Pink furs, bandanas, Harlem attitude and some of the hardest soul-sample beats New York ever produced. The Diplomats ran the city in the early 2000s, and nobody looked or sounded like them. These are my thirteen essential Dipset videos, in order, from Cam'ron's early solo days to Jim Jones taking the crew to the top of the charts.
Before the Takeover
Cam'ron – 357
Where it starts. "357" came out in 1998 on Epic as part of the soundtrack to The Woo, produced by Darrell "Digga" Branch. This is Killa Cam before Roc-A-Fella and before the Diplomats had a name. The confidence was already there.
The Roc-A-Fella Run
Cam'ron feat. Juelz Santana – Oh Boy
The breakthrough. Released in April 2002 as the lead single from Come Home with Me, produced by Just Blaze on a flip of Rose Royce's "I'm Going Down". The beat was originally meant for Memphis Bleek. Cam took it, put a young Juelz Santana on the hook and went to number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Five weeks at number one on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. The soul-sample era of the Roc in one record.
Cam'ron feat. Jay-Z & Juelz Santana – Welcome to New York City
Another Just Blaze production from Come Home with Me, released in May 2002, and a rare moment of Cam and Hov on one track during the Roc-A-Fella years. A city anthem with two Harlem MCs next to the boss of Marcy. Years later the song became the theme of the video game True Crime: New York City.
Cam'ron feat. Juelz Santana, Freekey Zekey & Toya – Hey Ma
The follow-up did even better. "Hey Ma" landed in August 2002, built by DR Period and Mafia Boy around the Commodores' "Easy", and peaked at number three on the Hot 100, Cam's highest placing ever. Smooth on the surface, pure Harlem underneath.
Diplomatic Immunity
The Diplomats feat. Juelz Santana & Cam'ron – Dipset Anthem
The one every Dipset fan knows by heart. The Heatmakerz chopped Sanchez's "One in a Million", a Sam Dees composition, and stacked MPC drums under it. The track first ran as "Gangsta Music" on a Purple City mixtape before it became the official anthem on Diplomatic Immunity in 2003. It only reached number 64 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart. In the streets it was number one for years.
The Diplomats feat. Cam'ron & Jim Jones – I Really Mean It
Just Blaze again, this time on Major Harris' "I Got Over Love". Cam and Jim Jones over a soul loop with that typical Just Blaze punch. For me the best beat on Diplomatic Immunity, and one I still go back to when I need a reference for how a sample should breathe.
Juelz Santana feat. Cam'ron – Dipset (Santana's Town)
Juelz claiming his own lane. The lead single from his debut From Me to U came out in July 2003 and rides Verdi's "Anvil Chorus" like it was made for Harlem. It earned a Grammy nomination for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Peak Dipset.
The Solo Wave
Jim Jones feat. The Game & Cam'ron – Certified Gangstas
Harlem saluting Compton. Jim Jones released "Certified Gangstas" in July 2004 from On My Way to Church, produced by Duane Holmes on a sample of Eazy-E's "Boyz-n-the-Hood". Jim meant it as an ode to Eazy. The original had Cam'ron and Bezel, the video version brings in The Game, which makes the East meets West idea complete.
Jim Jones feat. Juelz Santana & Cam'ron – Crunk Muzik
Released in late 2004 and produced by The Blackout Movement, "Crunk Muzik" sits on Jim Jones' debut On My Way to Church and on Diplomatic Immunity 2. Harlem borrowing a southern word and making it sound like 145th Street. All three in top form.
Juelz Santana – There It Go (The Whistle Song)
Juelz' biggest solo hit. Released in October 2005 from What the Game's Been Missing!, with a whistle where the melody would normally be. Juelz wanted a sound people could recognize instantly, and it worked: number six on the Hot 100.
Cam'ron feat. Lil Wayne – Touch It or Not
From Killa Season, released in May 2006, the album Cam put out alongside his own movie of the same name. The track is also known as "Suck It or Not", and that is the title most fans still use. Cam and a hungry 2006 Lil Wayne trading lines is exactly as entertaining as it sounds.
J.R. Writer feat. Lil Wayne & Cam'ron – Bird Call
J.R. Writer was the pure lyricist of the Dipset second generation, and "Bird Call" from his 2006 debut History in the Making on Diplomat/Koch is his signature record. The album version was produced by Develop with Cam'ron on the feature. For the video, Lil Wayne joins as well. The record shows how deep the Dipset bench was.
Jim Jones – We Fly High
"Ballin'!" Produced by Zukhan Bey and released as a single in October 2006 from Hustler's P.O.M.E., this one went platinum and reached number five on the Hot 100. New York Giants players turned it into a touchdown celebration with the jump shot move, and Jay-Z answered with "Brooklyn High" on the same beat. When a song crosses over into the NFL and starts a beef with Hov, it has won.
Why Dipset Still Matters
The Diplomats proved that a crew could build its own world: its own look, its own slang, its own producers and its own mixtape circuit, and still land hits on the Hot 100. The Heatmakerz and Just Blaze gave them soul samples with weight, and Cam, Juelz and Jim gave them personality nobody could copy. A lot of what Griselda and the current New York underground do with sample-heavy beats and full creative control goes back to this blueprint.
Dipset forever.
