Dipset became a seemingly unstoppable force early in the 21st century with members Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, and Jim Jones all releasing promising albums that hinted at a possible dynasty. Santana’s What the Game’s Been Missing! came after Cam’s Purple Haze and Come Home With Me, a hallmark record that set a standard for hip hop discs worldwide and a platinum seller respectively, and Jim Jones’s Harlem: The Diary of a Summer and the youngster’s success was ever-promising for the crew.
Some wondered though if this might be the end of the line for the Diplomat phenomenon. While critics abound raved concerning the crew’s talent and undeniable force, pessimists doubted the ability of the group to continue to release quality solo efforts. Such glass-half-full positions proved warranted with the release of Killa Cam’s latest effort in Killa Season.
Cam set the bar for both himself and other rappers abound with his late 2004 Purple Haze, in particular the outstanding “Get ‘Em Girls.” It’s glorious incorporation of operatic backings to accompany Cam’ron’s effortless flow produced a song both natural and sophisticated in nature. He tirelessly strives to duplicate said track in efforts such as “Girls, Cash, Cars” and “Get ‘Em Daddy.” Both accounts fall dreadfully short. Previous albums saw comedy in a masculine symbol such as Killa Cam rapping with Mona Lisa to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” on his “Girls.” This translates into a humbling and honest yet regrettably slightly entertaining “I.B.S.” which describes Cam’s real life bout with irritable bowel syndrome. This time the follow-up proves every bit as impressive if not more so than the original.
An essential ingredient to Cam’ron’s early success was his reputable flow. It was not that he could flow better than other rappers, but rather that his seemed so effortless and even borderline lackadaisical while still remaining incredibly engaging. Killa Season shows it has lost a bit of its charm, for here Cam seems at times to force rants and pressure attacks. Vocal renderings run a bit too choppy for Cam’ron to maintain a consistent and impressive flow, and thus his disc flounders.
This is not to say that Cam’ron still isn’t one of the better, more skilled artists in the game. Most complaints that lie with his latest album are berthed from comparisons to his earlier Purple Haze; in other words, what would have worked for other rappers doesn’t for Cam due solely to outstanding expectations stemming from the bar he set awhile back. Dipset was slowed by Killa Season. Now it’s up to Cam to pick it up again.
go listen to an el-p or cannibal ox record and quit trying to shock the world by reviewing lame commercial hiphop trash
it's very, very unnecessary
I'm not exactly going for shock value here. Multiple users asked to see a review of this disc since Cam'ron has a large following on AP. Thanks for calling me out though! If it makes ya feel any better I am reviewing the new El Pus disc next which I guess is a little less commercial. If it really concerns you that much PM me listing a few discs you think are review-worthy and I'll honestly check it out. I don't think either El-Producto or Cannibal Ox have released anything recently.
i noted el-p and cannibal ox on the grounds that if you loved it, you would find absolutely no reason to waste your time reviewing this fake garbage...and it's not like i'm going to provide you with albums i'd like to see reviewed, because i'm not too sure i trust your opinion
for the record, cunninlynguists' a piece of strange and murs and 9th wonder's murray's revenge are the two best hiphop albums thus far...yes better than fishscale (the third quarter of that album has some pretty bad songs)
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