The Game believes in his fans and their ability to contribute to the world of hip-hop in a profound way. That’s why he’s decided to let them. He has an album scheduled to be released in late August; but before he puts it to bed and gets to work on the promotional tour, he’s reaching out to his fans to create a verse for a track called R.E.D Nation. He’s letting fans pen 16 bars and the fan who manages to make the best verse will get it included on the track and their name will be, at the very least, a footnote in the history of hip-hop.

This move by The Game is a bold one, but it’s not uncommon these days. The world of hip-hop, just like movies and sports, is realizing it needs to have more person-to-person interaction with the fans. Plenty of artists have taken to making themselves Twitter accounts and Facebook pages. Many of them have YouTube channels or they are simply being more interactive with their website. What this is intended to do is create a buzz about where they are at and what they are up to.

What this is doing for the fans is giving them added interaction with their stars. Many fans take great pride in having one of their heroes respond to a tweet of theirs or a chance to spend any amount of time talking to them.

The Game is doing something that is truly unique, but it might be the start of something that become commonplace. More and more we will see artists reach out for collaboration with their fans. The idea that someone could be a fan one day, and on a track the next is sure to create a buzz.