''Game Time'' is the second studio album by American rapper

Lil' Romeo Percy Romeo Miller (born August 19, 1989), also known by his stage name Romeo (formerly Lil' Romeo), is an American rapper, actor, and television personality. He gained fame as a rapper in the early 2000s after signing with No Limit Records, the ...

. It was released on December 17, 2002 on The New No Limit and

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch–American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

. The album peaked at number 33 on the ''Billboard'' 200 and had first week sales of 93,000 copies.

Critical reception

Dan LeRoy from

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databa ...

found the album "overlong and musically malnourished" with its track listing and overuse of lazy sampling but gave credit to Romeo's charm on songs like "True Love" and "2-Way", concluding that he should follow in the footsteps of

Will Smith Willard Carroll Smith II (born September 25, 1968), also known by his stage name The Fresh Prince, is an American actor and rapper. He began his acting career starring as a fictionalized version of himself on the NBC sitcom '' The Fresh ...

and go into acting instead.

Jon Caramanica Jon Caramanica (born 1975) is an American journalist and pop music critic who writes for ''The New York Times''. He is also known for writing about hip hop music. Biography Born in Brooklyn, New York, Caramanica received his bachelor's degree ...

, writing for ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

'', said that ''Game Time'' "doesn't have much to recommend it, but if nothing else, Romeo has got his target demo on lock." Robert Ford of ''

Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular cu ...

'' felt throughout the album that "an overabundance of samples and fluff, not to mention unskilled flow, proves Romeo is still lil’ league."

Track listing

;Sample credits * "Too Long" contains a sample of "

I Wanna Be Where You Are "I Wanna Be Where You Are" is a song written by Arthur "T-Boy" Ross and Leon Ware for Michael Jackson, who took the song to number 7 in ''Cash Box'' and number 16 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 pop chart. It also reached number 2 on the ''Billboard ...

" by

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

* "True Love" contains a sample of "So Amazing" by Luther Vandross * "Girlfriend and Boyfriend" contains a sample of " Friends" by

Whodini Whodini is an American hip hop group that was formed in 1982. The Brooklyn, New York-based trio consisted of vocalist and main lyricist Jalil Hutchins; co-vocalist John Fletcher, a.k.a. Ecstasy (who wore a Zorro-style hat as his trademark; J ...

* "Wanna Grow Up" contains a sample of "I Won't Grow Up" from the musical ''

Peter Pan Peter Pan is a fictional character created by Scottish novelist and playwright J. M. Barrie. A free-spirited and mischievous young boy who can fly and never grows up, Peter Pan spends his never-ending childhood having adventures on the mythi ...

'' * "Still Be There" contains a sample of "Young Love" by

Teena Marie Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, arranger, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before taking the sta ...

* "Richie Rich" contains a sample of "I Got It Made" by Special Ed * "Make You Dance" contains samples of "

Angel of the Morning "Angel of the Morning" is a popular song written by Chip Taylor, originally recorded by Evie Sands, but first charting by Merrilee Rush. The song has been covered by many artists including P. P. Arnold, Connie Eaton, Mary Mason, Guys 'n' ...

" by

Chip Taylor Chip Taylor (born James Wesley Voight; March 21, 1940) is an American songwriter and singer noted for writing " Angel of the Morning" and " Wild Thing". Early life Taylor was born on March 21, 1940, in Yonkers, New York. He is the brother of ...

and "

That's the Way (I Like It) "That's the Way (I Like It)" is a song by American disco and funk band KC and the Sunshine Band from their self-titled second studio album (1975). The single became the band's second No. 1 hit in the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, and it is one of th ...

" by KC and the Sunshine Band * "2-Way" contains samples of "

Think (About It) "Think (About It)" is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown (who also wrote the song) and features instrumental backing from his band The J.B.'s ...

" performed by

Lyn Collins Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s and for the influential 1972 funk single, " Think (About It)". A favorite ...

and " It Takes Two" by

Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock were an American hip hop duo from Harlem, New York City. Rob Base is the stage name of Robert Ginyard (b. 1967) and DJ E-Z Rock was Rodney "Skip" Bryce (1967–2014). They are best known for the 1988 hit " It Takes Two", ...

* "We Can Make It Right" contains a sample of "

It's the Hard Knock Life "It's the Hard Knock Life" is a song from the musical '' Annie'' with music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin. The song is sung by the eponymous protagonist, together with her fellow orphan girls, and is about how the girls are treat ...

" from the musical ''

Annie Annie may refer to: People and fictional characters * Annie (given name), a given name and a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Annie (actress) (born 1975), Indian actress * Annie (singer) (born 1977), Norwegian singer The ...

Personnel

Adapted from the liner notes of ''Game Time''. *Myke Diesel – engineering, mixing (tracks 1, 2, 4-7, 11, 16, 19) *The Beat Boyz – engineering, mixing (tracks 3, 9, 13, 14), background vocals (track 13) *Carlos Stephens – engineering, mixing (tracks 8, 12, 15) *Anthony President – engineering, mixing (track 18) *Branz Dimilo – engineering, mixing (track 18) *

Bernie Grundman Bernie Grundman is an American audio engineer. He is most known for his mastering work and his studio, Bernie Grundman Mastering, which he opened in 1984 in Hollywood. The studio, which includes engineers Chris Bellman, Patricia Sullivan, and Mi ...

– mastering *Chris Bellman – mastering *Robin Hill – sample clearance services *Tim Alexander – photos

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

2002 albums No Limit Records albums Romeo Miller albums Universal Records albums {{2002-hiphop-album-stub