Purple Haze (album)

Purple Haze is the fourth studio album by Harlem rapper Cam'ron. The album was released on December 7, 2004, by Diplomat Records, Roc-A-Fella Records and The Island Def Jam Music Group. The release of this album was delayed several times from November 2003, the first single "Get Em Girls" was released a year prior to the actual album release. The album debuted at number 20 on the Billboard 200 with 123,000 copies sold in its first week.[1] The album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). Cam'ron has stated that he believes this is his best album.

Purple Haze
Studio album by Cam'ron
Released	December 7, 2004
Genre	Hip hop
Length	77:47
Label	Diplomat Roc-A-Fella Island Def Jam
Producer	Damon Dash (exec.) Kareem "Biggs" Burke (exec.) Skitzo The Heatmakerz Chad Hamilton Nasty Beat Makers Kanye West Brian "All Day" Miller Ty-Tracks Charlemagne Pop & Versatile Stay Getting Productions Bang The Legendary Traxster Self Service Music Mystro Amadeus
Cam'ron chronology
Come Home with Me (2002) Purple Haze (2004) Killa Season (2006)
Singles from Purple Haze
"Get Em Girls" Released: November 4, 2003 "Lord You Know" Released: February 10, 2004 "Shake" Released: July 20, 2004 "Hey Lady" Released: September 10, 2004 "Girls" Released: December 1, 2004 "Down and Out" Released: January 11, 2005

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Aggregate scores
Source	Rating
Metacritic	72/100[2]
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Blender	[4]
Entertainment Weekly	B+[5]
NME	8/10[6]
Pitchfork	8.7/10[7]
Spin	B+[8]
Stylus Magazine	B+[9]

Purple Haze received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 7 reviews.[2]

David Drake of Stylus Magazine praised the album for its "bombastic production and surreal lyricism" and Cam's "unique brand of idiosyncratic gangsta" being wildly engaging because of his absurd, poker-faced delivery, concluding that "Purple Haze is such a twisted take on gangsta that it has to be heard to be believed."[9] Blender contributor Jonah Weiner noted how the production throughout the record moves between "aggressively insane ("Shake")" to "adore pop (the Cyndi Lauper-interpolating "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun")" while Cam matches that balance with wordplay that's "Missy gibberish swathed in 50 Cent menace," concluding that he "writes pop hooks and avant-garde rhymes while staying as close to the streets as a manhole cover."[4] Chris Ryan from Spin gave credit to Cam for tightening his signature flow, choosing quality and risk-worthy beats, and maintaining listener interest while delivering "Harlem symbolism and non-sensical muttering" throughout the album.[8] AllMusic editor Andy Kellman was mixed about the tracks on the record, finding "Girls" and "Harlem Streets" to be weak inclusions but praised the contributions from Kanye West ("Down and Out"), Pop & Versatile ("Soap Opera") and the Heatmakerz ("More Gangsta Music"). He also commented that the "Diplomat-affiliated material" being released alongside it that year may cause their fanbase to suffer burnout from too much content.[3] Nathan Rabin of The A.V. Club commended the album for adopting the hyper-soul style of Roc-A-Fella's sound throughout the track listing but criticized Cam's lyric delivery for being similar to nursery rhymes, saying that it "lumbers drearily through a sea of gangsta-rap clichés."[10]

Online music magazine Pitchfork placed Purple Haze at number 114 on their list of the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s. Pitchfork writer Sean Fennessey said, "Call this a personal project for a relentlessly distant artist; an asshole's lament. Purple Haze is simultaneously a refined, perfectly A&R-ed follow-up and one of the most confusing, crude full-lengths ever."[11]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Producer(s)	Length
1.	"Intro"	Cameron Giles Dario Rodriguez	Skitzo	2:10
2.	"More Gangsta Music" (featuring Juelz Santana)	Giles Gregory Green Sean Thomas LaRon James Migel Collins Paul A. Henton Dave Richards Bobby "Digital" Dixon	The Heatmakerz	4:26
3.	"Get Down"	Giles Chad Hamilton Marvin Gaye Ivy Hunter	Chad Hamilton	2:37
4.	"Welcome to Purple Haze" (skit)	Giles	Cam'ron	1:15
5.	"Killa Cam"	Giles Green Thomas	The Heatmakerz	4:24
6.	"Leave Me Alone, Pt. 2"	Giles Johnny David Mollings Leonardo V. Mollings Jerry Goldsmith	Nasty Beat Makers	4:02
7.	"Down and Out" (featuring Kanye West and Syleena Johnson)	Giles Kanye West Fred Briggs	Kanye West Brian "All Day" Miller	4:08
8.	"Harlem Streets"	Giles Ty Caldwell Mike Post	Ty-Tracks	3:41
9.	"Rude Boy" (skit)	Giles	Cam'ron	1:28
10.	"Girls" (featuring Mona Lisa)	Giles Henri Charlemagne Robert Hazard	Charlemagne	3:43
11.	"I'm a Chicken Head" (skit)	Giles	Cam'ron	1:26
12.	"Soap Opera"	Giles Victor Babb Frank Visosky William "Smokey" Robinson	Pop & Versatile	4:10
13.	"O.T." (skit)	Giles	Cam'ron	0:24
14.	"Bubble Music"	Giles Mike Miller Lawrence Simpson David Hinds	Stay Gettin' Productions	3:51
15.	"More Reasons" (featuring Jaheim)	Giles Hamilton Ryan Presson Jaheim Hoagland Maurice White Philip Bailey Charles Stepney	Hamilton	4:30
16.	"The Block" (skit)	Giles	Cam'ron	0:46
17.	"The Dope Man" (featuring Jim Jones)	Giles Dwayne Holmes Jim Jones Leroy "Sugarfoot" Bonner Marshall "Rock" Jones Ralph "Pee Wee" Middlebrooks Walter "Junie" Morrison Bruce Napier Andrew Noland Marvin "Merv" Pierce Greg Webster	Bang	3:26
18.	"Family Ties" (featuring Nicole Wray)	Giles Rodriguez Nicole Wray	Skitzo	4:17
19.	"Adrenaline" (featuring Twista and Psycho Drama)	Giles Samuel Lindley Carl Mitchell Jeffrey Robinson	The Legendary Traxster	4:39
20.	"Hey Lady" (featuring Freekey Zekey)	Giles Ezekiel Giles Babb Visosky Larry Troutman Roger Troutman	Pop & Versatile	3:07
21.	"Shake" (featuring J.R. Writer)	Giles Edward Hinson Juan Rusty Brito	Self Service, Music Mystro	3:28
22.	"Get 'Em Girls"	Giles Rodriguez	Skitzo	4:23
23.	"Dip-Set Forever"	Giles West Lamont Dozier Freddie Gorman Brian Holland	Kanye West	3:54
24.	"Take 'Em to Church" (featuring Juelz Santana and Un Kasa)	Giles Antwan Thompson James Antonio Wilder	Amadeus	3:48

Sample credits

• "More Gangsta Music" contains a sample of "Woman I Need You" by Sizzla.
• "Get Down" contains a sample of "Life's Opera" by Marvin Gaye.
• "Leave Me Alone Pt. 2" contains a sample of "Bajo Fuego" by Jerry Goldsmith.
• "Down And Out" contains a sample of "Strung Out" by William Bell & Mavis Staples.
• "Harlem Streets" contains a sample of "Theme from Hill Street Blues" by Mike Post.
• "Girls" contains a sample of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper.
• "Soap Opera" contains a sample of "Merry-Go-Ride" by Smokey Robinson.
• "Bubble Music" contains a sample of "Blues Dance Raid" by Steel Pulse.
• "More Reasons" contains a sample of "Reasons" by Earth, Wind & Fire.
• "The Dope Man" contains a sample of "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players.
• "Hey Lady" contains a sample of "I Want to Be Your Man" by Roger Troutman.
• "Get 'Em Girls" contains a sample of "Carmina Burana - O Fortuna" by Carl Orff.
• "Dip-Set Forever" contains a sample of "Forever" by Chuck Cissel.

Personnel

Credits for Purple Haze adapted from AllMusic.[12]

• Cam'ron – executive producer
• Kareem "Biggs" Burke – executive producer
• Traxster – mixing
• Tony Dawsey – mastering
• Bang – producer
• Carlisle Young – mixing
• Charlemagne – producer
• Eric "Ebo" Butler – mixing
• Cam'ron – producer
• Oluwaseye Olusa – photography
• Kanye West – producer
• Chad Hamilton – producer
• Traxster – producer
• The Heatmakerz – producer
• Versatile – producer
• Skitzo - producer
• Ryan Press – producer
• Duke Dagod – A&R
• Nasty Beatmakers – producer
• Stay Gettin' productions – producer
• Robert Sims – art direction
• Antwan "Amadeus" Thompson – producer
• Travis Cummings – artist coordination
• Ty Tracks – producer
• Jamel George – artist coordination
• Monica Morrow – stylist
• Shalik Berry – artist coordination
• Mike Peters – vocals
• Rick Patrick – creative director
• Jim Jones – vocals
• Juelz Santana – vocals
• Mike T. – engineer
• Jaconda "Ms" Blunt – vocals
• Carlisle Young – engineer
• Latrice "Grease" Carter – vocals
• Eric "Ebo" Butler – engineer
• Sarah Hinds – vocals
• Mike Peters – engineer
• Steven "Opera Steve" Santiago – vocals
• Milwaukee "Protools King" Buck – engineer
• Dave Irving – vocals
• Damon Dash – executive producer

Charts

Weekly charts Chart (2004) Peak position US Billboard 200[13] 20 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[14] 4

Year-end charts Chart (2005) Position US Billboard 200[15] 165 US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[16] 33

References

1. Whitmire, Margo (December 15, 2004). "Ludacris Lights Up No. 1 With 'Red Light'". Billboard. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
2. "Reviews for Purple Haze by Cam'ron". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved October 24, 2015.
3. Kellman, Andy. "Purple Haze – Cam'ron". AllMusic. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
4. Weiner, Jonah. "Cam'ron: Purple Haze". Blender. New York. Archived from the original on August 15, 2004. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
5. Dombal, Ryan (December 13, 2004). "Purple Haze". Entertainment Weekly. New York. Archived from the original on January 5, 2005. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
6. "Cam'ron: Purple Haze". NME. London: 45. January 8, 2005.
7. Breihan, Tom (January 26, 2005). "Cam'ron: Purple Haze". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on March 3, 2009. Retrieved May 24, 2014.
8. Ryan, Chris (January 2005). "Cam'ron: Purple Haze". Spin. New York. 21 (1): 100–01. Retrieved November 8, 2017.
9. Drake, David (December 10, 2004). "Cam'ron – Purple Haze – Review". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on December 31, 2013. Retrieved April 18, 2013.
10. Rabin, Nathan (January 17, 2005). "Purple Haze/R.U.L.E." The A.V. Club. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
11. Pitchfork staff (September 28, 2009). "The Top 200 Albums of the 2000s: 200–151". Pitchfork. Retrieved October 1, 2009.
12. "Purple Haze - Cam'ron | Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved October 17, 2018.
13. "Cam'ron Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
14. "Cam'ron Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved May 20, 2014.
15. "Year-End Charts: Billboard 200 Albums - 2005". Billboard. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
16. "Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums – Year-End 2005". Billboard. Retrieved September 21, 2020.