cam'ron

Ok, sorry for the delay, fell asleep early yesterday….trying to get through the West Village Halloween parade after work was exhausting. Mentally and physically, lol.But the extent of my trick or treating consisted of catching up with my fellow Harlemite, Cam’ron. I know y’all aren’t interested in all the regular conversation, so here are the pertinent rap parts…

I asked Cam why he seemingly dropped off the face of the planet this past spring, especially after that infamous youtube clip. One minute he was telling 50 Cent it was going to be a hot summer, and the next minute, Cam was M.I.A. But he said when the beef with 50 cent, the Tru Life and Jim Jones’ beef, and his altercation with Tru Life, all happened one right after the other, he got hit by a family emergency that took priority. Cam’s mom suffered a number of strokes that left her paralyzed on her left side. He moved her to Florida for a while, set up her rehabilitation and therapy, and kept an eye on her: “I told her, you not dying on my watch.”
[sidenote: I’m glad to hear Cam’s mom is doing better, Ms. Frederica is a real character. Back in the day, she even got her son to give her some burn on a song, “Me, My Moms, and Jimmy,” off Confessions of Fire album. “You think Cam’s nice, he’s a son of a gun,” lol.]

Cam says that while he was dealing with the personal, there were business issues as well. “Also, me and Asylum weren’t seeing eye to eye at the time. But we recently worked things out. We had a conversation with the lawyers and with Todd (Moscowitz), so now we’re straight. I wasn’t gonna drop the mixtape until that happened….”

But all the while, Cam said he was also watching how other people were reacting to his absence.

“Even when I had my mom situated, she had the help she needs, the physical therapy, everything was right–that was like a month ago—I still laid low, because when I come out it’s gonna be done it right. But I just sat back and bugged out at how everyone else was acting.

I heard all the rumors, mad felonious shit, fake shit.
And I would tell n—as, my moms just had a stroke, and they’d be like ‘Oh, ok, so are you still coming through?’ Fam, what is wrong with you?”

(Which does seem mad shady, but I cant say I’m surprised. This business has a way of messing up peoples’ priorities. Anyways, I asked Cam, ‘What about all those Cam’ron sightings? The last time we spoke was when you posted the youtube video, so I didn’t know if those rumors were real or not.’)

Exactly. I ain’t talked to nobody, but I kept hearing all these stories. Cam was in a car crash. Cam was begging for a deal. Some hood DVD dudes were up up on [140th st] to try to find me. Folks were asking for interviews.
Im like Bigfoot, its crazy!

My thing is, it felt like folks were tryin’ to strong arm me into showing up for shit.
Like, no disrespect to BET, but I was watching one day and they announced ‘Cam is gonna be on 106 and Park. He’s gonna talk about his new album…’
I just started laughing, like, what is you talking about? Nothing about that was true.
What’s so funny is that in the past, I always had to go through mad shit just to get them to play a new video or whatever. But now I’m seeing those two tell me what I’m doing.
But nobody can force me to do anything or be anywhere….I can afford to chill out. I mean, I get 1.5 million dollars just to hand my album in, but I’m still not rushing.

I could have come back a month ago….but instead I said, ‘Alright, Duke, block all my calls, shut down the interviews…’

(So what about the rumor that you were seen shopping for a deal at some indie label…)

I went to meet with my man Jeff Kempler, I’ve known him for years, and now that he’s [executive vice president] over at Virgin, he called me over to catch up. So then we walked around the office, and Fat Joe’s label [Imperial Records] is in the same building.

(I guess it was your silence that was making folks jump to conclusions…)

“Yo I’m killin’ n—as with my silence! Me not saying nothing is driving people crazy…”

(Well since it’s clear you’ve been keeping up with the Cam’ron rumor mill, what did you think about what your peers were saying? 50 Cent joked about you being missing….)

But here’s the funny thing about it. They all say Cam’s missing… You look at 50 Cent and Kanye West. They came out after, like two years since their last records. Meanwhile, I put out a movie, an album, executive-produced four albums this summer…Y’all n—as be missing. I be out every year, fam.

(During an interview with MTV, Jim Jones said finding you was like “finding Nemo.” And in a youtube interview with Mikey Fresh, Jimmy said “Cam’ron is in his own world.”)

He’s right, I live on Pluto, and I take a spaceship home every night. Hahaha…

(Well, I guess you’re about to phone home. Next week, you’ll be back out with a double mixtape, Public Enemy #1. Are you working on a new album as well?)

Yeah. Actually I was in the middle of recording the album when everything happened. I had maybe a full CD of music since May or June. Now I’m looking to drop the album in February or March, 2008. But with all this nonsense going on, I had to put out this double CD real quick. And you know how I am, I don’t like to sit on old tracks so I decided to throw like 40 songs on there and make the mixtape free.
The video we posted on [killacamspace] was just to make fun of the way ppl was acting. But in the hood, it was nothing like that. Everybody just been showing love like ‘Yo, please come back out. We need that.”

(So, what is the state of Dipset right now? I’ve talked to Jim Jones about his new projects and new record deal. And last week he told me about his new mixtape, which is dropping one day before yours. But he made a point of shouting out “Dipset for life.” Which seemed encouraging to me…Have you and Jimmy talked yet?)

I still haven’t spoken to Jim. But Jim ran with me for over 10 yrs, he worked hard, and I wish him the best of luck.
Everybody thinks I’m mad at Jim. Why am I mad? I told people for years that Jimmy was gonna be a star. So its better on my resume…I wish him the best.
The only thing is, him being with 50, I can’t really run with that. Hang out with who you want to hang out…but me, I can’t really do nothing like that.

(What did you think when 50 brought Jimmy and Juelz onstage with him to perform “Ballin’?”)

Actually, that was a great move for 50. First, he had Jim and Jeelz, then he brought out Remy Ma and J-Hood, then I even saw Whoo kid on TV with Gillie the Kid goin’ at Lil Wayne. I commend him for that. You’re really snatching a person from they own set. And then you also are seeing these n—as’ potential…

(So do you address this on Public Enemy #1?)

I make a comment but I keep it moving. On the first joint, I talk for like 6 minutes. I still get at 50. The Tru Life shit. I clear that shit up. And I also address the NYPD, the Intel squad…How they dragged me in during the whole Jay-Z and 50 Cent beef and tried to get me to talk about them….all that shit.

(And knowing how Cam talks trash with the best of them, I’m pretty sure that will be an entertaining 6 minute rant. But before we hung up, I had to ask him about that cryptic message he sent my homies at MTV last week: “Killa Season again, you little yentas***,” “November 7th. Cam’ron is anonymous. Dipset!”
Uhh, Cam, do you know what a yenta is?)

Hahaha, of course! You know my lawyers are Jewish, they be saying that all the time. So then I was watching Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Larry David—I fucks with Larry—he called Ted Danson a ‘yenta.’ Yo, I fell out laughing. That shit was crazy. I said, that’s exactly what all these folks are doin’, gossiping about me. Yentas. That’s where the ‘Cam’ron is anonymous’ came from too. Did you see that episode? That’s my shit. You have HBO On Demand? Its episode 52….

(For the record, that episode really is hilarious. I have to admit, I thought Cam was off his rocker when I first read that message….but now, I kinda love it. Random pop culture references are my shit! lol…)