This album is like candy for hip-hop lovers in a good way: sweet, unsubstantial, and satisfying. Over infections, 80's pop tunes Killa Cam makes the most of each beat. Hip-hop does not always need to address the wrongs in society - sometimes it is enough just to have fun. Cam's off-the-cuff tales of womanizing and drug-selling are of course present, but they are secondary to his amazing alliterative wordplay. On some songs it seems like he is determined to test the English language's boundaries, and go just beyond them. This cd will not change your life, but it is a decent album to bump in the car. Personal favorites are Killa Cam (with a chorus that will stay in your head for days), Hey Lady (infectious beat), and Girls. Check this cd out if for you sometimes the music can be more important than the message. DipSET!

I'm not a Cam'ron fan at all. However, I heard good things about this disc, and went out and bought it. I was surprised by the fact that I couldn't stop listening to this disc. It's that good. Rap is boring nowadays, but there are certain things this disc has that makes it really good:

Cam'ron's flow. At first, it's nothing but him talking. But as I listened, I realized that Cam has a style like no other. He rhymes many words in 2 bars, using multi's and wordplay as much as possible. It's a lazy, chill flow that reminds me of MF Doom. However, he lives in a delusional world where drugs, cash, and sex get you what you want- all of his rhymes are typical hood glory tales, but nothing realistic at all.

Second, the beats. The beats. These beats are among the best of 2004. They are that good. My favorite tracks are Bubble Music, Down and Out, Take Em To Church, More Gangsta Music, Soap Opera... in fact, there are no bad tracks on this album. Even though the lyrical content is nothing special.

The way to listen to this album is just throw it in, lay back, and let Cam's flow and the amazing beats drown out the rest of the world. This is easily one of the most fun CD's I've ever listened to. I won't call it classic, but I will say it's damn good. If you like this, check out Madvillainy, too.

I had never heard Camron or any of the diplomats before this year. But they are sick mc's. Especially Camron and Juelz Santana. This cd is well put together. Most songs are good to listen to. Some even over and over. If oyur a fan of the bird gang the go pick this cd up.

Tracks:

1.Intro - 7/10 Better than most intros ive heard.
2.More Gangsta Music - 10/10 Great beat and lyrics.
3.Get Down - 8/10 A slower song, but great.
4.Welcome To Purple Haze - SKIT
5.Killa Cam - 5/10 Background gets annoying.
6.Leave Me Alone Pt.2 - 8/10 Great lyrics and rhyming.
7.Down And Out - 9/10 Kanye is great on the chorus.
8.Harlem Streets - 8/10 Another slower song, but great again.
9.Rude Boy - SKIT
10.Girls - 9/10 Killa is sick, but chorus is weak.
11.Im A Chicken Head - SKIT
12.Soap Opera - 4/10 I skip over it.
13.O.T. - SKIT
14.Bubble Music - 5/10 Chorus is okay, but skip this track.
15.More Reasons - 5/10 Okay, but pretty good lyrics.
16.The Block - SKIT
17.The Dope Man - 7/10 One of the average tracks.
18.Familt Ties - 8/10 Great beat.
19.Adrenaline - 8/10 Psycho Drama is pretty sick. Twista brings it as well.
20.Hey Lady - 10/10 Great beat and rhymes. One of my favs.
21.Shake - 7/10 Verses are good, but chorus is stupid.
22.Get Em Girls - 10/10 Sick beat and lyrics. Another one of my favs.
23.Dip-Set Forever - 6/10 Average track.
24.Take Em To Church - 9/10 Great Song. Also on diplomatic immunity 2.

Song for song:

1. Intro: Nice opening

2. More Gangsta Music: (4/5) Can you say CHEA?! Santana sure does. A lot. Gets kind of repetitive, but nonetheless, Santana comes nice on this, one of his better verses, on any songs, IMO. Cam does his thing.

3. Get Down (4.5/5) Album continues to pick up. Nice beat. Cam shows off a little with his impressive wordplay.

4. Welcome to purple haze *skit*. Pretty funny skit.

5. Killa Cam (5/5). Top three beats on the album. This track is straight fire. Cam comes VERY nice on this. Flow helps him out, along with the wordplay. Released early this year and is still bumping. Still cannot get over how mellow this beat is.

6. Leave Me Alone, pt 2. (3/5) Thought Pt. 1 was better. Same Cam wordplay (read: good). Lyrics actually shine a little more, probably due to how I don't like the beat as much on this.

7. Down and Out ft. Kanye West. (5/5) THIS BEAT IS SICK, probably one of Kanye's best beats to date. Catchy hook, Cam comes with that straight fire, too. Top 3 on the album.

8. Harlem Streets (4.5/5) Beat comes from "Hill Street Blues." Kind of a deeper message, laid back beat...nice track.

9. Rude Boy *skit* Pretty funny skit. All of these skits are actually pretty funny.

10. Girls (2/5) Ain't really feelin' this. Somethin' for the girls. Cam's wordplay/flow saves this track from being completely ridiculous. Sounds like someone dared Cam to put this on the album.

11. I'm a chicken head *skit* another skit, nothing special.

12. Soap Opera (3/5) Better than "girls," beat is a little too mellow for me, even for Cam standards. Catchy sample, though.

13. O.T. *skit* Four words: "Man, F*** your kids." Hilarious.

14. Bubble Music (4/5) Album starts to pick up after this. Typical Cam, once again. Beat is straight, nice voice sample, pretty catchy.

15. More Reasons ft. Jaheim (4/5) Pretty fire song. Guess this is what the replaced "Lord you KNow" with. Love this beat, so that's fine...

16. The Block *skit*. Funny. Next.

17. The Dopeman (4/5) I like how the beat breaks down in certain areas, and Jim Jones actually comes pretty nice on this. His delivery is pretty...Dope? Yeah, whatever.

18. Family Ties (5/5) Beat, Lyrics (tons of memorable one-liners in this), flow, all of it is NICE.

19. Adrenaline ft. Psycho Drama, Twista (5/5) Psycho Drama? Are you serious? He returns, and doesn't spit all that bad on the first verse. Twista is insane on this track, and cam switches up his flow, sounds great. Hook is nice. Probably the hardest song on the CD.

20. Hey Lady (4.5/5) Upbeat feel. Freekey Zekey is on the hook. Some of the best wordplay on the album. Little bit of a poppy feel, though.

21. Shake (3.5/5) Club beat, JR Writer comes nice on this, I like how the hook switches up a little, but not a big fan of the voice sample.

22. Get 'em girls (5/5) Love this track. They switched up the beat for this one a little, still very good. Some of Cam's best. Most everyone knows this song. ..."I'll tell you true stories/how I coldy hold heat"

23. Dip Set Forever (5/5) Nice. Nice. Nice. Remember about Kanye's best beat? Well, this probably takes the cake. I'd say Cam's best wordplay on the album. Great Song, probably my favorite.

24. Take 'Em to Church (3.5/5) Cam takes a few shots at "Ma$e" on this, pretty funny. It's just a different beat from Jim Jones' CD, Juelz and Un do their thing, I suppose, I like the other beat better, though.


Production: Should be a 8/5, the beats are just insane. Straight fire. That Piffness you've come to know from Heatmakers, and even Kanye, on a few tracks. (5/5)

Lyrics: Cam gets some flak for his lyrics. Some of it can be silly, but you have to think a little, as he does delve quite a bit in pop culture and what not. He's a genius at wordplay, and he rides all of his beats just fine. (4/5)

Overall: This is honestly of the the top five albums of the year in hip-hop. Be sure to cop this. Did I mention the beats were great? ...(5/5)

When I first heard "Confessions of Fire" six years ago I was shocked at how an album that tight didn't blow up. The intro is still one of my favourites intro's of all time. Plus Kam was flowing like no other. Rapping on topics other MCs would not touch except maybe ODB ("confessions"). He never tried to murda the mic like say a KRS or M.O.P. Just that butta flow, funny ass lyrics, completely original.

But something happened after Dash signed Kam. I bought "Come Home With Me" expecting to hear Kam and instead I got a Juelz Santana's album. I was very disappointed, not only the guests but it seemed that Killa Kam had traded verses for nursery rhymes. "Oh boy", "Boy Boy", "Hey Ma" what a vocab! Forget pass the dutch, try pass the pacifier. Plus album too long, too many interludes and even hot beats could not save the album.

Fast forward to 2004 and "Purple Haze" is finally here after many delays. No chart topping single and definitely no critical acclaim. I am disappointed to report that the lyrics are still childish, the album is too long and the guests this time are too few. Fortunately that is all that is wrong with "Purple Haze" as this is undoubtedly the most fun album I've bought in years. Its Déjà vu time again as I find myself baffled by the fact that this album did not blow up.

Lyrically Kam is at his worst ever, you wish those annoying guests from his last album would return. The few guests only make things worse: Juelz murders Kam on "More Gangsta Music" and Twista & Psycho Drama are unbelievable on "Adrenaline."

But the beats, oh my goodness those beats... Heatmakerz, Kanye and gang are all on top form. Charlamange even makes the lazy "Girls" listenable. "Get `em Girls" is HOT. "Down and Out" is Kanye at his best and f*** critics "Harlem streets" makes good use of the theme to Hill Street Blues.

The beats are so good, I've got this CD on heavy rotation. In fact its getting more spins than that Game CD which is also killa with the beats and is better lyrically. The beats are so hot that Kam's nursery rhymes don't even annoy me anymore. In fact I catch myself rapping along with some of the nonsensical sh*t he says.

...I'm out mingling/Heard that I Blingi bling/But I run the circus like ring a ling/I'm the king of things/and your man he a homo like ching a ling, ching a ling/ that's right hit `em with the pow ping/ pow pow/45 loud thing/ look wild thing/I do wild things/make china stretch like Yao Minh...

I mean pick a track, any track, its all the same. It's amazing how he gets away with that sh*t.

Buy this CD if you like good beats, don't worry about Kam, he grows on you. Now, I Think I'll go give "Come Home With Me" another listen.