Career
Cam'ron started his rapping career in the mid-1990s when he formed the underground rap group 'Children Of The Corn' with Big L, Mase, and his cousin, Bloodshed. However, after the sudden death of Bloodshed in a car accident on March 2, 1997, the other members of the group decided to disband and pursue solo careers.
His friend, Mase, introduced him to The Notorious BIG, who was so impressed with him that he set up a meeting with his partner Lance "Un" Rivera and got him signed to his label, Untertainment. In July 1998, he released his debut album, 'Confessions of Fire’, which was certified gold by RIAA and contained hit singles like '3-5-7' and 'Horse and Carriage'.
He collaborated with music executive, Tommy Mottola, to release his second album, 'S.D.E. (Sports Drugs & Entertainment)', from Sony/Epic Records, in 2000. The album, featuring artists like Destiny's Child, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, N.O.R.E., and producer Digga, reached No.2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart with tracks like 'Let Me Know' and 'What Means The World To You'.
In 2001, his hip-hop group 'The Diplomats', which he had founded with Jim Jones in 1997, signed a deal with Jay-Z's Roc-A-Fella Records, which was co-founded and managed by his childhood friend Damon Dash.
In 2002, he released his third album, 'Come Home with Me', which contained the hit singles 'Oh Boy' and 'Hey Ma', featuring the newest member of the group, Juelz Santana.
He was cast as one of the three main characters in the Damon Dash-produced film, 'Paid in Full', released in 2002.
In 2003, along with fellow Diplomats members Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zeeky, he released their debut album, 'Diplomatic Immunity', featuring lead single 'Dipset Anthem' and the street anthem 'I Really Mean It'.
The next year, the group released their second album, 'Diplomatic Immunity 2', which was a moderate success and was able to receive gold certification like its predecessor. Cam'ron, who became known as the pink-purple rapper during this time for his affinity to those colors, released the album 'Purple Haze' to critical acclaim in December 2004.
He felt that his last album was not promoted properly and left Roc-A-Fella Records in 2005 to sign a record deal with Warner Music Group. His first album from the label, 'Killa Season', was released on May 16, 2006, and was accompanied by his film of the same name, which he also wrote, directed and starred in.
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His next album, 'Crime Pays', was released on Asylum/Diplomat Records in 2009, but became the lowest selling album of his career with only about 150,000 units sold. While none of the singles reached the charts, the album peaked at No.3 on the 'Billboard 200'.
In 2009, he founded the record label 'Dipset West' and formed the group U.N. with rapper Vado, with whom he released the collaborative albums 'Heat in Here Vol. 1' (2010) and 'Gunz n' Butta (2011). During this time, he also ended his feud with Jim Jones and reunited with other Diplomats members to work on new singles together, even though a full album is long due.
In 2012, he featured on the song 'The Bluff' from rapper/singer Wiz Khalifa's second studio album 'O.N.I.F.C.' and on 'I Am Your Leader' from female rapper/singer Nicki Minaj's second studio album 'Pink Friday: Roman Reloaded'.
In 2014, he teamed up with A-Trak for the collaborative EP 'Federal Reserve', the lead single from which, 'Dipshts', was released in May.
Cam'ron, who has a fashion clothing line titled 'Dipset USA', collaborated with fashion designer Mark McNairy on their 'Cape line' in early 2014, and released 'Ebola mask' in October that year.
In the past few years, he has released six volumes of his '1st of the Month' EP series, and is working on his upcoming seventh studio album 'Killa Season 2: The Pink Edition'.
