Cam'ron

Wolfgang Gartner: The 'Weekend' Trip

20 Sep 2011 18:00:58 EDT

Wolfgang Gartner: The 'Weekend' Trip
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Cam'ron Wants To Make Vado A 'Mega Superstar'

06 Jun 2011 19:05:42 EDT

'Speaking in Tungs' duo have finished Boss of All Bosses 3, Cam reveals.
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Ade Mangum

When Vado emerged on Hot 97's Summer Jam stage Sunday performing his Cam'ron-assisted single "Speaking in Tungs," it was clear that the Tri-State area had love. But with a major-label deal with Interscope Records firmly in place, Cam is hoping his protégé gets more than just hometown support.

"It was great, but we still have a lot more work to do," the Dipset CEO said backstage at Summer Jam. "I appreciate everybody showing him love, and he's hot, but he hasn't even put an album out yet. I want to do three, four, five albums and come back and talk."

Since making a name for himself on Cam's 2009 Boss of All Bosses mixtape and its 2010 follow-up, Boss of All Bosses 2, Vado has become a fan favorite thanks to last year's "Speaking in Tungs" — the stand-out single off the Harlem rap rookie's retail mixtape, Slime Flu. Still, Cam insists that his vision for Vado is much bigger.

"I think it's still early. I'm happy he got his deal, I'm happy everybody's aware of him, I'm happy he's turned into a superstar, but I want to make him into a mega, mega superstar," he said.

Next up is Killa and Vado's Boss of All Bosses 3, the third installment in the duo's famed mixtape series. While the first two BOAB recordings were available for free online, Cam is planning a retail release for the latest mixtape, which will drop on Fontana, Universal Music's independent arm and be out this summer, according to Cam.

"The Boss of All Bosses 3 that me and Vado did is done," he revealed. "It's coming out in stores through Fontana, so we're just trying to get the date locked in, but it's done."

Will Vado become a "mega superstar"? Sound off below!

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Just Blaze Explains His Fallout With Cam'ron

12 May 2011 16:03:26 EDT

Former Roc-A-Fella Records producer tells 'RapFix Live' the Diplomats MC told him: 'You should've been Dipset.'
By Rob Markman, with reporting by Sway Calloway

At its height, there were few labels as compelling as the now-defunct Roc-A-Fella Records. Not only was the label anchored by Jay-Z, but in the early 2000s, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel and Cam'ron all had their collective cliques under the Roc umbrella, and at the center of it all was label producer Just Blaze. Having to balance relationships between the competitive sub-camps got difficult at times, and during Wednesday's "RapFix Live," Just broke down his fallout with former Roc signee Cam'ron.

"Obviously, there was a division starting to happen between the camps," Just told MTV News' Sway Calloway. "Whereas Roc-A-Fella used to encompass Get Low, State Property, Diplomats, M.O.P., all of a sudden you start to see the dissent between different camps, arguments are starting to happen, silent conflicts where neither person is saying, but their actions are making it apparent," he explained.

It was an incident surrounding a Dipset chain that stood out in Just's mind. "I walked into the studio one day and Cam said to me, 'You should've been Dipset,' " he said. "He had just bought like 10 Dipset chains, so I was like, 'I need my chain — wassup?' "

A week passed, and Blaze again asked Cam about securing a Diplomats piece. "He was like, 'Yo, I had the chain but you should've been Dipset,' " Blaze recalled Cam'ron saying. "I said, 'I'm Dipset just as much as I am State Property, just as I am Get Low, just as I am Roc-A-Fella.' "

It was then that the producer noticed the Roc's internal structure with the label's subdivisions was shifting. "Everybody wasn't referring to each other collectively anymore," he explained.

The breaking point in Cam and Blaze's relationship came after a studio mix-up. According to Just, the Diplomats CEO booked studio time, expecting Blaze to show up to work, even though the producer never agreed to the date and time. Around the same time, Blaze reached out to Killa Cam to record a feature he was producing for Mariah Carey.

After exchanging a few emails, the two got on the phone, at which time, according to Blaze, Cam said: "F you, F your beats. It's no drama, we're just not F'in with you no more."

Just Blaze went on to say that Cam'ron eventually apologized and that he harbors no ill will towards the Harlem rapper, but "the relationship was never the same."

The producer insists he has no beef with Cam'ron or the Diplomats, but wouldn't commit to working with Killa anytime soon. "You can't say, like, eight years later, 'Let's feel it like that again,' " Blaze said. "It doesn't work like that. It's not beef, it's not drama, but if the vibe ain't there.

"That being said, I've done records or done beats where I'd be like, 'He would've killed this,' but the lines of communication ain't open like that."

Would you like to hear Just Blaze and Cam'ron work together again? Sound off below!

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Cam'ron, Vado Talk Gunz 'n Butta, 'Hey Muma' Video

08 Apr 2011 16:52:10 EDT

'That's like, 'What up mami? What's poppin'?' ' Vado explains to MTV News about club single from Diplomat duo's April 19 album.
By Alvin Blanco

Harlem rapper Cam'ron and his protégé Vado are gearing up to drop their briefly delayed collaborative album, Gunz 'n Butta, on April 19. MTV News caught up with the ever-confident rappers at famed New York nightclub Don Hill's, the set of the video for their single "Hey Muma."

Vado may have landed a recording deal with Interscope Records but it's still business as usual for the Diplomats pair when it comes to making music. Cam'ron plans to release his next solo album, Killa Season 2, by the end of the year and Vado expects to release Slime Flu 2, the sequel to his retail mixtape, by the summer. "It's done, though. It's definitely sick for y'all," Vado told us.

For now, the focus is on Gunz 'n Butta and the Skitzo-produced, dance-floor shaker "Hey Muma."

"That's like, 'What up mami? What's poppin'?' " Vado said of the song's title. "Not your 'mommy' like your moms, but a 'mami.' Shout-out to the Latina females, got it from them. There's a few mumas in here. It's the video shoot, so we went and got all the fresh mumas in N.Y. — from Broadway to Brooklyn."

Gunz 'n Butta was originally scheduled to arrive in 2010, but once it was delayed, Cam and Vado used the extra time to continue to make tweaks.

"We been ready for a minute," Cam'ron said. "We keep updating it, making sure the songs are up to date and everything. Me and Vado do so much music that that's why we throw out a lot of mixtapes. We did like four or five mixtapes [ourselves] but if you go on the street, it's like 800 of them. People take our songs and make they own mixtapes. But we definitely, definitely been ready for this to come out. It's going to be classic."

Cam also mentioned that Boss of All Bosses 3, the follow up to the DJ Drama-hosted Boss of All Bosses 2.5, is done and will be out sometime after the release of Gunz 'n Butta. A video for another song from the album, "Stop It 5," has already been shot in Miami and Harlem.

About that rumored Interscope deal, Cam reiterated that the Diplomats have to take care of prior recording obligations before any contract can be finalized. But he expressed relief that Dipset are finally starting to cut through the music industry red tape. "That's beautiful right now, I ain't even going to lie, man," Killa said. "Clear skies man."

Jim Jones has said that a new Diplomats EP, Independence Day, will be released July 4.

What are you expecting from Cam and Vado? Tell us in the comments!

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50 Cent Calls Onetime Foe Cam'ron 'A Good Guy'

24 Jan 2011 17:36:19 EST

'I don't wake up or go to sleep feeling like I hate Cam'ron,' Fif tells MTV News.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Josh Horowitz

50 Cent has had a go at it with more than a few of his fellow rappers, from his scathing beef with Ja Rule to his venomous war of words with Fat Joe.

One clash that didn't escalate, however, was when the G-Unit leader and Cam'ron tossed barbs at each other. According to 50, their dispute wasn't nearly as personal as it seemed.

In fact, he told MTV News that the Diplomats leader was "a good guy." "What me and Cam'ron had is music," 50 said, characterizing their rift as a challenge to be the pre-eminent MC. "It's the competitive nature of the art form. In hip-hop, there's always been battling. It's a part of it. I don't wake up or go to sleep feeling like I hate Cam'ron. He's a good guy."

Just last week, Cam'ron talked to MTV News about 50 and also revealed that things between them are solid.

"I don't have no problem with 50," Cam told Sway during "RapFix Live." "50 cool with me.

"It was good for hip-hop," he continued. "We had our little hip-hop beef or whatever you wanna call it, but ain't no problem. Jim and Juelz do stuff with 50 and they camp all the time. I don't have a problem with 50 at all. It is what it is. We had our little discrepancy, and we moved on from it."

Over the summer, their protégés — Lloyd Banks and Juelz Santana — joined forces for the summer heater "Beamer, Benz or Bentley."

Do you think former foes 50 and Cam should team up musically? Let us know in the comments!

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Cam'ron Says Vado Will Decline XXL Freshmen Cover

24 Jan 2011 14:33:25 EST

Like Drake and Nicki Minaj in 2010, he says offer came a year too late.
By Jayson Rodriguez

It's almost that time of the year when hip-hop magazine XXL crowns the newest crop of lauded MCs for its annual "Freshmen" cover.

One on-the-rise upstart who won't be gracing the front of the magazine, however, is Vado.

Cam'ron said his protégé is passing on the opportunity.

"To be honest, he's not gonna be on there," Cam told DJ Drama on satellite radio station Shade 45. "It ain't definite yet. But I spoke to [XXL's editor in chief] ... She called me about doing it. They didn't put him on last year, they wanted him on this year ... so I told the lady at XXL I'd get back to her.

"If Vado does do the cover for XXL, I want him to be a main focus. I'm not trying to be an a--hole, like 'it's us or nothing,' [but] my man put a lot of work in last year. I'm not saying that the other people that's coming up shouldn't be on the cover either, I'm just saying give him a little focus on the cover. She said she didn't know if she could, and I understand that."

XXL editor Vanessa Satten didn't respond to a request for comment.

The Slime Flu MC won't join the list of past XXL frosh picks, including Asher Roth, Wiz Khalifa and B.o.B. Lil Wayne protégés Drake and Nicki Minaj declined the 10 Freshmen for 2010 issue, also saying the offer came a year too late.

According to Cam'ron, the Harlem MC will instead appear on the cover of rival rap mag The Source soon along with Cam and Jim Jones.

The rapper said The Source cover story was negotiated by Alan Grunblatt, president of E1 Music, the recording home of Cam and Vado's upcoming joint effort Gunz N' Butta and Jones' Capo.

A representative for The Source would not confirm the Cam'ron, Vado and Jim Jones cover as of press time.

Do you think XXL should have recognized Vado last year? Sound off in the comments below!

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Cam'ron Reveals Why He Took Shots At Kanye West

21 Jan 2011 15:31:12 EST

'We good now,' the Diplomats MC tells 'RapFix Live' of patching things up with Yeezy.
By Jayson Rodriguez, with reporting by Sway Calloway

Not long after the Diplomats reunited and started working together again last year, it seemed like Cam'ron and Jim Jones were up to their old tricks again as they released a freestyle over Kanye West's "Runway" production.

In an online clip of the rowdy pair in the studio, Cam'ron takes a couple of shots at 'Ye before he lays his verse. A couple of months later, though, in a puzzling move, West recruited Cam and Capo for his "Christmas in Harlem" track. According to Cam, however, there had only been a minor disagreement between the two in the first place. And that rift has since been patched up.

"The reason I took a shot at Kanye, he needed something done for his album [a couple of years ago, and] when he needed it, I sent it back to him in about an hour," Cam told MTV News during his appearance with Dipset on "RapFix Live" on Thursday. The Harlem MC was referring to the song "Gone" from West's 2007 LP, Late Registration.

"I needed something for my record and he was in Honolulu; he has to do this, he has to do that," Cam recalled. "And I'm one of those people, I do a favor for a favor. When you need it, I got it back to you. When I needed something, you couldn't get back to me?"

Eventually matters were settled with help from Don C., a Yeezy insider who has a longstanding relationship with Cam'ron. Now, with their differences mended, the Diplomats frontman suggested they could work together again soon — possibly for the Harlem collective's reunion project.

"We good now," Cam said.

Would you like to see Dipset make new music with Kanye? Tell us in the comments!

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Diplomats' Jim Jones Talks Getting 'Coached' By Dr. Dre

19 Oct 2010 13:16:21 EDT

'That was the most incredible experience in my career,' Jones tells MTV News of iconic producer coming to the Dipset studio.
By Jayson Rodriguez

The Diplomats' reunion has been filled with plenty of highlights so far, from the release of their rousing banger "Salute Me" to the Harlem collective appearing on TV together for the first time in years during the 2010 BET Hip-Hop Awards. Adding to the highlight reel, they recently hit the studio with Dr. Dre to work on their forthcoming project.

According to Jim Jones, the West Coast legend visited them at the urging of music executive Jimmy Iovine.

"Shout-outs to Dre, that was the most incredible experience in my career," Jones told MTV News at last week's Diesel-sponsored Only the Brave concert. "Dr. Dre came to our studio, which was even more incredible. That was dope. We got to do a few songs with him. He coached me a bit.

"Jimmy Iovine gave us the link to him," he added. "That's a good man."

That Iovine, the chairman of Interscope/Geffen/A&M, aligned Dipset with Dre has only added to speculation that the New York crew is gearing up to ink a recording contract with Interscope Records, as first reported by Billboard.com.

Earlier this month, however, Juelz Santana declined to come clean about their future business plans — just yet.

"We'll wait for all of us [to be] together to announce the move we're making," Juelz explained to MTV News. "We were all in the studio, though."

Over the summer, Cam'ron revealed the collective had completed almost 10 songs for their comeback set. Jones said once the principals cleared their personal troubles, returning to the studio was second nature for them.

"It's a good feeling," Jones said. "Everybody just comes to the table with their best. It's brotherly competition so it only makes it better. Above all, we came back together for the brotherhood. We grew up together, so there was a love that was lost there. We regained that and it's time for music."

Who do you hope Dipset will work with on their reunion album? Tell us in the comments!

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Rapper Huddy 6 Killed In Car Accident

13 Oct 2010 17:53:17 EDT

Harlem MC and Cam'ron's childhood friend died on the George Washington Bridge heading to New Jersey.
By Paul Cantor, with additional reporting by Rahman Dukes

Harlem rapper Huddy Combs, a.k.a. Huddy 6 (born Andre Hudson), was killed in a car accident in New York on Wednesday morning (October 13), a spokesperson for the Port Authority confirmed to MTV News.

"The driver was traveling southbound towards New Jersey on the George Washington bridge when his vehicle struck a truck," Port Authority spokesperson Steve Coleman said. "[Andre] Hudson was pronounced [dead] on the scene and the female passenger was taken to a local hospital."

A spokesperson at the Hackensack Medical University Center confirmed that the passenger was brought there but would not reveal her condition.

In hip-hop circles, Huddy is mostly known as a close associate of Cam'ron. In 2005, Cam'ron credited his childhood friend with saving his life when he was shot two times while leaving a party during the Howard University homecoming weekend in Washington, D.C. According to Cam, it was Huddy who noticed the assailant as he was sitting in the passenger seat of Cam's Lamborghini and directed Cam to a local hospital after he was shot. "My man here saved my life," Cam said at the time.

Huddy Combs got his feet wet in the music industry as a member of Mase's Harlem World rap group in the late '90s. In 1999, the group released their only LP, The Movement, which subsequently went gold. Harlem World disbanded shortly after the project was released.

Huddy later found himself running alongside former Source magazine co-owner Ray Benzino and appeared on Benzino's 2003 anti-Eminem mixtape Die Another Day: Flawless Victory, as well as his album Arch Nemesis (2005). Huddy became a fixture on New York's party scene after his career in music seemingly ended, promoting hundreds of high-profile events.

After hearing about his passing, Twitter was flooded with RIP Huddy 6 messages. "R.I.P. HUDDY 6," Juelz Santana wrote. "SMFH if u don't or didn't know who he was jus know this, he was HARLEM!!!!"

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Kanye West Dis By Cam'ron, Jim Jones Doesn't Surprise Juelz Santana

17 Sep 2010 10:42:18 EDT

Diplomats' third member says he knew nothing of 'Toast' track before it was posted online.
By Jayson Rodriguez

It would be a stretch to say that everyone is suddenly on Kanye West's side following his 2010 MTV Video Music Awards performance. Former Roc-a-Fella labelmates Cam'ron and Jim Jones responded to West's new track "Runaway" with a recording that takes shots at the Chicago superstar and Jay-Z.

"And Kanye, you a sucka n---a, dissed Dame so my attitude is f--- the n---a," Cam spits on "Toast," which was posted on Missinfo.tv on Wednesday. "Sucked off Jigga, how you gonna live with that/ Took the beat, now come get it back."

"You might take it the wrong way, that's what people do," Jones said. They gonna think we starting trouble, but we just viewing our opinions."

On Thursday, the other member of the recently reunited Diplomats, Juelz Santana, called in to Hot 97's Funkmaster Flex and said he knew nothing about the track before it arrived.

"To be honest, I just heard the record like a fan, like everybody else," Juelz told Flex. "I didn't even know they did the record. Me and Cam and Jim, we been speaking, but they must have did that when they were just together in the studio. That's what they do. I heard the record, I was on the Internet and thought, Wow. It shouldn't surprise people. Especially [with] Cam, he's always said how he felt about Jay-Z or Kanye. He's never been a person that's bitten his tongue."

In the past, Cam'ron and Jay-Z have traded barbs on wax. Cam appeared on J.R. Writer's "Bird Call," which featured former Roc-a-Fella co-CEO Dame Dash in the video. The pair have had differences since the Roc days when Dash attempted to appoint the Harlem MC into a VP position with the label, something that the Brooklyn lyricist disagreed with. (Dash also wanted to promote Beanie Sigel to VP, the idea being that both rappers, Beanie and Cam'ron, would oversee releases from their respective crews, State Property and Dipset.)

Cam'ron has also taken umbrage at Kanye's choosing Jay-Z over Dame Dash in the Roc split, since brash businessman Dash is the one who first took an interest in West as an artist.

MTV News' requests for comments by the parties involved were not returned as of press time.

What do you think of Cam'ron and Jim Jones' Kanye dis track? Sound off in the comments.

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