Crime Pays

It's true what they say, you don't know what you've got until it's gone. I didn't realise how crucial Cam was, the outstandingly low quality of 'Killa Season' [the album rather than the film, which I've thus far refused to watch] and the brain rotting lames that made up Cam's extended family [everybody that isn't Juelz Santana...and Max-B, but he doesn't really count] really tainted the Cam'ron brand between '04 and '09. The fact that Jim Jones is still allowed to breathe as a rapper should be a source of great shame for the entire hip-hop community. 'Crime Pays' is a true return to form, acting as part hardcore New York rap album, part Curb Your Enthusiasm style awkward hilarity. Production is solid without ever being exceptional, perhaps catering to Cam's comfort zone a little too much, but lyrically he's better than ever and seems to have matured his song writing and structuring abilities beyond a level he'd ever reached before. I advise you listen and remind yourself why the world loves Cam.