Diplomats Unable To Name New Album 'Ground Zero'

03/18/2003 6:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Yves Erwin Salomon

(3/18/03, 6 p.m. ET) -- The Diplomats--Cam'ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, and Freakey Zekey--were forced to rename the group's debut album from Ground Zero to Diplomatic Immunity.

Jim Jones explains that group was forced to change the title due to a legal problem and the fact that no one is allowed to benefit in any way from the events of September 11, 2001. "Yeah, you know, it was a legal problem with Ground Zero," Jones said. "Nobody can make money off of the whole World Trade 9/11 incident, so we couldn't have that on the album. That goes for anything--you can't even have that in, like, in your videos or nothing like that. You can't depict it in no way. And I mean, as far as us, we had a little situation, so it made it even harder for us to do."

Jones also explained that they chose the title Diplomatic Immunity because they do what they want, when they want, and also because the group is the voice of the ghetto. "...'Cause, you know, we Diplomats--we do what we want, when we want, you know what I mean?" Jones added. "Diplomats' slogan is more than just music--it's more like a movement that you need be in tune with, and that means that Diplomats are the light that illuminates the answers to any questions you need to know about the ghetto."

"Dipset Anthem" is the lead single from Diplomatic Immunity, which comes out Tuesday (March 25).

-- Yves Erwin Salomon, New York

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