Gunz n' Butta: Cam'Ron's Best Album in Years

Cam'Ron has come a long way from the miserable attempt at a concept album with an equally lame name -- Confessions of Fire -- and even weirder album cover to his now completely mastered and refined rhyming style that has spawned too many rappers who claim Killa's signature flow as their own.

While his first album was far from wack, it was sort of a hodgepodge of random wild thoughts, complete with references of incest and the devil, all set over radio-friendly production in a mostly successful attempt to gain crossover appeal.

His flow back then was a random scattering of words that in the end did rhyme, but were slightly offbeat at times -- an unfortunate likeness to Drag-On and the Cam Stan also known as Stan Spit.

Nowadays it seems that he is primarily interested in creating the perfect rhyme, which, to Cam’ron, consists of knowingly ignorant, misogynistic, celebratory and money-obsessed lyrics that he knows his fans love him for: "You know me, fuck a freestyle, I'd rather hit Papi on speed dial."

And on Gunz ‘N Butta he gives his loyal listeners perhaps his best rhyming and lyrical effort since Purple Haze was released seven long years ago, a sentiment that Cam seems to agree with on the song American Greed: "Vado gotta vision that’s so raw, say no more, rewind, he remind me of me in 0-4."

Which brings me to Vado, Cam's aforementioned partner in rhyme on this album, sharing emceeing duties with his mentor, who seems to have discovered the latest in a talented string of his understudies who have gone on to receive individual critical acclaim -- a badge of honor for Cam, who for years now has shown his A&R-like talent without being in a corner office of a high rise building in midtown Manhattan.

Editor's Note: You can understand why Dame Dash appointed Cam to become the Vice President of Roc-A-Fella. Likewise, knowing how Jay feels about competition (and especially about Cam), you can understand Jay’s reaction to that appointment. But I digress…

Vado is a star is his own right, coming up with innovative rhyme schemes and a dizzying array of flows, all laced with potent lyrics that keep the listeners hanging on each and every word. With his high-powered delivery, all indications are that absent of music Vado could still rock rhymes effectively, a trait of a true emcee despite much of his lyrical content covering the requisite street life (after all, his name does stand for Violence And Drugs Overall): "Black Retros, yeah, them's 60 plus/ black Expo, necks broke just to look at us/ ridiculous delivery, them bars tight/ she fell in love with my kick game like Posh Spice."

And Cam doesn't stop with only putting on rappers; Gunz N’ Butta showcases the sounds of AraabMUZIK, the Rhode Island-reared, MPC-mashing maniac who is currently running with the production baton once firmly held by the Heatmakerz, who were responsible for the creation of Dipset's original, classic, sample-heavy sound that ran New York in the early part of the millennium.

Araab's beats -- which make up the bulk of this album's production -- do more on this album to discredit his naysayers who would rather reduce him to a gimmicky producing sideshow than his actual words ever could.

Standout tracks include but are not limited to Stop It 5, Breathe and I-Luv U, which, if released as a single, is my bet to become a certified summer banger.

Support real rap and buy the album HERE or HERE.

Here's some visual imagery in the form of music videos for songs from the album:

araabMUZIK: The Future of Hiphop Production

Stetsasonic put Hiphop bands on the map, followed by, of course, the legendary Roots crew, who long ago set a new standards when it comes to music performed live accompanied by rappers.

But there's a new beatsmith on the scene who is currently redefining Hiphop production and live musicianship, courtesy of the MPC and a pair of lightning-fast hands.

And he's only 20 years old.

Enter araabMUZIK, who is no longer a secret thanks to Cam'ron, who brought the producer to the forefront beginning with Cam's Crime Pays album and followed by mixtapes filled with araabMUZIK'S signature sound, which is highlighted by an eerie, horror movie inspired scream -- his personal musical trademark.

The Rhode Island native has worked primarily with Dipset artists because of his affiliation with Cam, but it's to the point now that rappers who have a history of beef with Cam can't deny araabMUZIK's talent and have gone ahead and worked with him despite the lingering animosity.

It's only a matter of time before a beat maker or producer bites araabMUZIK's style -- which has been done before but never like this as an all-out style of live production. He's already won over the respect of some of his more established peers and I'm sure he will get more work in 2011 and beyond.

Cam's got a future as an A&R with the way he discovers talent.

If you're lucky you can catch araabMUZIK doing his thing at a club near you.

Hell Rell: Black Mask Black Gloves (The Ruga Edition)

Dipset enforcer Hell Rell is back with his official sophomore fell length album, Black Mask, Black Gloves, and everybody who is a fan of Rell's unique gangsta spin on rap, he does not disappoint.

We were first introduced to an incarcerated Ruga Rell on 20o3's Diplomatic Immunity double album, which was really a very good album. 

But even with his limited participation on the album, Rell stood out with his memorable a capella freestyles, which included gems such as:

N*gga, what cho money like?

I keep dough, ijo.

Spice the track up like adobo,

It's a free throw.

My hit man's Benito.

He don't speak no English lingo

And he fresh off the plane from Puerto Rico.

Find a n*gga and kill him

Is the only thing that he know.

He'll ring your doorbell

And pop you right through the peephole.

As far as this ki go?

It's gonna get stepped on,

Cooked up, broke down.

Probably get distributed in yo town.

The block's got me grindin',

My watch keeping me bright.

N*gga, why I'mma knock ya hustle

If mine's treating me right?

Like his customers, he had me hooked right there.

Of course, on this new album the subject matter never strays too far from his bread and butter -- guns, money and drugs, none of which can exist without the other in Rell's world -- but musically this is the most solid effort from a Dipset member since perhaps Cam'ron's Purple Haze album released nearly four years ago.

The album starts on a high note with "Intro (Black Gloves)," where he lets listeners know what he's about and what's he's been doing in his spare time:

Got a hundred guns, hundred goons,

Plus two enemies, too.

Killed one in May, one in June,

My new album is coming soon!

And while I'm no beauty scout, it is obvious to the naked eye that Hell Rell is not the most attractive human on the face of the earth. But like Deion Sanders it must be the money (though he cautions that while he is very wealthy, "I never wrote a check"...) when he raps that he's "got b*tches lookin' for me like a shoe sale."

And although he goes out of his way to prove the unity of his crew, The Diplomats, the noticeably limited Dispet participation on this album is very telling -- and worrisome for the Dips' future as a whole. Only J.R Writer and some guy named Sen appear on the album with Rell. 

But Rell holds his own (does he have any other choice?), and reaffirms his allegiance to the Diplomats for any doubters on "True Colors," one banger of a song calling out fake gangsters while at the same time touting his own wealthy but homicidal status:

Yeah, n*gga, it's the Dips,

So don't get us confused.

Or you gon' make me mad,

And you gon' make the news.

And I'm gon' make my flight,

Or triple on a cruise

To an island where these b*tches is nude and serving food.

Ignorant, but isn't that why we love Hell Rell in the first place?

The album's lone misstep is "Push 'Em Back," which, weirdly enough, sounds almost exactly like Lil' Mama's reprehensible hip-pop song "Lip Gloss," and at times on the song borrows Yung Joc's flow from his hit "It's Going Down".

But after that the album wraps up with two very solid efforts in "Rumors," where Rell refutes all the Dipset gossip, and on "Million Dollar Man," which may just be the best on the album, where he says on the hook, "If it wasn't rap, it was crack kingpin, thank God I'm on my job with this ink pen."

Check out this video of Rell promoting his album, which officially came out on Tuesday.