Cam’ron Bio: The Rise of Killa Cam

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Colin Mahar

Colin is a content creator based out of New York City. Colin loves rap music because it brings together various things that he enjoys, like art, fashion, and film. He spends his time writing and producing music when he's not working. He's eager to share with you his first hand experiences in the industry.

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Cam’ron was one of the most iconic rappers in the history of East Coast hip hop. From founding Dipset to starring in the classic film Paid in Full, Cam’ron had a huge impact on rap culture in that era and has cemented his legacy as a true pioneer in the genre.

I’ve been listening to Cam’ron for years after discovering his music through his collaborations with Kanye West and Rocafella Records. My favorite Cam’ron albums are the projects produced during that era, including Come Home with Me and Purple Haze. But, he’s had a long and successful career that includes some of the catchiest anthems of the early 2000s. Here is a closer look at the life and career of Cam’ron.

Cam’ron Quick Facts

Cam’ron Birthplace

Cam’ron was born on February 4th, 1976, in the East Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan.

Cam’ron Parents

Cam’ron was raised by a single mother, Fredericka Giles. His father was a big-time drug dealer who started abusing his product and eventually lost it all. He was in and out of his son’s life from when he was three years old, so Cam was primarily raised by his mother and grandparents.  

Cam’ron Early Life

Cam’ron grew up around 140th and Lennox in East Harlem, one of the roughest areas in New York City at the time. In the late ’80s, the neighborhood was ravaged by the crack epidemic, and Cam saw a lot growing up. But he also grew up around many future legends in hip hop, including Big L, Max B, and Dame Dash.

He attended the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics with future rappers Mase and Jim Jones. He was also the star on his high school basketball team and was ranked 25th in the country in the class of ’94.

Cam was even recruited to play for the University of Miami before graduating high school. But, due to poor grades, he couldn’t get any scholarships. So he was forced to enroll in a junior college called Navarro College in Texas before Miami would accept him. He was supposed to play for Navarro for two years, then transfer to the University of Miami after two years. But during his freshman year, he tore his hamstring and was forced to redshirt his first season. With too much time on his hands, Cam started getting into trouble and was eventually kicked out of school. 

He returned to Harlem and started selling drugs to support himself. But Mase and Big L were making a name for themselves in the city as rappers, so he decided to give music a try.

Cam’ron Professional Life

In 1993, Cam formed a group called Children of the Corn alongside Mase, Herb McGruff, Big L, and his cousin Bloodshed. Bloodshed ended up getting into a car accident in 1997, leading the group to break up and everyone else to pursued a solo career. The same year, Cam also formed a new group called Dipset, along with his high school friends Jim Jones and Freaky Zeakey.

Around that time, Cam met Biggie Smalls through Mase, who took a liking to him immediately. He was so impressed by Cam’s rapping abilities that Big introduced him to his partner, Lance “Un” Riviera, who signed him to his label Untertainment through Epic Records. 

Confessions of Fire

Cam’s first album, Confessions of Fire, came out the following year on July 21st, 1998. The project featured the hit singles Horse and Carriage featuring Mase, Feels Good featuring Usher, and 357, which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Woo. The album was also a commercial success and peaked at number six on the Billboard charts.

Even though the project was a success and helped launch his career, Cam has said that he had to make artistic sacrifices to complete the album and wasn’t entirely happy with the finished product. He felt a lot of pressure from the label to mimic the style of the late Biggie Smalls, who had just passed away. So, it wasn’t a true reflection of his abilities.

Confessions of Fire is a solid debut album. However, it’s definitely not my favorite in Cameron’s discography.

SDE (Sports, Drugs, Entertainment)

Following the success of Confessions of Fire, Cam began working closely with Tommy Matolla, a music executive at Sony, on his follow-up project SDE (an acronym for Sports Drugs Entertainment).

After a few delayed releases, the project came out on September 19th, 2000, and featured appearances from Ol Dirty Bastard, Destiny’s Child, Prodigy, and more. SDE also marked the first official appearance of Dipset. Jim Jones, Freaky Zeaky, and recent addition Juelz Santana appeared on several songs.

The album didn’t do as well commercially as his first project and peaked at number 14 on Billboard. But artistically, Cam was beginning to come into his own and develop a unique sound. His personality comes through much more clearly than on his first album, which helped distinguish him from all the other New York rappers at that time.

Signing to Roc-a-fella and Come Home with Me

After the release of SDE, Cam demanded a release from Sony/Epic Records and instead signed to Roc-a-fella. He grew up with Roc-a-fella co-founder Dame Dash and was reportedly given a $4.5 million advance. After signing to Roc-a-fella, Cam also founded his own label, Diplomat Records, along with Jim Jones, and signed the rest of the crew.

In 2002, Cam released his second studio album, Come Home with Me, which featured appearances from every Dipset member and Roc-a-fella artists like Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel, and Memphis Bleek. It also featured production from a young Kanye West and Just Blaze. Come Home with Me was Cam’s biggest album to date and peaked at number two on Billboard, selling 226,000 copies in the first week. It also featured the hit singles Hey Ma and Oh Boy, which ended up on the Billboard chart.

Come Home with Me is my favorite Cam’ron album and is widely regarded as his best and most successful project. His raps are witty and endearing, and the production features nostalgic soul samples and hard-hitting drums. While Cam was never the most lyrical rapper, he makes up for it in charisma and heart, which is on full display throughout this album.

The same year, Cam starred in the classic Roc-a-fella-produced film Paid in Full. He played a drug dealer named Rico, who was based on the real-life drug dealer turned government informant Alpo Martinez. The movie was a hit and is now considered a hip-hop classic, helping Cam’ron display his versatility.

Diplomatic Immunity & Purple Haze

In 2003, Dipset dropped their first collaborative project, Diplomatic Immunity, which featured appearances from all the core members of the group, as well as newcomers like Hell Rell and legends like Master P and DMX. The project contained the hit single Dipset Anthem and a remix of Hey Ma. The group followed up with a sequel called Diplomatic Immunity 2 the following year.

In 2004, Cam’ron released his fourth studio album, Purple Haze. The project sold 123,000 copies the first week and peaked at number 20 on Billboard, earning a gold certification by the RIAA. While the album wasn’t quite as successful commercially as his previous project, Purple Haze is still considered a classic album. It featured some of my favorite Cam’ron tracks, like Down and Out and Killa Kam. On Purple Haze, Cam seemed to be rapping more for his core fans than trying to top the charts.

However, at the time, Cam felt that the album had not been promoted properly, which impacted its commercial success. So, he requested a release from Roc-a-fella and signed to Warner Brothers / Asylum Records the following year.

Killa Season

In 2006, he released his fifth studio album, Killa Season, accompanied by a film of the same name that Cam wrote, starred in, and directed. The album did better commercially than Purple Haze, selling 112,000 albums the first week and debuting at number two on Billboard.

Although it got positive reviews, many felt the production was lackluster compared to his previous albums. No longer being signed to Roc-a-fella, the project didn’t feature work from his past collaborators like Kanye and Just Blaze, which many felt was to the album’s detriment.

Personally, Killa Season is not among my favorite Cam’ron projects. However, he still continued to deliver exactly what his fanbase wanted – hard-hitting yet entertaining lines over soulful production.

Later Career

After Killa Season, Cam took a few years off from music after his mother suffered a stroke. He returned in 2009 with the album Crime Pays, which peaked at number three and was positively reviewed by critics. The same year Cam had a falling out with Jim Jones and decided to form a separate group called UN, along with fellow Harlem rapper Vado. Cam and Jim eventually ended their feud, and he reunited with the rest of Dipset in 2010.

Over the years, Cam continued to release mixtapes and EPs to satisfy his fans. But he wouldn’t release another official album until 2019, 10 years after the release of Crime Pays.

Purple Haze 2 was released on December 20th, 2019, and featured appearances from Max B, Wale, and Jim Jones, among others. Although not quite up to par with his classic albums, Purple Haze 2 is an underrated project, in my opinion. The album showed Cam still had the same sense of humor and lyrical talent after multiple decades in the game.

Cam’ron Video

Cam’ron Family

Not much is known about Cam’ron’s family. He has a son named Cameron Ezike Gile Jr., who is featured on the cover of his classic album Come Home with Me. His exact age is unknown, but he would be in his early 20s based on the album’s release date.

Cam’ron Relationship History

Cam’ron has mostly kept his personal life out of the public eye. In 2019, he mourned the unexpected death of his long-time girlfriend, Tawasa Harris. He took to Instagram to post photos of them together, along with a lengthy caption about their relationship. However, he also mentioned that Tawasa was not his son’s mother.

Cam’ron Controversies

The media have frequently criticized Cam’ron for his lyrical content. He appeared on Bill O’Reilly alongside Dame Dash to depend on his music and the topics he chose to rap about. He also faced backlash for appearing on 60 Minutes with Anderson Cooper and admitting that he would not help the police locate a shooter or even a serial killer because he doesn’t condone snitching.

Cam’ron has also been involved in several public feuds with other rappers, including Jay-Z, 50 Cent, and Kanye. However, he eventually settled the beef and reconciled with everyone he once had problems with.

In 2005, Cam was shot after someone pulled up next to him at a traffic light and demanded he give up his Lamborghini at gunpoint. He resisted and ended up getting shot in the arm. He drove off but had trouble steering and eventually flagged down a fan who helped bring him to the hospital. The gunman drove off, crashing into a parked car before fleeing the scene.

Cam’ron Net Worth

Cam’ron has a net worth of approximately $6 million. He has a long music career spanning over two decades and has multiple gold and platinum albums. Much of his fortune comes from music royalties and touring. Although he’s also appeared in several films, including Paid in Full, State Property 2, and Killa Season.

Cam’ron Real Estate & Residence History

In 2022, it was announced that Cam’ron would be starring in a new Home Renovation Show called Hip Hop My House that will be available exclusively on Paramount +. The show is something like a crossover between Pimp My Ride, MTV Cribs, and Flip This House, where Cam’ron will renovate the homes of celebrities like Tyga, Nelly, and the Migos alongside famous interior designer Zeez Louize. The show premiered last June.

Cam’ron Famous Quotes

• “If people realized someone would be sorting through their trash, would they be more careful in what they throw away?” – Cam’ron
• “You can’t be going through life expecting everything. You gotta have discipline.” – Cam’ron
• “When I did pink, I did it so I wouldn’t be dressing like everybody else.” – Cam’ron 

Cam’ron Discography & Full Credits

• 1998 – Confessions of Fire
• 2000 – SDE
• 2002 – Come Home with Me
• 2004 – Purple Haze
• 2006 – Killa Season
• 2009 – Crime Pays
• 2019 – Purple Haze 2

With UN

• 2010 – Heat in Here 1
• 2011 – Gunz n Butta

With Dipset

• 2003 – Diplomatic Immunity
• 2004 – Diplomatic Immunity Pt.2
• 2018 – Diplomatic Ties

FAQs

Sources

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cam’ron
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Diplomats
• https://www.allmusic.com/artist/camron-mn0000224312/biography
• https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/camron-35239.php
• https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1004112/bio
• https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-celebrities/richest-rappers/camron-net-worth/