"Wouldn't Get Far" is a song by American rapper the Game, released by

Geffen Records Geffen Records (formerly The David Geffen Company from 1980 to 1992 and Geffen Records Inc. from 1993 to 2004) is an American record label, founded in late 1980 by David Geffen. Originally a music subsidiary of the company known as Geffen Pi ...

on January 23, 2007 as the third single from his second studio

album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

, ''

Doctor's Advocate ''Doctor's Advocate'' is the second studio album by American hip hop recording artist the Game, released on November 14, 2006, through Geffen Records. The album is his second major-label release, following 2005's ''The Documentary'', which was ...

''. The song, produced by and featuring

Kanye West Ye ( ; born Kanye Omari West ; June 8, 1977) is an American rapper, singer and record producer. One of the most prominent figures in hip-hop, he is known for his varying musical style and polarizing cultural and political commentary. After ...

, finds the Game criticizing, by both name and alias, up-and-coming and established

video vixen A video vixen (also referred to as a hip hop honey or video girl) is a woman who models and appears in hip hop-oriented music videos. The concept peaked in popularity from the 1990s to the early 2010s. Story, Kaila A. "Performing Venus-From Hot ...

s. "Wouldn't Get Far" peaked at number 64 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 chart and reached numbers 11 and 26 on the ''Billboard''

Hot Rap Songs Hot Rap Songs (formerly known as Hot Rap Tracks and Hot Rap Singles) is a chart released weekly by '' Billboard'' in the United States. It lists the 25 most popular hip-hop/rap songs, calculated weekly by airplay on rhythmic and urban radio stat ...

and

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

charts, respectively.

Background

In 2007, producer and guest performer Kanye West revealed that the beat for the song was originally intended for

Common Common may refer to: As an Irish surname, it is anglicised from Irish Gaelic surname Ó Comáin. Places * Common, a townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland * Boston Common, a central public park in Boston, Massachusetts * Cambridge Com ...

, and if the Game had turned it down, West would have used it for himself.

Composition

In the song, The Game mentions and criticizes, by both name and alias, many up-and coming and established video vixens, models, and actresses. The women addressed include Karrine Steffans, Vida Guerra,

Meagan Good Meagan Monique Good (born August 8, 1981) is an American actress and model. She first gained critical attention for her role in the film '' Eve's Bayou'' (1997) prior to landing the role of Nina in the Nickelodeon sitcom '' Cousin Skeeter'' (199 ...

Gabrielle Union Gabrielle Monique Union-Wade ( Union; born October 29, 1972) is an American actress. Her career began in the 1990s, when she made dozens of appearances on television sitcoms, prior to landing supporting roles in 1999 teen films '' She's All That ...

, Hoopz,

Lil' Kim Kimberly Denise Jones (born July 11, 1974), Those giving 1974 include: * * * * * better known by her stage name Lil' Kim, is an American rapper. She was born and raised in New York City and lived much of her adolescent life on the streets after ...

, Charli Baltimore, Toccara Jones, and Melyssa Ford. In the song, Gabrielle Union, Meagan Good, Gloria Velez, and Toccara Jones are mentioned in a somewhat negative manner. Melyssa Ford has said she was disappointed with both The Game and Kanye West for creating the song. As a response, Guerra and Hoopz made a 30-second rap diss to The Game in retaliation to his pejorative remarks about how video models succeed in the business. She insinuates that he is desperate for her. Earlier, she had claimed that The Game was mad at her for turning him down. After the final verse of the song, The Game paraphrases

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

's final verse at the end of

2Pac Tupac Amaru Shakur (; born Lesane Parish Crooks; June 16, 1971 – September 13, 1996), also known by his stage names 2Pac and Makaveli, was an American rapper and actor, regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all tim ...

's song " All Bout U" from his 1996 album '' All Eyez on Me'', mentioning all the places he "sees the same hos", using current artists and events like West and

Oprah Winfrey Oprah Gail Winfrey (; born Orpah Gail Winfrey; January 29, 1954) is an American television presenter, talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, ''The Oprah Winfrey Show' ...

covering

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

. However, this portion of the song is not available on the radio edited version or the music video.

Music video

Prior to filming the music video, The Game said that he was hoping some of the video vixens he mentions in the song would come down for the shoot to lighten some of the tension that had built because of the track lyrics. In the end, only Gloria Velez and

Nicole Alexander Nicole "Hoopz" Alexander, born 12 July 1982, is an American reality television star and actress; best known for participating and winning the hit VH1 celebreality television shows '' Flavor of Love'' and '' I Love Money.'' She is also known fo ...

turned up and are seen in the video; the others are played by

look-alike A look-alike, or double, is a person who bears a strong physical resemblance to another person, excluding cases like twins and other instances of Family resemblance (anthropology), family resemblance. Some look-alikes have been notable individua ...

s. The music video premiered on BET's '' Access Granted'' on Wednesday, January 31, 2007. Pitbull,

Pharrell Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...

(as a skateboarder), Black Wall Street artist Juice, porn star Aurora Jolie, actor Tyrese Gibson,

Lil Jon Jonathan H. Smith (born January 17, 1971), better known by his stage name Lil Jon, is an American rapper, DJ, and record producer. Regarded as a progenitor of the club-oriented hip-hop subgenre crunk, his production and voice presence were inst ...

, and the video director Bryan Barber all made cameo appearances in the video. On December 31 of the same year, the video appeared at number 95 on BET's ''Notarized: Top 100 Videos of 2007'' countdown.

Remix

A remix featuring

Jay-Z Shawn Corey Carter (born December 4, 1969), known professionally as Jay-Z, is an American Rapping, rapper, businessman, and record executive. Rooted in East Coast hip-hop, he was named Billboard and Vibe's 50 Greatest Rappers of All Time, the ...

was featured on The Game's mixtape ''Mick Boogie - The Dope Game 2''.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

External links

* {{Kanye West songs 2006 songs 2007 singles The Game (rapper) songs Kanye West songs Geffen Records singles Song recordings produced by Kanye West Songs written by Kanye West Music videos directed by Bryan Barber Songs written by Pam Sawyer Songs written by The Game (rapper)