The Game featuring 50 Cent – Love it or Hate it
Description
“Hate It or Love It” is a single by American rapper and West Coast hip hop artist the Game, featuring 50 Cent. It was released as the third official single from the Game’s debut studio album The Documentary (2005). The song features production from duo Cool & Dre, with additional production from Dr. Dre. The song features a music sample of “Rubber Band” by the Trammps from their album The Legendary Zing Album (1975).
“Hate It or Love It” peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks, becoming the Game’s second top ten song on the chart as a lead artist and 50 Cent’s eighth. It is the Game’s highest-charting single on the Billboard Hot 100 to date. The song was kept from the number one position on the Billboard Hot 100 by another 50 Cent single, “Candy Shop“. “Hate It or Love It” reached the number one spot on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, making it yet again another top ten hit on the chart alongside “How We Do” which also featured 50 Cent. Outside of the United States, “Hate It or Love It” peaked within the top ten of the charts in multiple countries, including the Netherlands, New Zealand, the Republic of Ireland, and the United Kingdom.
At the 2006 48th Annual Grammy Awards, the song was nominated for two Grammy Awards, including Grammy Award for Best Rap Song and Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group but lost in both categories to Kanye West‘s “Diamonds from Sierra Leone” and the Black Eyed Peas‘ “Don’t Phunk with My Heart“, respectively.
The setting of the music video alternates between Compton, California and Jamaica, Queens, New York City. The video recalls the rough childhoods of 50 Cent and the Game, showing where they come from, what it was like living in their neighborhoods, and the struggles they overcame as kids to become rappers. Tequan Richmond portrays the Game and Zachary Williams plays 50 Cent in their youth. In one scene, the two are caught spraypainting “N.W.A” on a wall, resulting in their arrest by two policemen. Big Fase 100, members of Black Wall Street, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks make cameo appearances.
This video was nominated at the MTV Video Music Awards of 2005 for Best Rap Video, but lost to the video for Ludacris‘ song “Number One Spot“.
The music video was directed by the Saline Project.
