By Odeisel

Cam’ron is one of those artists with a fan base that’s hard to guage. He’s not old school but with over a decade in the game he isn’t exactly new either. The past few years may have been lucrative for Hip-Hop’s Pink Panther but career wise it’s been a roller coaster. From being Roc’d up, to having his vaunted Dipset crew in Diaspora, Cam has been in and out of the public eye.

Recently it’s back to work and Cam has come back to the game with a new album. Last night, at BB King’s was Cam’s first big show on comeback trail.

The crowd was uneven. Old and young, black and white and way more women than you usually see at these shows. There’s also a large contingent of lesbians. Killa Cam it seems, touches many. Weed is in the air, half the crowd is drunk or high and it’s not even 9PM. Purple haze indeed.

Sometimes the audience can make or break a show, and an artist like Cam’ron, with such a rabid fan base is always going to make for a live show. They know his material word for word and they sing along with enthusiasm. He doesn’t jump around the stage, but he does cover both sides while focusing on the center of the crowd. He has a command of his songs; there were no moments of him missing words or mumbling songs.

There is no sign of Juelz, Jim Jones or any other person you would associate with Cam except Huddy Combs, and it doesn’t bother the crowd one bit. It’s the first show in a while with no guest stars and it felt appropriate with Cam attempting to re-ingratiate himself to that New York spotlight. If this show was any indication, he passed with flying colors.

Cam went through a melody of hits mainly sticking to Rocafella material and not venturing into the Untertainment vault. No trace of “Horse & Carriage,” “.357” material, but despite that, are reminded of the amount of hits he has in his catalogue. “Oh Boy” is a crowd favorite minus the aforementioned Santana as was his verse from “Roc 4 Life,” and songs like “Suck It or Not” had even the lesbian contingent in front of me screaming and shouting.

The crowd response highlights of the even came with the Kanye-produced “Down & Out” and with the rousing “Get It In Ohio,” which featured a very impressive word for word session with the featured performer.

They know the songs from his new album Crime Pays just as well. “Cookies & Apple Juice” gets just as much attention from the crowd as his older work.

I don’t know how Cam is viewed outside of New York, but on this night it was clear that with or without his Dipset former comrades, Cameron Giles still kills, and the love is still there in droves. It’s interesting to see how the story will eventually pan out, but on stage, his energy, his commanding presence and his hits will always carry him in this city.

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