Check out my review of Cam’s latest street film, down bottom.
Artistically I never really expect much from Cam’ron in terms of nutritional value, which is neither an insult or negative criticism. Instead, Killa Cam gives me – a rather decent-living, youngish black male who was raised predominantly on the right side of the law – his at times hilariously off-kilter depiction of an urban jungle deeply rooted in drug-dealing, gun-ridden violence and the many other colorful aspects of the Harlem hustler lifestyle, something I’ve never and will never live. In short, Cam’ron is Uptown’s cult leader, a legendary cultural influencer in Harlem, and is essentially the closest thing today’s rap climate has to a modern day version of Rudy Ray Moore’s Dolemite.
Earlier tonight I, alongside some of my compatriots, were invited to attend a screening of his upcoming web series, First Of The Month, which will debut – you guessed it! – every first of the month beginning in December. For someone who has willingly sat through all of Cam’s post-Paid In Full works and has gleefully laughed at every exaggerated shootout, rolled my eyes at each filth-ridden sex scene, and watched in utter confusion at the events that would unfold in front of my eyes, I instantly jumped at the chance to catch his new viral series, and in essence got what I (didn’t) pay for.
You have to understand how wonderfully sinister it is for Cam’ron to have held a screening of his latest hood masterpiece in somewhere as esteemed as the TriBeCa Cinemas, for starters, to even attempt to get a grasp of how his mad mind works (hint: you never will). After being treated to some “nutritious, delicious,” slightly stale and over-salted popcorn and other condiments at the concession stand I and a small group of people packed into the screening room and watched the opening “episode” of Cam’s new web series, which follows Cam settling into a “Real Husband of Hollywood”-esque lifestyle with his real-life main squeeze JuJu, while his associate Cousin Bang loathes Cam falling back on the hustle game and refusal to allow him to take over the “family business,” subsequently and secretly plotting to take it over by force. Without going into detail (I’d rather not spoil it for you), the short (literally; the first episode runs about 20 minutes) film features a small tribute to Huddy 6 (who passed in a tragic car accident three years ago), a tween who is violently reminiscent of Li’l Zé from the 2002 film City Of God, and a colorful cast of characters such as “Man Killed By Snake,” “Man Killed In Warehouse” and “Man Shot In Back.” Oh, and you’ll never quite look at Ronald McDonald the same either.
Photo courtesy of Mikey Fresh
First Of The Month is exactly what you expect from Cam’ron: there’s no moral code, there’s nary a conscious revelation, and you’re not going to find any semblance of romance in a crude sex scene. That’s exactly how Killa likes it, however, and that’s why his equally polarizing and captivating aura has and will continue to survive with no foreseeable expiration date.
Oh, and of course with every Killa post comes a Killa .gif…
KILLA!
