Diplomatic Man/ Asylum
ESSENTIAL "Curve"
Listening to this crackling disc that overflows with wit and brilliant rhyme schemes, you wonder why the New York MC has been so far eclipsed by Lil Wayne. After all, Cam'ron offers just as many dizzying, free-associating turns of phrases and couplets as Wayne and has been doing it for years. Besides Wayne's mind-boggling productivity, maybe you could chalk it up to Cam's three-year hiatus between records. Still, this set is filled with so many sly syllables and a wealth of humor amid his tales of the game and sexual swagger (which includes more than enough misogyny to last a career). At 23 tracks, the CD is way too long and the production doesn't match his stone-cold classic, "Purple Haze," but there are many sharp, muscular tracks, including "Curve," "My Job," and "Never Ever." It would be nice to see him move beyond his content comfort zone, but Cam'ron's virtuoso verbal onslaught pays off frequently enough to take this disc to a higher level. (Out now) -- KEN CAPOBIANCO
