Come Home With Me

05/17/2002 10:00 PM, Yahoo! Music
Dan Leroy

Now free of Epic Records and signed to Roc-A-Fella, Harlem rapper **Cam'ron** bounces back from his disappointing sophomore outing, S.D.E., shedding his slick, **Puffy**-style sound for more rugged beats. Even though he gets little official help from his labelmates--one typically excellent cameo from Jay-Z, on the dramatic standout "Welcome To New York City," plus "The Roc (Just Fire)," a pairing with fellow Roca Dream Teamers Beanie Sigel and Memphis Bleek--Cam'ron sounds right at home atop brassy Just Blaze productions like "Oh Boy." Of course, he's hardly changed his gutter-leaning lyrical M.O.--"Losing Weight Pt. 2" is an ode to his drug-selling days, while "On Fire Tonight" promises payback to the woman who gave him the clap--and his often simple verses won't have anyone forgetting Jigga anytime soon. That's where the vestiges of Cam'ron's Bad Boy upbringing come in handy; he's got the versatility to pull off a love song like "Daydreaming," a Ja Rule-style crossover move that harder-edged rhymers like Sigel have yet to match.