Hip-hop mogul Dr Dre has compared rapper The Game to the late Tupac Shakur insisting the 29-year-old is just as talented as the deceased star.

The legendary producer teamed up with The Game - real name Jayceon Terrell Taylor - to work on a track for his new album and the experience has convinced him the rapper is blessed with same ability as tragic star Shakur, whose highly successful music career was cut short when he was killed in a drive-by shooting in 1996.

Dr Dre - André Romelle Young - also insists The Game’s recent spell in prison has helped boost his music in the same way Shakur’s 1995 jail sentence spurred him on to write some of his most famous hits.

He tells MTV.com, "Right now, he’s like ‘Pac. It’s like when ‘Pac came outta prison and did California Love that same night. Lyrically, he’s somewhere else right now.

"When he was going to jail … he said he didn’t know how long he’s gonna be going in for. But he was like, ‘When I come out, I’m ready to go.’ So the day he got out, we got the phone call, like, ‘Yo, come to L.A. right now.’ So me and Cool jumped on the plane."

The Game pleaded no contest to weapons charges earlier this year (08) and served eight days of a 60-day sentence.

He was released on 9 March (08) due to prison overcrowding.