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Camron Information
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'Cameron Giles' (born February 4, 1976), better known as 'Cam'ron' or 'Killa Cam', is a popular African-American rapper from Harlem, New York. Cam'ron is the head of the musical group "The Diplomats", better known as "Dip Set." The group consists of Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, as well as currently incarcerated member Freekey Zeekey. Hell Rell is a member of the Diplomats record label. Recently he was released from Clinton Correctional Facility.
Early Career
Cam'ron began his career in the early 1990s, rapping alongside Big L, Ma$e and his cousin Bloodshed in a group called "Children Of The Corn." The group dissolved after Bloodshed's death in a car accident in 1996. However, Cam'ron continued to rap, and he eventually was introduced to Notorious B.I.G., who was so impressed with his skills that Biggie introduced him to his manager, Lance "Un" Rivera. Cam'ron signed to Rivera's Entertainment label, releasing his first solo album, Confessions Of Fire, in April 1998. The album featured such hits as "3-5-7" and "Horse And Carriage," featuring his old friend, Ma$e. Unfortunately, Untertainment folded in 1999, and Cam'ron was forced to change labels. The same year, he signed to Sony Records.
S.D.E.
Cam'ron achieved notoriety for his 2001 release from Sony Records under Tommy Mottola. Reportedly using unconventional methods such as physically assaulting and threatening numerous Sony Records employees, Cam'ron sought an end to his contract due to his record company's lack of promotion for his second album released in 2000, entitled S.D.E. (short for Sports, Drugs, and Entertainment). It featured songs such as "Let Me Know" and "What Means the World to You," the remix of the latter featured an all-star line-up of Southern rappers such as U.G.K., Trina, and Ludacris, in addition to Cam'ron's Dipset protege, Juelz Santana.
Roc-A-Fella Records
With his release from Sony Records, Cam'ron moved on to sign with his childhood friend Dame Dash and Roc-a-fella Records. In 2002, he released his third and most successful album, Come Home With Me, along with the biggest hits of his career, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma," both featuring Juelz Santana. Dash even went as far as to propose naming Cam'ron Vice President of Roc-a-fella, but Jay-Z rejected the idea. He went on to star in the Damon Dash produced film, Paid In Full in 2002. Cam'ron then teamed up with his fellow Diplomats, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zeeky, to release the Diplomats' debut, Diplomatic Immunity, in 2003.
Cam'ron is also credited with starting the recent trend of men wearing pink. He claims that it was already popular in urban New York, but, with his aid, became widespread across America. In early 2004, Cam'ron announced plans to work with scientists to develop a new color and patent it for his trademark use. This eventually manifested as a purplish color that he used to design a hat in conjunction with the baseball cap company New Era. The hat was immensely popular and sold out in record time.
In mid-2004, Cam'ron came into headlines again after a dispute with his former friend Ma$e. After returning to the music industry after a five year religious hiatus, Mase conducted an interview on the New York City radio station Hot 97 where he described his falling out with Cam'ron and the current status of their relationship. Ma$e claimed that confusion over $50,000 he asked to receive for an appearance in the "Horse and Carriage" music video caused the demise of their relationship. This fueled a heated on-air debate between Cam'ron's right-hand man Jim Jones and Ma$e. Jim Jones declared that Ma$e "was fabricating" in the autobiography he wrote in 2001. Also, Jim Jones was upset that Ma$e used people's real names in his book, exposing them without giving them their proper publishing fees. Furthermore, Jones said "you didn't give us no money" when Jim Jones and Cam'ron went on tour with Ma$e, and that now they don't need Mase anymore because they are the "Sizzurp boys, quarter billion, ya aint heard?", in reference to The Diplomats Purple Sizzurp liqueur business. Jim Jones went on to reveal that Ma$e actually left Harlem not because he was answering a higher calling to become a reverend, but because he was scared out of town by the murder of his two friends, Pop Lotti and Baby Mane. Jones claimed Ma$e was "ran up out of Harlem" because there was "money on him," meaning someone had put a bounty on Ma$e's head. Jones goes on to tell Mase that "you need to be nervous to be in Harlem still," and threatens that Mase better "have them boys in blue" (police) with him when he next encounters him, because "I [Jim Jones] will do it to you [Ma$e] duke." Jim Jones informs the audience that he never liked Ma$e, as he crudely refers to him as "Betha," Ma$e's last name. Subsequently, Ma$e and Cam'ron engaged in a verbal debate that ended in Cam'ron hanging up the phone, disgusted by Ma$e's alleged lies and insincerity.
Later music projects
Cam'ron's frequently stalled fourth album, Purple Haze, was released on December 7, 2004. The follow-up from Cam'ron's group, The Diplomats, Diplomatic Immunity 2 was released on November 23, 2004. As of April 28, 2005, Cam'Ron left Roc-A-Fella Records and joined the Warner Music Group under the Asylum Records imprint. Although Cam'ron has a loyal fan base, many former admirers have left the camp due to his change in rap style after his reemergence in 2001. He can still create crafty lyrics, but sometimes his new style has come under scrutiny from some hip-hop purists. He sometimes creates nonsensical lyrics that are a far cry from the aggressive rhymes from his early days. However, he has gained himself a following that is often called a movement. That movement has extended as far as Portland, Oregon, where the 2005 PolitiCorps fellows of the Oregon Bus Project adopted "Hey Ma" as their official theme song.
Killa Season, Killa Cam™s new album, is scheduled to be released February 19, 2006.
Shooting
In the early morning of Sunday, October 23, 2005, Cam'ron was shot three times after a botched carjacking in Washington, DC. Cam'ron was leaving a popular nightclub, where he was relaxing after performing earlier Saturday at Howard University. Cam'ron had stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of New York Ave. and New Jersey Ave. in northwest DC. Shortly after midnight, a passenger of a nearby car told Cam'ron to "give up" his 2006 Lamborghini. Cam'ron resisted and drove away, and the gunman then began shooting. Cam'ron was struck twice in his right arm and once in his left as he was holding the steering wheel, but he was able to drive himself to Howard University Hospital for treatment.
The gunman and passenger sped off in a Ford Expedition and crashed into a parked car and a home and then fled the scene; they are still on the loose. D.C. Metro Police also recovered a cell phone from the scene of the crash.
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