Rapper Cam’ron sets the rap game ablaze with his latest, Purple Haze.

Credit: Beth Rankin

and ready to be smoked. A listener will get bent with a head-throbbing high from the flamboyant lyrics and beats.

Cam’ron has been known for his flamboyant style in the past, and he brings it smoothly on this album. The beats, the lyrics and the rhymes go up and down on this album, but most of the time they’re up. The fact that there are six skits, however, is a big minus.

I thought the worst song on the album was put on video. That song is called “Girls” and uses a sample from “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” by Cyndi Lauper. Cam’ron’s lyrics aren’t as sharp as he states, “I milked them, I killed them/You quilt them, you missed her/You held her, you kissed her/You felt all the blisters, melt on your whiskers.”

“Gangsta Music” features Juelz Santana, who says “Chea!” over 20 times in half the song. The “Chea!” overshadows the lyrics and shows Santana as being nothing but a stunner.

Cam’ron brings some sharp ones in this song, though. He states, “Slang all the white (who)/cruise wit the tan (who)/Pink on they back (who)/Blue in they van (who)/Yellow on his ear (who)/Steam on the rock (who)/Purple in the air (who)/Green in his pocket.”

“Killa Cam” is a slamming track that’s “the realest since Kumbaya.” It has a bomb-dropping beat with some witty and unpredictable lyrics. Some lyrics Cam’ron states are, “Them niggaz knew we bang/Stood out like pootie-tang/Soon as the stoodie sang/That’s when the tootie sang . . Bang, Bang/Came from that movie Ring/Snap, crack, jewelry bling/Flap-jack, who’d he bring?”

“Down and Out” features production from Kanye West, which brings out the best in this album. Cam’ron lays it flat with lyrics like, “Observe cock and spray/Hit you from a block away/Drinking Sake on a Suzuki.”

“Harlem Streets” is a laid-back track. It’s about Cam’ron’s life in Harlem. Some bars have Cam’ron saying, “And I get it cheaper/I cop bricks like sneakers/And if the cops come/I just hit amnesia/But I give you an earful/it’s tearful/Told my mother I hustle/and she said be careful.”

The last song on this album is called “Take ‘Em to Church.” The song is aimed toward rapper Mase. Santana is the first to mention Mase, saying, “Everybody welcoming this, welcoming that/He wasn’t welcome in the first place, how we welcome him back?” Then Un Kasa of Dip Set destroys Mase in two bars by saying, “Give me the Mac, let me welcome with that/Tell ‘Mr. Rogers,’ I leave his brains on the trolley track/Now prolly that.” The rest of the song features Cam’ron telling a story about Mase.

Purple Haze got me blazed up for a few songs, but a few were dirt haze. This is a good album to purchase for anyone into hip-hop and some flamboyant lyrics. It’s not the best offering from Cam’ron but still a good addition to the Dip Set fan collection.

Contact pop arts reporter Jeremy Porter at [email protected].