Killah!!

Down and Out
written by K.T.

In last week’s post, I had the pleasure of writing about one of the dudes whose skill and versatility makes him not only one of the better guys doing it right now, but also one of the most liked out there. I chose to go in a different direction for this one.

One of the most frustrating people I have listened in my career as a hip-hop fan, Cameron Giles a.k.a. Cam’ron has enjoyed a rather precipitous drop in popularity since he blessed us with the classic “.357 (Magnum P.I.).” Still one of my favorite songs to this day, “.357” showed us all what Cam’ron was supposed to be: A witty, hungry and, in true Harlem fashion, somewhat braggadocios MC. I still remember the video to this day: he and childhood friend Mason Betha running through the streets of West Harlem.

I won’t go out on a limb and say that 1998’s Confessions of Fire was a classic album, but it was definitely a promising start. Joints like “Me and My Boo” with Charli Baltimore (wow, I don’t believe I actually used that name again), “Glory,” “D. Rugs,” and the hilariously absurd “Confessions” were standouts and gave reason to believe that Killa Cam had something new to offer the evolving hip-hop landscape.

Not so much.

His follow up release S.D.E. (short for Sex, Drugs and Entertainment) was a sharp left turn away from what he had begun with Confessions. What still goes down in my mind as one of the worst albums I’ve ever listened to, S.D.E. contained little of the Cam’ron from his debut release. Need examples here. And with that, he had effectively de-evolved from the witty rhyme-spitter we were introduced to and into a caricature of sorts, fully embracing the stereotypes of your everyday trapper-turned-rapper.

Since that time, Cam’s successes have been spotty at best, if they’ve been apparent at all. Despite Justin’s assertion, Purple Haze was a decently crafted album. Tracks like “Down and Out,” “Reasons,” and “Killa Cam” were a couple of highlights. Now, mind you, they weren’t on the same lyrical level as the highlights on Confessions.

Now, we’ve arrived at a space in which Cam’ron has become something of a running joke. His lyrics have regressed to the point of incoherence and it’s truly a sad development for me. I bought that Confessions of Fire album and was pretty impressed with it, despite the deficiency in my hip-hop literacy then compared to now. To hear Cam tell it, he now keeps the “boosters boostin’” and the “’puters putin’.” One particularly hilarious line out of “All the Chickens” from 2000’s S.D.E.:

Like Cam is a son of a bitch/That'll tell a girl, ma, wash under your tits/But I, got a girl, we all call her "Licka"/Cuz she drink liquor, let another girl lick her”

Really? That happened to be an old line, but Cam has consistently lowered the bar on lyrical acuity every year of his career. Unfortunately, he’s reached Noreaga Melvin Flynt: Da Hustla – type ridiculousness. I continue to hope that he surprises me the way he did on “Gone” from Kanye’s Late Registration, though. Unfortunately, I don’t think I’ll be reliving those Confessions days any time soon.