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The Game featuring Justin Timberlake and Pharrell “Ain’t No Doubt About It”

The Game is the headliner on this track, but that’s mostly a formality. There’s nothing wrong with his performance here, but if we’re being real, this song is all about Justin Timberlake’s hook and DJ Skee’s funky malfunctioning-Nintendo game keyboard loop. Pretty much any halfway-competent rapper could be on this track and sound good as long as they kept from distracting from the music’s casual grooviness. To cut right through all pretense of critical writing for a moment, I looooooove the keyboard part in this song. Love it, love it, love it. It’s automatic joy for me. It’s the sort of sound that zaps my brain and translates as blue skies, sunshine, and victory. Timberlake and Pharrell are old pros at working with this sort of track, they just amp up the endorphin levels. The Game is charming, he has his moments too. I just don’t focus in on them much because I find myself so lost in the music.

Buy music by the Game from Amazon.