The Diplomats

[WATCH] Rare Footage Of Cam’Ron In Cipher In Harlem Circa 1995

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Diplomats General Cam’ROn took to social media to post footage of himself, MA$e, Big L(RIP), Bloodshed(RIP) and McGruff from 1995 in a rhyme cipher in St. Nicholas Houses in Harlem.

“Before DIPSET IT WAS BBO then COC!!! This is footage is In ST Nick PJ’s, These are the bars u get when u spar with @rsvpmase #BigL #BloodShed and @therealherbmcgruff (in a good way) every week,” said Cam. He continued with his pending hoop dreams and drug dealing reality, saying, “Still wasn’t taking rap serious tho. This was a month after I got kicked out of college. Still thought I was going to the NBA. So I got a 8 ball to hold me over till I got back into school. Never went back tho 🤷🏾‍♂️ I’ll post part 2 on Monday!!”

The post [WATCH] Rare Footage Of Cam’Ron In Cipher In Harlem Circa 1995 appeared first on The Source.

Juelz Santana Explains Why The LOX Really Is A Better Group Than Dipset After Their ‘Verzuz’ Battle

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Drink Champs certainly instigates its fair share of drama in the hip-hop world, but at its core, the show is (ostensibly) about giving modern-day rap heroes their flowers while they can still appreciate them. In reality, it gives the stars of yesteryear a chance to share some of their experiences, whether insightful, spiteful, or just downright hilarious, and give their opinions on the current state of hip-hop.

While recent episodes have certainly sprouted a certain amount of bitterness, in the latest episode, Diplomats’ member Juelz Santana, fresh from a stint in federal prison, instead saluted his group’s recent competition by way of another props-giving platform, Verzuz. Juelz admitted that the night of the Verzuz battle between The LOX and Dipset proved why the former is a better group overall.

“We are individual artists that came together as a collective to form what we formed, which is called Dipset,” he elaborated. “They came in this game as LOX, they perform as a group. Me and Cam have great records together, but we don’t have those back-to-back records like Styles P and Jadakiss.”

Elsewhere in the podcast, Juelz discussed his addiction to lean, describing how Houston rapper Paul Wall introduced him to the drug, while recording with Lil Wayne exacerbated the situation. You can watch the full interview above.

Today In Hip Hop History: The Diplomats Released Their Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ 19 Years Ago

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On this date in 2003, Cam’ron’s crew from Harlem, The Diplomats, dropped their debut album Diplomatic Immunity on the Roc A Fella Records/Def Jam imprint during the pivotal time when Dame Dash appointed Cam’ron as the President of Roc-A-Fella Records.

Coming on the heels of the release of Cam’s Come Home With Me LP, Diplomatic Immunity introduced the entire Dipset squad including Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, Freekey Zeekey, Un Kasa, and Hell Rell, who was incarcerated by the time the album was available for purchase. With production from the likes of Heatmakerz, DR Period, and a then virtually unknown Kanye West, the trailblazing sound of old soul samples pushed Dipset to the forefront of the creative curve of Hip Hop, which offered the Blood-affiliated crew from Uptown an almost cult-like following.

The album was saturated with longstanding hits such as “I Really Mean It”, the infectious “Dipset Anthem”, the female-friendly “Hey Ma” and the Master P assisted “Bout It Bout It…Part III”. Commercially, the album was considered average debuting at #8 on the Billboard 200 and selling 92,000 copies in its first week, but the album was certified Gold by the RIAA in 2005.

Salute to Cam, Juelz on the inside, Jim Jones, Freekey and Hell Rell for this classic piece of Hip Hop history!

The post Today In Hip Hop History: The Diplomats Released Their Debut Album ‘Diplomatic Immunity’ 19 Years Ago appeared first on The Source.