Cam’Ron – Hey Ma

Throughout the late ’90s and early 2000s, one of the most surprising mainstream infiltrations was Cam’ron’s increasingly bizarre yet distinctively East Coast gangster rap. The rapper gained support from the Notorious B.I.G. and worked with Big L and the late Mase. His debut album, Confessions of Fire (1998), went on to become a Top Ten hit and earn a gold certification. Four years later, the Grammy-nominated Just Blaze production “Oh Boy” and the more pop-oriented “Hey Ma,” singles off the platinum Come Home with Me (2002), threatened to top the Billboard Hot 100. In the midst of his busy Diplomats team, which he co-founded with Jim Jones, Cam’ron went even further with Purple Haze (2004), earning another gold disc for his purposefully unconventional and extravagant work. Since then, he has greatly reduced his public profile and has utilized his influence to help up-and-coming artists like Vado, with whom he has recorded as the U.N. The rapper also known as Killa Cam commemorated Purple Haze’s 15th anniversary around the end of the 2010s with Purple Haze 2 (2019), his first genuine solo album in ten years. After that, he collaborated with DJ A-Trak on the album U Wasn’t There (2022).

After Death Existence
Cam’ron, real name Cameron Giles, grew up in Harlem and went to Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, where he played basketball with Mase, who would later become a collaborator. Despite receiving offers of athletic scholarships from prestigious universities like North Carolina and Duke, Cam’ron chose to spend a brief period of time attending junior college in Texas before returning home, dealing drugs, and becoming engaged in the music industry. Then going by the name Killa Cam, he joined Children of the Corn, a group that released sporadic music on 12″ and mixtape releases, along with Big L, Mase (also known as Murda Mase), cousin Bloodshed, and Herb McGruff. Cam got to know the Notorious B.I.G., who was working on Life After Death, through Mase. After being impressed by Cam’s lyricism, B.I.G. and partner Lance “Un” Rivera signed Cam to a solo contract with Rivera’s Untertainment label, which is associated with Epic. In 1998, Cam’ron made his major-label debut with the gold-certified, Top Ten single Confessions of Fire. “Horse & Carriage,” a Mase collaboration produced by Trackmasters, was the album’s standout track. It just made the pop Top 40 but peaked at number nine on Billboard’s Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs list.

S.D.E.
A laborious recording procedure delayed the creation of Cam’ron’s follow-up, 2000’s S.D.E. (an acronym for sports, drugs, and entertainment), which ultimately led to a postponed release. Although not as successful as the first release, it is best remembered for having paved the way for the rise of the Diplomats, a group that was started by Jim Jones and Cam’ron a few years prior (Freekey Zekey and Juelz Santana were among the other members over the years). After the S.D.E. promotional campaign concluded, Cam’ron left Epic to join Roc-A-Fella, a Def Jam subsidiary. He quickly achieved his commercial zenith with the label run by Jay-Z and pal Damon Dash. In 2002, the single “Come Home with Me” debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 and eventually achieved platinum certification. “Oh Boy” and “Hey Ma,” two tracks with Juelz Santana, rose to the Top Five of the pop charts. In the Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group category, the former received a Grammy nomination. In 2004, Purple Haze was released. Although its five charting singles didn’t perform as well as those from the previous album, its unique extravagance struck a chord with a large audience and eventually led to the album being certified gold.

After doing some on-screen work, like as a part in the Paid in Full film starring Damon Dash, Jay-Z, and Brett Ratner, Cam’ron expanded his career by writing, producing, directing, and starring in Killa Season. Shortly after its limited release in 2006, Cam’ron offered his new label home, Asylum, an album of the same name. It featured the diss track “You Gotta Love It,” which was directed at Jay-Z. Cam’ron spent several years away from music while he cared for his sick mother, despite other events like a falling out with 50 Cent and the Diplomats dissolving.

Crime Earns
He reappeared in 2009 with Crime Pays, still in Asylum. It came in at number three and opened inside the Top 20 of the Billboard 200, much like all five of his solo albums. Following a series of mixtapes with Harlem protégé Vado, the U.N. released two proper albums, Heat in Here, Vol. 1 and Gunz n’ Butta, in 2010 and 2011, respectively. 2019 saw the release of Purple Haze 2, Cam’ron’s seventh official album, following a number of solo mixtapes and EPs. He was cast in a recurring part in the drama series Queens, and in 2022 he collaborated with DJ A-Trak on the album U Wasn’t There, which included the single “All I Really Wanted.”