Cameron Giles
(born February 4, 1976) [1] better known by his stage name Cam'ron
, previously known as Killa Cam
, is a Grammy-nominated American rapper and actor. He is the founder of the hip hop group The Diplomats, commonly known as Dipset.
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Biography
Cameron Giles was born in
Harlem, New York. He went to school at Manhattan Center High School, where he would meet his long time friends
Mase and
Jim Jones. He began his musical career in the mid 1990s, rapping alongside
Big L, Mase and his cousin Bloodshed in a group called
Children Of The Corn. The group dissolved after Bloodshed's death in a car accident in 1997 and Big L's death in 1999. However, Giles continued to rap, and he eventually was introduced to
Notorious B.I.G. by Mase,
[2] who was so impressed with his skills that Biggie introduced him to his manager.
Early career
Cam'ron signed to Rivera's Untertainment label distributed by
Epic/
Sony, releasing his first solo album,
Confessions of Fire
, in July 1998. The album featured songs like "357" and "Horse And Carriage," featuring Mase. Untertainment folded in 1999, and Cam'ron was absorbed into Epic Records. Cam'ron achieved notoriety for his 2001 release from
Sony Records under
Tommy Mottola.
Roc-A-Fella
With his release from Sony Records, Cam'ron moved on to sign with his childhood friend
Damon Dash in 2001, who had already been managing him and
Roc-A-Fella Records. In 2002, he released his third and most successful album,
Come Home With Me
, along with the biggest hits of his career, "Oh Boy" and "Hey Ma," both featuring Juelz Santana.
[3] He went on to appear in the
Damon Dash produced film,
Paid in Full
, in 2002. Cam'ron then teamed up with his fellow Diplomats Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and
Freekey Zeeky to release the
Diplomats' debut album,
Diplomatic Immunity
, in 2003, which was quickly certified
platinum by the
RIAA. On November 23, 2004, a year later, the Diplomats released their second album,
Diplomatic Immunity 2
. Although not as successful as
The Diplomats' first group album, it still was boosted to
gold status. Cam'ron's fourth album,
Purple Haze
, was released on December 7, 2004, on
Def Jam/
Roc-A-Fella Records. It reached
gold status.
[4] In December 2004, Cam'ron requested his release from
Def Jam/
Roc-A-Fella Records, feeling his projects weren't receiving the attention they deserved.
Asylum Records
On April 28, 2005, Cam'ron officially joined the
Warner Music Group under the
Asylum Records imprint.
[5] Cam'ron began work on what would be his first project for
Asylum, shooting a
direct to video movie titled
Killa Season
. The film would mark both Cam'ron's screenwriting and directorial debuts, as well as his return to acting.
Killa Season
was released on DVD on April 25, 2006, after a special two-day theatrical release.
[6] Cam'ron's fifth studio album, also titled
Killa Season
, was released on May 16, 2006. Despite selling 114,000 units his first week and debuting at #2 on the charts,
Killa Season
failed to have the same staying power as his previous releases, making it the lowest selling album of his career & first album not to reach gold status.\
Other music projects
Children of the Corn
Cam'ron first started rapping as a member of the rap group,
Children of the Corn, alongside
Mase,
Big L, Digga and his cousin Bloodshed. The group split up after the death of Bloodshed and before they were signed to a deal, but a collection of the group's songs was released in 2003 entitled
Children of the Corn: The Collector’s Edition
.
The Diplomats
Cam'ron is the leader of the
Harlem rap group
The Diplomats, known as Dipset. When the group's debut album,
Diplomatic Immunity
, was released, the group became a financial success and was expanded to include three new members:
Hell Rell,
JR Writer, and
40 Cal.
The U.N
Cam'ron has formed a new group of his own acts after a highly publicized split with Diplomat members Jim Jones & Juelz Santana. This new group, The U.N, consists of Harlem rapper Vado, Byrd Lady, Felony Fame & Rod Rhaspy. A compilation album is due out in August.
He also plans to release a Gangsta Grillz edition mixtape with
DJ Drama entitled "Boss Of All Bosses" shortly, according to the DJ's twitter account which is believed to feature more work from U.N member Vado. A track has recently been leaked to the internet called "La Bomba".
Other ventures
Diplomat Records
Cam'ron founded
Diplomat Records (distributed by
Koch Records,
Asylum Records,
Warner Bros. Records,
Def Jam Recordings, and
SRC Records) in 2002 with
Jim Jones, shortly after being dropped by
Sony Records. He later expanded his label to form Killa Entertainment.
Acting career
Cam'ron made his acting debut on the 2002 film
Paid in Full
, where he played the character Rico, who is based on former Harlem drug dealer
Alpo.
In 2006, Cam'ron would return to his acting career and make his debut in screen writing in his movie
Killa Season
. Cam'ron plays a high school basketball player who eventually drops out of high school to begin his own drug ring. The movie was released in 2006, simultaneous with the
Killa Season
album. It was shown at a few theaters in
New York City and is now available on
DVD.
Shooting & "Stop Snitchin'"
On October 23, 2005, Cam'ron was leaving a nightclub in
Washington D.C., having performed the day before at
Howard University, and stopped at a traffic light at the intersection of New York and New Jersey avenues.
[7] Shortly after midnight, a passenger of a nearby car threatened Cam'ron to "give up" his car, a 2006
Lamborghini. Cam'ron resisted, and the gunman then shot him. Cam'ron was struck at least once as he was holding the steering wheel, but he was able to drive, going the wrong way on streets and flashing his lights, trying to get a police officer's attention because he didn't know his location or that of a hospital, until a fan drove him to Howard University Hospital. The gunman and passenger fled and crashed into a parked car and a home, then fled the scene. D.C. Metro Police recovered a cell phone from the scene of the crash, which they tried to use to trace the suspects. On April 22, 2007, Cam'ron was interviewed on
60 Minutes
about the incident. He stated that he does not know who shot him. He also stated that he would "not help the police" try to locate the shooter saying he is "not a snitch" and helping the police would probably hurt his record sales.
Cam'ron was also questioned on
60 Minutes
about the "
Stop Snitchin'" campaign. When asked if he would tell the police if a
serial killer was living next to him, Cam'ron replied "I would probably move," but wouldn't inform the police. Cam'ron has had contact with the police in the past. According to
The Smoking Gun, New York Police Department records indicate that Giles filed a police report with police after he was assaulted at a Harlem playground in 1999.
[8]
Discography
- Confessions of Fire
(1998)
- S.D.E.
(2000)
- Come Home with Me
(2002)
- Purple Haze
(2004)
- Killa Season
(2006)
- Crime Pays
(2009)
Filmography
- Paper Soldiers
(2002)
- Paid in Full
(2002)
- State Property 2
(2005)
- Killa Season
(2006)
- The Bakery
(2009)
References
- Cam'ron Biography
- Camron.. He Shoots, He Scores
- Cam'ron Strikes Platinum
- Searchable Database. RIAA
- Cam'ron Leaves Roc-A-Fella For Asylum/Warner
- Cam’ron’s Killa Season Hits Big Screens in Limited Engagement
- Rapper Shot in Alleged Carjacking in D.C., The Washington Post
- Rapper's Change Of Face, The Smoking Gun