I’ll never forget the first time I saw the Get Em Girls video.
I was in 10th grade (the first time), I was 14, and awkward as hell. I came home one day, put my bag down and turned on Rap City. That video was like a dream. I couldn’t believe the amount of swag I was witnessing. Cam’Ron was like a god damn superhero. I didn’t know what I just watched, but I knew that it was a single from his upcoming album, “Purple Haze”.
Purple Haze is one of the most influential rap albums in my life. Like, I took mushrooms and listened to Purple Haze; this shit is important. I often listen to this album to remind myself of my childhood where things were easy and Kanye was still relatable to black people. This album holds a special place in my heart, and I’ll always appreciate it. So with that, I decided to listen to “Purple Haze 2”.
Yea, this really didn’t need to come out.
There’s a thin line between effortless and not putting in effort. For a long time Cam’ron effortlessly put words together, he was a natural. However as time as gone on he takes a lot of songs off. It’s not that he can’t rap anymore, he just doesn’t want to. Cam raps with the same enthusiasm I have when I gotta go to the dentist in Ozone Park. “I mean, if I have to do this I guess I’ll do it”. I don’t want to sound too critical though, this is still Cam’ron, he’s one of the best rappers of all time. The magic just isn’t there.
For starters, Cam’ron albums ain’t the same without angry voicemails from women. When I was a kid and afraid of girls because puberty, Cam’Ron was a hero because he spoke with no fear. He laughed when women threatened him and he did not care how mad they got. He was immature and it was so awesome. PH2 does not have the voicemails, but it does have the same immaturity. I won’t lie, it feels weird to hear niggas in their 40s rap about all the hoes they get. Like fam, you 40 with money and your own house, you should have hoes. That’s like me, a college grad millennial, rapping about all my debt. No ones surprised. It’s not charming to hear a 40 year old man rap about bagging a 22 year old. What do y’all even do together? Talk about college?
As I stated earlier, when Cam wants to rap, he can RAP. Dude paints a picture better than most. When he wants you to feel something, you can feel it. In that famous Bill O’Reilly interview, Cam calls himself an Author, there are many times during this tape that I feel this is true. There are also times on “Purple Haze 2” that I have no idea what son is talking about. It needs some real organization. This album felt like eating breakfast for Dinner. My theory is that Cam’ron needs a strong team around him. Cam is a raw talent who was born to rap, he needs people around him that can help him with the vision. On this album there aren’t many high profile features, the beats are all just ok and there isn’t much that ties it to the original Purple Haze. I would’ve loved to hear Hell Rell rap or hear Juelz call in from prison. Purple Haze was dope because we were watching the leader of a movement show his worth, Purple Haze 2 is just one nigga rapping.
This is the type of album you listen to when you wanna impress your little cousins. This album feels like seeing the flyest nigga on your block in 2005, in 2020. His girls still bad, he’s still fly, but the energy just ain’t the same. Purple Haze 2 is like a platinum chain. At one point nothing could’ve seemed bigger than this, but today it’s just a reminder of a bygone era.
I honestly don’t think this album is THAT bad, I just think Purple Haze 1 was Amazing. If this album wasn’t called Purple Haze 2 and was called, i dont know “some songs I wrote while buying some sneakers” I’d probably like it way more. It’s hard to put yourself up against your legacy; this album is like if Vince Carter was in the Dunk Contest today, we didn’t need this.
Cam’Ron had a big effect on my life, but I can’t excuse him for letting Wale rap about nutting on shorties. Wale a good Nigerian man, no one wanna hear him rap about dirty sex. I give Purple Haze 2, 2 out of 5 Purple Tops, this isn’t what you need.