Diplomatic Immunity
Thanks toCam’ron Gilesand his Dip Set crew, Harlem gains a major foothold in the East Coast battle of the boroughs sparked byJay-ZandNas. Layering raw rhymes over street beats that frequently incorporate speeded-up and dragged-out R&B; samples (courtesy of the Heatmakerz),Diplomatic Immunityextends the massive heat generated by Killa Cam’s platinumCome Home With Me. Some tracks on this double CD should have been relegated to the "filler" pile (the perfunctory "Hey Ma" remix, for example) but the songs that work spit fire.Diplomatic Immunityis laden with imagery of uptown drug-game drama (theBone Thugs-inspired "The First") and downtown terrorist destruction ("I Love You")--painting post-9/11 New York in appropriately somber colors--but love of home and family is the top-level vibe. Harlem should be proud.--Rebecca Levine