


Even those apprenticed to the head honchos are coming up strong.

He scampers around boilerplate topics like a jester, abstracting and obstructing like he's too smart to help it. Cam specializes in corner talk, but his is a unique breed, full of doublespeak, circular logic, and fantastical imagery. Juelz Santana calls himself "crack in the flesh" and his best tracks make you believe it. All that chest puffing is part of what makes them so gripping. Is Dipset the most galvanizing crew in hip hop, or another peacocking cadre? Yes. To hear the opener's stony, swelling strings is to feel the world shifting beneath your feet.īut how much of this is just "Final Countdown" quixotism? Depending on who's blogging, a lot or more. The passion.the dedication.the persistence.TO ACHIEVE GREATNESS." Talk of movements is hardly cutting edge, but Dipset infuses even its fluffiest shit-talkin' with ungodly energy. Dipset has similarly high-minded ambitions, and if you've missed its highfalutin talk of spearheading a new Harlem Renaissance, the title track clarifies: Amid thunder claps, a sermoning voice announces, "In the beginning of this movement, it was all a dream. Album DescriptionFor New York crews, mere proliferation isn't good enough world domination is more their speed. See More Your browser does not support the audio element. Aside from Cam'ron, the Diplomats aren't good enough to carry these tracks themselves, and the lack of quality productions (or producers) makes this an easy one to skip, even for fans of Cam'ron. There's a pointless remix of the Cam'ron/Juelz Santana/Freekey Zekey feature "Hey Ma" (originally on Come Home with Me), with Toya providing some R&B vocals, and the bizarre inclusion of "Bout It Bout It, Pt. As on Come Home with Me, the combination of Cam'ron with producer Just Blaze provides the highlights, "I Really Mean It" and the Starship-sampling "Built This City." Both of them appear on the second disc, and there really isn't much to recommend on the first. With three of the four due for another full Roc-A-Fella release later in 2003 - plus a film release for Come Home with Me - the big question became quantity control, so it's no wonder that their combined talents can't keep this two-hour release together. On his third record, Come Home with Me, Cam'ron began paving the way for a few of his protégés (Juelz Santana, Jimmy Jones, Freekey Zekey), and the foursome came together as the Diplomats for a massive two-disc extravaganza, Diplomatic Immunity. Purchase and download this album in a wide variety of formats depending on your needs.
