Cam’ron – Crime Pays (5-12-2009)

Posted on May 20 in Reviewsby adminPrint

It’s been a long-long three years since Cam’ron last blessed the world with a solo effort. Aside from a couple of mixtapes and an almost heated battle with 50 Cent Cam all but disappeared from the game. Now that his crew is in shambles and his popularity is at an all time height Cam obviously feels obligated to let people in on his thought process with his latest effort Crime Pays. As with just about every other Cam’ron joint Crime Pays boasts the usual elongated track list, however things look a little different in the featured guest category this time around.

Killa kicks off the album with his very familiar play on words as he relishes his career decisions over those of his 2 nd grade or kindergarten classmates on “Crime Pays (Intro).” Producer Skitzo laces one of the album’s hottest tracks at a very early point in the collection with the weaving “Where I Know You From.” Cam spits “I’m on point like Rondo” which makes the King Floyd sampled “Silky” one of the album’s acceptable fuck ups.

I Personally like how Cam refers to the mid-west as the fourth coast at the beginning of “Get It In Ohio;” I guess it’s really important to acknowledge the Great Lakes since no one talks about them outside of elementary school. By the time things reach the meat of the album the sounds start to really get force fed and undesirable with joints like “You Know What’s Up” and “Spend The Night.” I’m not sure whether to love or hate Araabmuzik’s production tactics on the obviously Taco Bell influenced “Chalupa.”

It would be great to think that Cam was merely making fun of Soulja Boy with “Cookies-N-Apple Juice” but by the time he begins to spit you’ll be fully aware that he is dead serious. Those feeling down on their luck in regards to their day-to-day grind can find solace in the Skitzo produced “My Job.” For some strange reason the YH produced “Got It For Cheap” sounded like it was going to turn out to be a much better offering when I first heard it on one of those funny ass videos Cam put out earlier this year. Aside from a lackluster hook Cam manages to do work on the album’s most serious and quite satisfying offering “Get It Get It.”

Crime Pays turns out to be one song shy of a complete cluster fuck. While Cam does indeed entertain to the fullest with is latest effort it will most likely fall on def ears thanks to its many inconsistencies. As a seasoned hip-hop veteran Cam should be able to openly and effectively express his true feelings about why he’s been absent for so long. Unfortunately Cam can only offer up the same regurgitated material that he spit at his sales prime in 2003. With Jim Jones already proving to be on the downslide maybe this is the year to officially bid farewell to the entire Dipset as we once knew it.

VERDICT – 10 / 20
LYRICS: 3
PRODUCTION: 3
DELIVERY: 2
CONSISTENCY: 2