True to the Game
"True to the Game" is the second single from Ice Cube's Death Certificate album. It takes tunes from The Gap Band’s 1982 hit, Outstanding.
Video content
In the video, Ice Cube kidnaps various rappers who are portrayed as "record sellers" and not "true to the game". The video's outdoor scenes are set on Crenshaw Boulevard, which in the aftermath of the 1992 Los Angeles riots featured many burned-out buildings. Another scene in a photo studio shows a rapper clad in hardcore-style clothing who later changes into a red sequined outfit, symbolizing and parodying his transition into mainstream pop music. The video features appearances by DJ Pooh and actress and Friends star Lisa Kudrow. The official music video was directed by F. Gary Gray.Meaning of lyrics
"True to the Game" laments the trend of hip hop artists and other celebrities crossing over into mainstream music. More broadly, the song's lyrics criticize African American assimilation into the middle class.The song is a condemnation of Uncle Toms who sell out themselves to white communities and audiences: "Stop selling out your race, and wipe that stupid-ass smile off your face."
In particular, he calls out rappers who switch from hardcore in an attempt to cater to overwhelmingly white audiences at the expense of integrity, those who fail to be in touch with their roots, and especially blacks who snobbishly align themselves with a white clique at the expense of fidelity to their own: