Che Vicious Cool & Dre Danja Eminem Focus... Havoc Hi-Tek Jeff Bhasker Jeff Reed Just Blaze Kanye West Luis Resto Mark Batson Mike Elizondo Needlz Scott Storch Timbaland
The Game chronology
Untold Story (2004) The Documentary (2005) Doctor's Advocate (2006)
Alternate cover
Special edition cover
Singles from The Documentary
"Westside Story" Released: September 7, 2004 "How We Do" Released: November 23, 2004 "Hate It or Love It" Released: January 28, 2005 "Higher" Released: March 15, 2005 "Dreams" Released: June 7, 2005 "Put You on the Game" Released: August 30, 2005

The Documentary is the commercial debut studio album by American rapper the Game. It was released on January 18, 2005, by Aftermath Entertainment, G-Unit Records, and Interscope Records. The record serves as his major-label debut, preceded by his independently released debut Untold Story in 2004. In 2001, while the Game was in hospital recovering from a shooting, he decided to pursue a career in music. He released the mixtape, "Q.B. 2 Compton" under his then record label "Get Low Recordz" in 2002, which was later discovered by Dr. Dre and led to him signing the Game to his label, Aftermath Entertainment. The album includes production from high-profile producers such as Dr. Dre, Kanye West, Scott Storch and Timbaland, among others, and guest appearances from 50 Cent, Eminem, Nate Dogg and Faith Evans, among others. This would be the Game's only album on Aftermath and G-Unit Records, as he left the label later in 2006 after a feud began between him and fellow G-Unit label-mate 50 Cent.

The Documentary debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling 586,000 units in its first week. In March 2005, the Recording Industry Association of America certified the album double Platinum, and by November 2005 the album sold 2.5 million copies in the U.S. The Documentary received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the album's production. It is also often debated by critics between itself and Doctor's Advocate as Game's best album. Since the album's release, the Game was credited as a "driving force" in reviving the once-dominant West Coast hip hop scene that had since been overshadowed by artists from the East, Midwest and South during the early 2000s. The Documentary remains the Game's best-selling album to date. On June 16, 2014, the Game announced a sequel to the album, The Documentary 2, which was released on October 9, 2015, followed by the release of The Documentary 2.5 a week later.