Singing Telegram: Cam'ron - Horse & Carriage (ft. Ma$e)

PREAMBLE: I've decided I'm doing a new type of post. It's called the Singing Telegram. Not that most of you would care. I just felt like stating it... Anyways, these will feature older songs and videos, and anything in between, hence the antiquated name.

This week's feature is late 90s New York hip-hop on its rise. With Biggie laid to rest and the West Coast reeling from the death of 2Pac and Death Row's instability, New York's crown was up for grabs. Cam'ron made his play at the throne with catchy tracks like this riff with Ma$e. 'Horse and Carriage' reminded me today of why I love 90s and 2000s hip-hop videos: the cameos. Take a look at any hip-hop video form the 90s and early 2000s, and you're guaranteed to see a who's who of rap's elite in the background, probably singing along or having random rapper fun. 'Horse and Carriage' is no different. I spy Styles P, NORE, Jim Jones (who looks ridiculous, by the way), among other hip-hop personalities. See who else you can spot...

Cam'ron & Vado - Speaking in Tungs x I Don't Believe N*ggas

Cam'ron & Vado - Speaking in Tungs


Cam'ron - I Don't Believe Niggas (ft. Fabolous & Vado)

I may be from the Bronx, but I certainly am a fan of Harlem rappers (BX is gonna have a resurgence soon.. I can feel it!). Cam'ron and his newest protege Vado are up there on the list, though Cam has been doing it since the 90s. The thing that I like about Vado is that, unlike Juelz, it hasn't taken him 4 years and a label dispute to get his rhymes together. Vado drops a bunch of bars on both of these tracks, and compliments Cam perfectly. Even Fab drops a lyrical dime or two (why can't he do that on his own work?). Check out the Cam and Vado's odes to lying adversaries and great love-making...

Dear Cam'ron & Jim Jones

via MissInfo:

“Minya, it’s Jimmy….I’m sitting in the passenger seat of this car right now. I want you to talk to the driver real quick.”

“Ok, Jimmy.”

[brief pause] “What up, Min. It’s Cam…”

Jim Jones: “It’s 2010, and this is something I gotta get off my chest…You’ve known us from back when we didn’t have what we have now, so you remember, that above all, me and Cam, we still brothers. And we’re building on getting back on track but first, I apologize for being a rude brother, for saying things publicly without first trying to handle them privately. I apologize for not leading by example because what I didn’t realize at the time, I was venting but it wasn’t all about me. There were other people whose dreams were also part of this movement. So by not leading by example, they were left stranded too. The way I handled our business issues was with emotion, and it got totally f–ked up. That’s what selfishness does….”

Cam’ron: “There’s nothing really Diplomats-related to show you yet. We all have our own obligations right now, our own projects. I have this Boss of All Bosses Pt. 2.5 mixtape with Vado and DJ Drama dropping soon. But yes, me and Jim have been speaking, we’re working out the mechanics of this, and looking at our options right now. If it makes sense, it can happen.”

Back in 2004, I was in high school, still somewhat young in my understanding of hip-hop and rap. That said, along that time, the movement that was moving was Dip Set. You, Cam and Jim, served as the soundtrack to basketball games, tomfoolery in hallways and homework. When the rumors came in around 2007 that you two weren't speaking, it was like seeing the Power Rangers get into an argument: slightly devastating. That said, the news relayed by Miss Info was a highlight to my day. I blasted 'I'm Ready' and 'Come Home With Me' in my room as I remembered the tall tees, jerseys, fitteds and ridiculous jewelry that you guys donned during your run at the top. Of course, the look will be different now. Even so, it's refreshing to see some unity come back. That doesn't mean the news comes without its issues.

First of all, why did it take the two of you so long to reconcile? Maybe it's the fact that both of you were too wrapped up in your own individual success to realize that your strength came as a group. I suppose both of you started feeling the dent in your sales, regardless of hot singles (would it be cliche to yell 'BALLIN' right now?) or illegal dealings outside of rap. Second of all, where's Juelz?? A Dip Set reunion wouldn't be complete without Santana on deck, and you both know it. As a matter of fact, I'd definitely say that Juelz is doing a lot better than both of you at the moment. He has a hit single out and a lot of buzz for 'Born to Lose, Built to Win' (or whatever it's called), while you two have two sub-par underselling albums under your studded belts. You guys would have to truly bury the hatchet and apologize to Juelz for doing him dirty, ALONG with offer up a few hundred stacks to get him to come on with the movement. Third of all, this is only the 3rd or 4th time that you guys have alluded to a reunion and have come up with either nothing or a new beef to squabble over. While it's great to see you guys are cool riding around town together, until I have substantial proof that Diplomatic Immunity 3 is on the way, I will continue to be the skeptic. Besides, I'm looking forward to Boss of All Bosses 2.5 and Slime Flu much more than I am anything Jim Jones-laced these days. At least we can reminisce...

Fabolous - There is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service

Fabolous – There Is No Competition (The Funeral Service)

Yeah, I'm late; sue me... Took a while for me to get through this one, but not for lack of quality. I just got an untagged version and had to figure out which track was which. Regardless, Fab had the blogosphere on its toes for about two months after we heard that 'There is No Competition 2: The Funeral Service' was being pushed back around Christmas. Then there were a bunch of supposed 'leaks' and a lot of industry BS, coming from DJ Drama's end. When it comes to any Fabolous mixtape, you have to be ready for punchlines, and this mixtape was no different. Fab went harder than I can honestly ever remember. Every song was like a flurry of lyrical jabs, hooks and uppercuts that combined to form a knockout punch. I'm not going to say it was the best tape I've ever heard, considering a lot of the content was repeated. Other than that, though, the tape was clean (minimal interference from the DJ is always a plus). Fab made his case for being one of the best out, even with the title being somewhat of a lie. Check the link, tracklist, #dopetracks, loosies and videos...

Tracklist:
1. The Wake
2. I’m Raw
3. Body Ya
4. Hard Feat. Kobe, Paul Cain & LA The Darkman
5. Oh Let’s Do It
6. Suicide 2 Feat. Paul Cain & Freck Billionaire
7. It’s Goin’ Down Feat. Freck Billionaire
8. Roger That Feat. Freck Billionaire
9. Love Come Down
10. Popular Demand Feat. Paul Cain
11. Mr. R.I.P
12. Body Bag Feat. Cam’ron & Vado
13. Beamer, Benz, or Bentley Feat. Lloyd Banks Juelz Santana
14. For The Money Feat. Nicki Minaj
15. Tonight Feat. Red Cafe
16. All The Way Turnt Up Feat. Trey Songz
17. Say Somethin’ Nigga
18. Funeral Service Music Feat. Kobe, Paul Cain, Red Cafe & Willie The Kid
19. Bring Death To Em’
20. Exhibit F

#dopetracks
I'm Raw
Body Ya
Love Come Down
Mr. R.I.P.
Exhibit F
It's Going Down
Funeral Service Music
Body Bag

Loosies:
Fabolous – Tonight f. Red Cafe
Fabolous – Body Bag f. Cam’ron & Vado
Fabolous – Body Ya
Fabolous – Turnt Up f. Trey Songz

Cam'ron x DJ Drama - Boss of All Bosses 2

Cam'ron x DJ Drama - Boss of All Bosses 2

Cam is back. Yes, I just said that. Killa Cam is back. There have been two phases of Cam's legacy in hip-hop; the first one was his lyrical stage when Big L was still alive and the second was his nursery rhyme phase when he was with the ROC. Cam seems to have melded the two with his new offering with DJ Drama 'Boss of All Bosses 2'. If you don't like drops, or random cronies shouting on your tracks, you might be turned off. If you want to hear the purest of cocaine raps and overall swaggnificence (yeah, I coined that) on wax, then this is the tape for you. Cam'ron seems to have dropped the bullshit and gotten back to lyrics. The beats are vintage Dip Set (shouts to Araab) and Cam makes light of everything from his label situation to the ridiculous amount of money he makes, to the frivolous women he deals with. Gone are the onomatopoeia and random rhymes, and in come wordplay and vocaublary unseen since his Children of the Corn days. Honestly, you should check this out. Harlem please take your bow. Check the link, tracklist, my #dopetracks and a promo freestyle (sorry, no loosies for this one)...



#dopetracks
We Back
U Right
Bezel Up
A Mafia
They Holla Ayo
Nothing Personal

Clipse ft. Cam'ron & Pharrell - Popular Demand 'Popeyes'

Now, why hasn't Till the Casket Drops dropped yet? Your guess is as good as mine, yet somehow I think even with the pushbacks and leaks, the album is going to be immaculate. The Clipse and Pharrell have plaques and hundreds of playbacks written all over them, so you know the wait might just be worth it. Either way, the video is great. Cam eating while rapping is priceless...

The Clipse - Popular Demand (ft. Cam'ron & Pharrell)

Popular Demand - The Clipse (ft. Cam'ron & Pharrell)

Dude, why do Malice and Pusha insist on pushing back Till the Casket Drops?? Tracks like this shouldn't be allowed to sit there and fizzle due to record label politics (see Jockin Jay-Z). Even Cam came through and blessed us with his dopest verse in a LONG time. I'm not going to mince words with this post. Listen to this track. GET READY FOR TILL THE CASKET DROPS!!! It drops in December (completely tentative)...