Jayceon Taylor was born on November 29, 1979 in Compton, California. He was born into a life of gang banging and hustling. When interviewed later, Taylor, aka The Game, said that at a young age, he remembers seeing both of his parents getting ready to go on drive-thru visits. His father was a Nutty Block Crip and his mother a Hoover Crippelette. Drugs and guns were all around Taylor growing up. Around the age of 6, Jayceon says one of his friends was murdered in the neighborhood by a teenager, because of his clothes and shoes. At the age of 7, Taylor was placed in foster care. In foster care, he was teased by other children. However, it did not go unnoticed. Game's intelligence was recognized by his caretakers, and he usually helped his foster siblings with their homework. Around 1989, The Game met his idol, Eric Wright aka Eazy-E, founder of NWA. It was a defining moment in his life. Game's adolescence was one of many difficulties. At age 13, one of Game's older brothers, Jevon, who was only 17 at the time, was shot to death at a gas station. His brother had just landed a recording contract. Taylor said he felt his father played a role in this by not being there and that if he had, his brother would not have been shot. Jevon died the day after Game visited the hospital, promising that things would get better and lost time would be made up. Two years later, at the age of 15, teenager Jayceon was removed from the foster care system and returned to his mother's home. Lynette (Taylor's mother) and Taylor had problems at first. Game's father wasn't there. Taylor attended Compton High School and most of the gang-affiliated students were Crips. His older brother Big Fase 100, attended Centennial High School and was a Cedar Block Piru Blood. The Game followed in his brother's footsteps. Taylor's natural ability in athletics led him to become a point guard on the basketball team. He also ran track and played various other sports. The Game graduated in 1999 and received numerous scholarship offers from various colleges. He chose to go to Washington State University to play basketball. His ticket and release was short-lived after he was found with drugs in his possession. Game's scholarship was revoked. Taylor and his brother Big Fase had an apartment on the outskirts of Compton in Bellflower.