Cam'ron Albums (10)
What The Critics Say
The low sales of 2006's Killa Season took the Dipset member off his album every-two-years-schedule with this follow-up landing in 2009. Even if Cam'ron's delivery -- sort of a rigid mumble -- and his lyrics -- strange and nasty as he wants to be -- all suggest he just doesn't give a damn, Crime Pays seems like a definite reaction to the dwindling numbers right down to the modest gear the rapper sports on the cover. This is a back to basics effort with no superstar Lil Wayne guest shot, and plenty of mixtape flavored production mostly from the hands of Skitzo or araabMUZIK. Best example that the Killa's back on the streets is the "Get It in Ohio," a lumbering behemoth of a single where Cam grinds in the land of "Blue pills and Grey Goose" and takes full advantage of a state hit hard by the 2009 recession. Topical rhymes also fill the great "My Job," a piano-driven, uptempo number that would love to kick down the cubicle walls, but there are bills to pay and no one else is hiring. "Cookin Up" offers the wonderfully Cam "Sledgehammers/Smash his melon/I'm the black Gallagher" while "Who" is his usual clever swagger with ""Who is Mr. Right?/Make sisters fight." There are a couple tracks that would make R. Kelly and maybe even Luther Campbell blush, and there are too many skits, although "Grease" is a drop dead hilarious example of how this Diplomat handles a lover's quarrel. "Cookies -N- Apple Juice" covers the same ground but with an infectious, ridiculous hook. Add it all up and Crime Pays is just what the fans want, without any sense the man is pandering. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
'Harlem's Finest'
Release Date 7/8/2008
Tracks 13
Label Amalgam Digital
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
The two years leading up to Killa Season found Dipset leader Cam'ron coming off as more of a newsmaker than a rapper, and the news was often bad, mostly confusing and oddball. There was his beef with Mase and his bigger beef with Jay-Z, which found Cam'ron fighting battles for Damon Dash while Dash just shrugged. He was also the victim of a botched carjacking with all sorts of questions orbiting around it, and he directed an over-the-top movie that shares this album's title. Plus, when the leader of one of hip-hop's most irresponsible crews announces he's the man to wipe pedophiles off the Internet with a series of entrapments that are caught on tape and released on Dipset DVDs, you've got wonder what in the world this mixtape-spewing, freak-show ringmaster has going on upstairs, and where's the music to convince everyone they should care? The overly long and scattershot Killa Season won't convince everyone as it literally laughs at detractors, shoves most of its fire to the end of the album, and carelessly bounces from cold gangsta to vulnerable. Best of the latter and best of show is the great "I.B.S.": a quirky number that explains Cam'ron's significant weight loss was due to irritable bowel syndrome. Every doctor visit is chronicled and the scatological puns are numerous, but the hardcore Dipset fan will jump right ahead to "You Gotta Love It," an ambitious Jay-Z dis that has no shame ("It was Rocawear/When Dame had it/Now you got it/Call it Cockawear" or the slaying observation that the Def Jam boss has actually worn sandals with jeans!). The memorable "Wet Wipes," the Alchemist-produced "Something New," and "Touch It or Not" with Lil Wayne are all sane and hooky enough to reach past the core audience, proving the man hasn't lost touch. Killa Season would have benefited from trimming and better planning, but those things are extremely rare in the world of Dipset. Taking that into account, the album is exceptional and a good enough excuse for two more years of mouthing off and starting trouble. ~ David Jeffries, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Released within months of Jim Jones' On My Way to Church, the second volume of the Diplomats' Diplomatic Immunity, and another flurry of mixtapes, Cam'ron's fourth album ("Previously written in 2001," as announced in the intro) is evenly divided between strong and weak tracks. This lack of quality control will both provide ammo for Diplomat haters and frustrate Diplomat supporters, even if there's a durable 45-minute album in here somewhere. The backing track of "Girls," a feather-light translation of Cyndi Lauper's "Just Wanna Have Fun," belongs on a teen pop record -- it's such a folly that it makes you wonder if somebody dared Cam'ron to release it. "Harlem Streets" fares only a little better, with the theme from "Hill Street Blues" used to distracting and detracting effect -- perhaps the cues should've taken from Kool G Rap & DJ Polo's "Ill Street Blues" instead. On the other side, a pair of soul-steeped productions from Kanye West ("Down and Out," built on William Bell's "Strung Out") and the West-inspired Pop & Versatile ("Soap Opera," using Smokey Robinson's "Merry-Go-Round") help prop the album back up, and Heatmakerz's rallying "More Gangsta Music" features some of Juelz Santana's infectious youthful energy. Though it has been two years since Cam'ron's last solo album, there's so much Diplomat-affiliated material stuffing the racks that even the most devoted followers must be on the verge of overdosing on the crew's bewildering, nonsensical rhymes. "Cause I feed you well/Every sneaker, hell/You eat Louis, sh*t Gucci, breathe Chanel/Karl Lagerfeld, acting like Gargamel" wins the prize on this release. Inconsistencies and gratuitous running time be damned, a lot of rap fans will be happy just to have another Cam'ron album to devour. Fellow Diplomats JR Writer, Jim Jones, and Freeky Zekey make appearances, along with Twista and Jaheim. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
'Come Home with Me'
Release Date 5/14/2002
Tracks 15
Label Roc-a-Fella
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Just when seemed as if everyone had forgotten about Cam'ron, he returned in 2002 as part of Jay-Z's industry-dominating Roc-a-Fella collective. If that wasn't reason enough to inspire curiosity, Cam'ron's lead single, "Oh Boy," blew up urban radio all summer. His rugged rapping and Just Blaze's soulful production made "Oh Boy" the huge success that it was, yet the joy of hearing Cam'ron on the radio again also had a bit to do with the revival. The Harlem rapper had fallen off the map after S.D.E., his poorly received album from two years earlier. Just two years before that, Cam'ron was one of the industry's most promising pop-rappers. His first album, Confessions of Fire, produced several singles, including his collaboration with Mase, "Horse & Carriage." However, 1998 felt like the distant past in 2002, and Cam'ron needed a big comeback after falling into obscurity during the interim. Come Home With Me is indeed that big comeback. Even though members of the Roc-a-Fella roster appear on only two songs -- "Welcome to New York City," featuring Jay-Z, and "The Roc (Just Fire)," featuring Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel -- Cam'ron doesn't really need the assistance here. He comes hard on most tracks, yet his muscle is complemented well by producer Just Blaze and his trademark sampling style. Just Blaze doesn't produce every track on this album, but he does provide the key moments: "Oh Boy" and "The Roc (Just Fire)." Overall, Cam'ron couldn't return with a stronger comeback album than this: he's affiliated with one of the industry's most successful labels, graced with a hot producer, and armed with a dynamite lead single. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Cam'ron's sophomore full length, S.D.E. (Sports, Drugs and Entertainment), is packed with guest star appearances and stories of urban ills and his life as a former basketball player. Cam'ron receives help from friends like Destiny's Child, Old Dirty Bastard, and producer, Prodigy. Following in their foot steps, Cam'ron raps about common topics over catchy loops and hooks. Often, S.D.E mirrors rap, when it was more reflective than intense, but quickly sinks back into the modern day ordinary. With S.D.E. there is some obvious potential in the long run for this rapper. However, for now he is ideal for those that find themselves content with the down state of rap at the time of this album's release. ~ Diana Potts, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Following in the footsteps of Sean "Puffy" Combs, Cam'ron created an accessible fusion of rap and pop that manages to keep some sort of street edge. Of course, that doesn't mean Cam'ron is hardcore -- he may come off as an East Coast gangsta, but his music is polished and melodic, much like that of Puff, his mentor. He happens to be a better rapper than Puffy, but he doesn't have the pop flair that makes Combs' productions big hits. Still, he shows promise on his debut, Confessions of Fire. Although it has too many songs and some blend together, he shows potential as a charismatic rapper and there are enough strong singles, including "357" and "Horse & Carriage," to make it worth a listen for fans of East Coast popcore. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
