With the entire world on lockdown, rappers and producers alike have been forced to think outside the box. Luckily, Swizz Beatz and Timbaland came up with the idea to launch Verzuz, a series in which legendary hip-hop figures face off against one another in a friendly competition. And while the events themselves have been few and far between, many have since used the format to debate their own what-if scenarios, with Elliot Wilson of Rap Radar recently musing on a possible Jim Jones Vs. Cam'ron matchup.
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Wilson took a moment to field the question to Jones himself, during a FaceTime conversation with the Dipset veteran. Though rappers are generally known to be a confident bunch, Jones showed humility by admitting that Cam would likely take the win. "I think Cam wins," says Jones. "You gotta figure, how many platinum records and singles does Cam have? You got records with Kanye, "Really Mean It," "Oh Boy," "357." It's just way too much heat that Killa's got."
"He started his solo career way before I started mines," continues Jones. "He's the one we all started rapping after. I watched him rapping since were in high school. Undeniably it would be Killa. He got some great records and he got a great catalog. His catalog is a little bit more extensive than mines due to the fact he started it solo career before I started mine. Then we rolled into The Diplomats and lo-and-behold, Jim Jones creeps up out the crevices. I'm grateful to even be mentioned within that category when it comes to doing music."
Jim Jones Reflects On Jay-Z’s Fight To Go Platinum
During his recent appearance on REVOLT’s Drink Champs, Jim Jones remembers racing Jay-Z to secure that coveted first platinum plaque.
Given that Jay-Z jumped hurdle after hurdle in his quest to become hip-hop’s first billionaire, it’s hard to imagine him as anything other than the esteemed mogul he is today. As his former labelmate Jim Jones explained, however, on his recent episode of REVOLT’S Drink Champs, securing his first platinum plaque was one of the more difficult challenges of the Jigga Man’s career.
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Around the twenty-five minute mark, Jones reflects on an era in which hip-hop artists were platinum in a time where others were struggling to do so. “You’re a platinum artist, hands down,” prefaces Jones, addressing Nore’s artistic accomplishments. “It was a different era when artists weren’t going platinum, some of the biggest artists people look up to now, in that moment, in the nineties, wasn’t going platinum. They might have been hot or fly, but they wasn’t going platinum. Mase was going platinum, NORE was going platinum. Cam was going platinum, DMX was going platinum — from New York.”
When NORE suggests that Jay-Z was in a different category, Jones reminds him that the road to platinum status wasn’t instantaneous for the hip-hop legend. “It took him a while to go platinum,” Jones explains. “Like, he didn’t start off going platinum. And that’s no shots at Hov, he’s a fucking billionaire. But his main battle was making it to be platinum. He had the platinum Rollie, they had everything, but it was hard for him to make platinum. And then, when he finally made platinum, he stayed there, he only got better and iller, and way triller, you dig? But in that era, he was in the same fight as all of us.”
Check out the full episode of REVOLT’s Drink Champs below, featuring plenty of material from Jim Jones, NORE, and more.
Is Juelz Santana Dissing Cam’ron On New Mixtape?
Juelz Santana may have dissed his Dipset buddy Cam’ron on his new song “In My Life,” which appears on “#FREESANTANA.”
Although neither Juelz Santana nor his wife Kimbella has confirmed that the rapper’s new song “In My Life” is about Cam’ron, it sure sounds like the majority of bars are directed his way.
For years, the status of the friendship between Juelz Santana and Cam’ron, two members of The Diplomats, has been up in the air. It has been presumed that there is beef between them and, on the new mixtape released by Santana from behind bars, he appears to be airing out his frustrations with Killa Cam.
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On the Foreigner-sampling “In My Life,” which is on the tracklist to #FREESANTANA, Juelz raps:
“I was the loyalest n***a you ever met/Now I wish I was a n***a you never met/This was supposed to be a forever thing/Now it’s just a whatever thing long as the cheddar’s clean/I repped us over everything/Never thought these were the ties I would have to consider severing.”
Later in the song, he continues:
“You ain’t building shit by yourself n***a/You just forgot that we all need help n***a/For worse or for better/But that just taught me that nothing is forever.”
Even if he’s not talking explicitly about Cam’ron here, it sounds like Juelz Santana has been through it all with somebody who he once wanted to build with, but that feeling is no longer mutual. Listen below.
Future, Diplomats & Others Redesign Their Hometown NBA Jerseys
Mitchell & Ness and Bleacher Report link with Future, The Diplomats, DJ Khaled and other artists to remix their hometown NBA jerseys.
Mitchell & Ness and Bleacher Report have teamed up with eight hip-hop artists for a limited collection of basketball jerseys and gear inspired by their hometown teams. For instance, The Diplomats put their spin on a blue and orange New York jersey, while Future created an electric Hawks jersey with a nod to "Zone 6" on the back.
Other artists/teams featured in the collection include: E-40 x Golden State Warriors, ScHoolboy Q x Los Angeles Lakers, Big Sean x Detroit Pistons, Wale x Washington Wizards, DJ Khaled x Miami Heat and No Limit x New Orleans Pelicans. Each of the special edition jerseys are on sale now for $175, but there are also t-shirts, shorts and hats included in these collections.
Scroll down for a look at the eight jersey designs and click here to check out all of the gear.
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Jim Jones Reveals He Wants To Marry Chrissy Lampkin, She’s Not Interested In Wedding
She’s just enjoying their relationship as it is.
Many moons ago, Chrissy Lampkin was on a mission to walk down the aisle with Jim Jones. The rapper and his longtime girlfriend were one of the first cast members of Love & Hip Hop, and while hip hop fans were more than familiar with the Dipset rapper, the reality show was the first time Chrissy was truly introduced to the world on such a global scale.
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Their relationship woes were played out for millions, especially the animosity between Chrissy and Jim’s mother, and while their relationship still may not be perfect, it seems that over the years they’ve come to a better understanding. There was a point back in 2011 when Chrissy even proposed to Jim, only to receive a response of “I’m with you.”
Later, Jim also proposed to Chrissy, and fans awaited the big day when these two would exchange “I dos.” They’re approaching 16 years together and still haven’t wed, and Chrissy has made it clear that marriage is no longer a priority for her. On a recent episode of Love & Hip Hop New York, the couple had a heart-to-heart about their feelings on marriage and Jim’s response surprised viewers.
“From inception, people have always had something to say about our relationship,” Chrissy said. “It’s partly my fault because I proposed to you. After that proposal, we didn’t get married because we weren’t ready and you’ve asked for marriage after that and I wasn’t ready. We’re still together. We have a crazy bond, nobody can tear it apart. We’ve been together, what, a million years? And if marriage never happens, I don’t feel a way about it anymore because marriage doesn’t complete us.”
“But I do want to get married,” Jim replied. ” I believe every woman who’s in love or is in a strong relationship that we are, deserves to have that.” Fifteen years in, Chrissy is no longer interested in going that route. “I don’t feel that way, and I know it sounds crazy,” she said. “In the beginning, I thought that was the end-all, be-all. I thought that was the natural progression but at this point, what does that gon’ change for us?”
Watch a clip of the scene below.
Jim Jones Reveals Dipset Movie Might Happen Once Juelz Santana’s Released
A new Dipset album could also be coming into fruition.
From fashion to music, Dipset defined an era in hip-hop but their story isn’t one that’s gone without ups and downs. Like any great group, they’ve had issues that resulted in a break up of sorts. Despite this, Jim Jones, Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, and Freekey Zeekey are some of hip-hop’s most iconic figures in the last two decades.
Speaking to Nick Cannon, Jim Jones revealed that fans might be able to expect a new project from Dipset as well as a film but first, fans will have to wait on Juelz Santana’s release.
“The Diplomat movie might be in the works when [Juelz] comes out. That’s probably more of our focus than anything,” he said. “People know we make music and there’s always a nostalgic value when we pop out and do music. But I do believe we got a story that needs to be seen in hip-hop like no other. I know people have a lot of their own glory story, but we really have an action flick that needs to be told. I swear to God.”
We do agree, as well. The most recent update we’ve received about Juelz came from his wife Kimbella who revealed that the Dipset rapper is set to come home this year. “Summer 2020 my HUSBAND will be home,” she wrote along with a new picture of Juelz. “We did our longest leg in the feds now we’re on our shortest leg count down til he comes, the kids and I are so looking forward to it!.”
Diplomats’ Freekey Zekey Opens Up The Harrowing Night He Was Shot
Freekey Zekey finally opens up about the night he was shot.
It’s no secret that Freekey Zekey of the Diplomats has been battling one of hip-hop’s most notorious labels: “snitch.” You may recall the incident that landed Zekey with the “snitch” moniker to begin with. In 2003, Zekey was involved in a car accident that ultimately escalated into a firefight that left the rapper shot and his friend Eric Mangrum dead. It didn’t take long for authorities to apprehend several suspects, including a man named Chauncey Dillon. During Dillon’s trial, Zekey was called in as a witness. As the story goes, Zekey didn’t name names nor point fingers, but his description of “a man in a green jacket” was enough to nail Dillon as the triggerman and land him thirty-years.
Following the trial, many were quick to deem Zekey’s courtroom conduct as “snitching,” and the unfortunate label has hovered over his head for years. Today, Queenzflip and DJ GMoney of FlipDaScript linked up with Zeke to discuss the elephant in the room. Off the bat, Zekey is hit with the blunt question: “why’d they say you snitched?” Clearly expecting this, the Dipset rapper defiantly explains that “the bitch was all in em. There’s no reason for my name and snitch to be in the same sentence.”
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He explains that the courtroom transcription doesn’t lie, and invites doubters to look to the public records for validation of his innocence. “There are two things a man doesn’t want to be called,” he explains, naming a homophobic slur and “snitch” in the same dubious category. The hosts proceed to play footage of an interrogation with one of Chauncey Dillon’s entourage from 2003, which Zekey feels will clear his name once and for all. He also takes a moment to recount his own experience on “the scariest night of his life.”
“I’m looking for parking, and a n***a hit my truck,” he says. “My father told me that’s the move. They hit the truck, you get out to see what’s going on, they see the jewelry you got on you. When I got out, I was on the run. I was like fuck. I don’t want to get locked up! We go around the corner, and they just sitting there. I should have known.” He explains that he tried to exchange information without getting the police involved, only for one man to reach for Zekey’s gun. “I grabbed his motherfuckin hand, the n***a started letting off,” he recalls, complete with sound effects. “Once it jammed, I spun him around and put the n***a in a Full Nelson.”
By this point, everyone had drawn their weapons, and Zekey all but counted himself dead. “Now when these muthafuckers are trying to shoot me, I’m aiming this n***a at all the hammers.” Unfortunately, a human shield is far from impenetrable, and Zeke took a bullet all the same. He remembers how some of the men were crying for him to be “hit in the head,” prompting him to cry out “don’t do that!” Eventually, the attackers peeled off, and Zekey recalls seeing his friend Eric Mangrum on the ground. “There was blood all over the place, and I was like damn I feel cold too,” says Zekey. “He said ‘Zeke, I’m cold, I’m cold.” I said ‘damn, don’t worry about that, you gon’ be alright.’ But now I’m getting cold.”
Check out the entire interview, which finds Zekey’s brilliant storytelling on full display, below.