This Cam’ron record feels really flat to me? Like, he’s undeniably a hell of a rapper but I dunno, he’s not bringing enough energy for me to actually be able to appreciate how good he is without having to really concentrate on it. So many fucking skits as well…
1 Like
I’m not usually one to nerd out over lyrics and flow structure but I think Cam is super interesting because he presents himself as some dumb gangsta pimp but then his bars are crazy complex, which is doubly hidden because of his relaxed cadence and how laid back his flow sounds.
Like who else (apart from Doom!) can rap this nonsense and make it sounds so good?
Ate, boom boom
my ace boon coons
Shake, bake, skate, vroom vroom
Seventh to eighth, zoom zoom, boom boom tunes
’Fore I get life, that boom boom room
Wreckx-n-Effect’s, zoom zoom in poom poom
Since the, movie Cocoon
had my Uzi platoon
1 Like
a couple of years ago I had a commute which, if the gods were on my side, was door to door the exact length of diplomatic immunity. as a result, it supplanted purple haze as my go to album for a dipset fix, so this is the first time I’ve listened to it in full for some time.
can’t disagree with the comments about it being too long (bit hypocritical given what I just said about diplomatic immunity I know) and having too many rubbish skits. that said, the highs are really fucking high. just think he’s a really fun rapper to listen to: great flow, effortlessly smooth, deceptively complex rhymes. production is a bit of it’s time I guess but idk, still sounds good to me
I come to this completely fresh but it’s a fair way outside my hip hop comfort zone and I wasn’t really expecting to like it. I tried to approach it with an open mind though.
First thing to say is that Cam’ron is clearly a fantastically talented MC - wonderfully smooth flow and deceptively complex rhymes. I sort of get the Doom comparisons others have made but for me whilst Doom at anything like his best is constantly surprising you with unexpected imagery and word play Cam’ron impresses me but without ever really surprising me.
His talents are too often wasted on pretty uninspiring beats too. Some of these are just offensively bad to my ears - I’d be happy to never hear Harlem Streets or Girls again - a lot are just a bit unimaginative. I’m not a big fan of that style of production that just takes the whole hook from a really easily recognisable track and repeats it, and there is a lot of that here. Again, to continue the comparison the peak period Doom records are always a lot more interesting musically.
There is some really good stuff here - I really like Killa Cam, More Gangata Music, Bubble Music, The Dope Man, Adrenaline (that first Twista verse is brilliant). Down and Out and a few others are pretty good too. Maybe one of the problems is that in common with most hip hop albums of the time it is far, far, too long. Cut out the skits and five or six tracks of dross and there is a really good 50 minute album in there.
Interesting to give it a listen but not for me I think.
3 Likes
That run is a real low point for sure
Couldn’t listen to Harlem Streets without hearing Shaun Keavney singing ‘Hill Street Blues, it’s bloody Hill Street Blues’
I quite like harlem streets 
but yeah, girls is an indefensible stinker
1 Like
funny when I posted this album I thought to myself ‘finally something recent!’ then the realization hit that this album is actually nearly 15 years old… 
Girls, needless to say, does not hold up.
Think in general people are doing it wrong w this release. This alb is way more of a grab bag of tracks, years ago I made an alternate tracklist (just made it public and renamed it) and it works so much better as an album proper (and since this is DiS I know we care about these things). This was never quite a classic album for me tho, despite loving a big chunk of it. Way to scattered thematically and in production. Adrenaline Rush was already a favorite of mine and dont think Cam added much to an already perfect track.
Cam always kinda let me down, I had purchased his first two albums and was really disappointed in both so I was already kinda sour on dude. Come Home With Me is arguably as good as Purple Haze but suffers similar pitfalls (from a rockists perspective). Take the best songs of both those albums and you’ve got a really incredible collection of songs, probably the best way to appreciate Camron.
Ha! I had totally forgotten that this one won the poll!
this is accurate. hadnt thought of him as mf doom but it totally makes sense. only difference comes down to production type, and some more ignant lyrics (but we cant pretend doom gets a complete pass in that regard).
this freestyle pops up in my feed at least once every couple months and I have to watch it every time.
Flat seems like the wrong word here maybe? He’s def not a hyped up rapper but the juice is in the wordplay, and you can tell he’s clearly having fun throwing these rhymes together, chalked full of weird alliterations and goofy punchlines delivered with the perfect amount of panache. Think t_d summed it up here:
2 Likes
yeah this is fair. a best of cam playlist would rival pretty much anybodies
cam’ron really took that ‘hard knock life’ jay z song saccharine sample/ gangsta lyrics template and rinsed it, hey? really like a few joints here- gets off to a flyer until ‘leave me alone’-
strings sounding dated.
some of the lyrics on album are off-putting
bump. new pick tomorrow.
Late to the party again, and don’t have much to add except that I reckon this is one of my favourite albums of the 00s. Glad this went down so well, cos a lot of my pals, whose tastes are normally bang on, seem to have a massive blind spot when it comes to Cam and Dipset generally.
A lot of the comments about the album being overlong and having too many skits are totally fair enough, but I kind of like the sprawl of it - fits with Cam’s style and the surreal nature of the best of his rhymes. As others have said, when he’s flying and paired with a top notch beat (Killa Cam and Down and Out are probably the best examples), he’s pretty much untouchable. Don’t get the total hate for Girls either - obviously throwaway (homes), but still has some charm imo. Skits are great too - “That’s a DUCK!”
Top, top pick @thought_dreams. Roll on tomorrow…
2 Likes
Great album. Love revisiting these albums and having a browse of the Discogs/Wikipedia page, and always learn stuff that I didn’t know at the time. Similar experience to when those Check the Technique books came out.
I remember this album being a bit of a flop and the group disappearing soon afterwards. Apparently it didn’t get too much backing from the label, which makes sense now as I recall Reachin’… having several big singles and videos on MTV (and not just Yo! MTV Raps) and this barely making a peep. Weird as it seems the general consensus now is that it’s better than the first album (although I don’t know if I agree with that).
Reading up on it now, it says that Ish and the group were influenced by Enta Da Stage and 36 Chambers, which is strange as I think the live instrumentation on this actually gives it a cleaner sound compared to Reachin’… which is a little more dusty and weird. I did really like Ish’s comment about the vocals being deliberately low to draw listeners in a bit more. Roc Marciano was getting a lot of criticism for doing that on his last album, but I’ve always been a fan of it on hip hop records. Especially when listening on headphones.
“I read where George Clinton said the stuff that’s inaudible the first couple of listens adds longevity to a record, because it draws the person in. You might catch a word or a phrase on down the road, and that makes that record all the more intriguing. The vocals were to be woven in with the fabric of the music, not necessarily something that was on top. The record label was like ‘nobody can hear what you’re saying’, but I felt like if the music was engaging enough, then over time it would provide a richer listening experience”
Like the first album, and all the Shabazz Palaces stuff, I don’t really have favourite tracks. Kind of like to listen to the whole thing front to back. Love the way the first half flows together, and I always forget Jeru and Afu Ra have a little guest spot on Graffiti. Just a brilliant listen, and still sounds fresh. Pretty crazy that he’s still doing some of the most innovative stuff in hip hop 25 years later.
2 Likes
hi i love this and just think it’s one of the coolest records ever.
love how organic it sounds, obviously none of them are amazing MCs but their laid back flow (especially Mecca’s) complement the beats and samples so well, love the way their verses kind of glide in and out.
despite it obv being a political record (and a brooklyn record) they have their own lyrical sensibility so kinda sounds like they’ve created their own world. cos it’s so dense (lyrically and musically) and mostly the same tempo different lines jump out at me every time I listen.
probably best listened to at night, for anyone who hasn’t heard it before
3 Likes
Pumped to listen to this again. Great rec.
Not sure I agree with this - they’re not flashy, showy MCs but they are all pretty amazing in my view, especially Butterfly and Ladybug.
I have never listened to this. Looking forward.
This album sounds so rich, really great production. bass for days even though you wouldnt really think of it as a basshead album per se. think this album did a little bit to tip ish towards the shabazz palaces sound. you can hear some of the sounds and concepts beginning to develop throughout.