And Then They Forget: Cam’ron and Dame Dash On O’Reily

November 15th, 2008 | By Sonnie Johnson

I don’t know how old this video is. I was looking for a video of a Cam’ron song I love and ran across it. The sad part is Cam’ron shitted on the song. Watch the Video, then I’ll explain.

Assholes. O.K. I really didn’t mean that. I meant Cam’ron is an Asshole. Sorry for the language but you don’t mind when they say it, so why should you care if I do?

I took Dame Dash out of my asshole comment because I think he really does show it’s cool to be smart. If you remember the show he had on BET, “Ultimate Hustler”, you can understand why I give him a pass. I learned a lot from that show. Never leave the house without your name on your clothes. (Please, if you want to buy name brand clothes, invest in the company and make some money in the process). Make sure the people around you are also hustlers. I mean his show was packed with insight on how to make in any industry. I have no beef with Dame Dash on this matter.

Now back to Cam’ron. He is the epitome of what’s wrong with Hip Hop. On his first album, Cam’ron had a song called D. Rugs. It is by far my favorite song by Cam’ron. If you haven’t heard it, you need to.

It’s about Cam’ron’s mother’s addiction to drugs and how he got pulled into the game. It’s a real story of what’s going on in the hood told in a positive manner. It didn’t glorify the drug game, it told you the real consequences behind the drug game. His mother ending up in the hospital and him ending up in handcuffs. I loved Cam’ron for that song.

Then comes the PINK era. I don’t know what happened to make him forget the truth. All of a sudden, it’s cool to sell drugs again. You are a man if you know how to run a block. And real men can wear PINK from head to toe and still be cool.

That’s bullshit. How could you write a song that shows so much raw emotion, then turn back into drug selling pimp. Am I being judgemental? Hell yeah. I’m mad. I’m losing artist to believe in.

Now let’s take a little look back at the interview. O.K. So you write what’s really going on in the hood. This is what gets left out. You are no longer in the hood. You get robbed when you go to the hood, but you don’t sing about that. Why? Because then you would be the punk in your own song.

Why don’t you rap about the struggles of opening your own record label. I mean that’s what you did, right. Why not put all your struggles on record and let people know the problems they face are faced by everyone. That would give them some push to keep going. Instead you continue to rap about the things you used to do, not the things you are currently doing.

And when you get called on it, you bring up movies. With that, I’ll bring back Dame Dash. You two make movies. Are they tales about how to make it out the hood? No. It’s back to showing only the negative. Then you turn around and ask someone else to point out the positive. Are you serious?

You don’t point out the positive. You still make the kid going to school seem like a square and the dudes hustling on the corner seem like the cool guys. I understand that’s really how the hood is but is that the way to change it. To see those that made it out continuously using the bad to promote themselves. Does it matter if you talk to 150 students when your albums and movies reach Millions?

Then when you mix the two, the old Cam’ron with the new, you get nothing but a mixed message. It’s cool to be smart but you still have to sell drugs to fit in. It’s cool to start your own business but you have to buy a big car the moment you do. And don’t even get me started on the subject of Women.

For this Dame Dash gets a Fuck You. I’m sure you have all heard the stories of how Dash treated the girls at the video shoots. Throwing champagne on them, calling them out their names, and basically treating them like they are nothing. I don’t blame him because if I was one of those girls, a real news story would come to pass. “Female beats the shit out of Dame Dash with his own bottle.”

But the message is still there. Men with power can treat women anyway they choose. There are women, god bless their souls, that actually accept this treatment. And as long as they accept it, there will be men that are willing to throw it out. That’s something us females have to fix.

Back to Cam’ron. He has another great song on his first CD. I think it’s called “It’s all good”. It’s about a man loving a woman. Yet again, one of my favorite Hip Hop songs and then comes PINK Cam’ron calling us all hoes and tricks. This is where I get pissed off.

I don’t care if you point out a few women and call them names. I know some of these women and they don’t mind. But you can’t point to us all with a single stroke. So when you say ALL WOMEN are this or that, you are degrading us. Yet again, I won’t blame Cam’ron. I will criticize but I won’t blame.

There are more women in this country than there are men. If we refused to buy any album where blanket statements are made about whole groups, we would change Hip Hop. We don’t have to complain or protest, all we have to do is stop spending. This is what I do. If the first song you put on the radio is filled with blanket statements, then I won’t buy the album. The C.D. could be filled with great songs but you choose to put the commercial ones first, then you won’t get me to buy your music. It’s that simple.

Probably explains why I haven’t bought a Cam’ron record since the first one.

Oh, I forgot the main reason I was writing this. The issue of whether they care or not. Cam’ron said there should be more parent teacher conferences. This is my question. Cam’ron go back to the time when you were living your D. Rugs song. Would your addict mother go to the school for a parent teacher conference? I’m not trying to be mean when I say that. I know what addiction does to a family. I know what it’s like for a child watching their parents ruin any chance of a decent upbringing. How can you honestly say it has to be the parents, only.

I’m one of those parents that listens to Disney songs when my daughter is in the car. I plan on going to every teacher’s conference my daughter has. But the truth is, D. Rugs is present in to many of our households. D. Rugs has more sway with some parents than any teacher ever could. And just imagine being the child that has to bring their drug addicted parent to school for everyone to see.

Cam’ron has really moved up in the world. In doing so, he has forgotten where he came from. He has forgotten what it felt like to be that child. And that’s a shame because there are kids out there that would love to hear that version of a C.E.O.’s life. Why are you not responsible for making sure everyone knows that version of the story?

Placing blame else where will not change our situation. I’m sure you didn’t blame one record label and that’s what got your foot in at another. Or did you forget that too.