With a strong presence in Hip Hop, Jim Jones and The Diplomats are at the forefront of Harlem rap’s success. Comprising of Cam’ron, Jim Jones, Freeky Zeeky, Juelz Santana, J.R. Writer, Hell Rell, 40 Cal, and Jha Jha – the group continue to create an empire through music, movies, clothing, liquor, cologne and more.
The Diplomats will be releasing “Diplomatic Immunity 2″ through Koch Records on November 23rd.
These are the transcripts of an interview conducted with Jim Jones by Hugo Lunny on October 21st, 2004.
Either you love The Diplomats or you hate them. For many fans, their representation of the streets is unparalleled. They rap about the life some only dream about and have an arrogant swagger that dares you to come against them. Combine this with some great production from the Heatmakerz, and you have a group with an insane cult following. On the other hand, for many The Diplomats represent everything that is wrong wit Hip Hop, a group of wild and ignorant emcees that promote gang and street violence. Not to mention their lack of lyrical talent, which at times is down right abysmal. These are the two sides of The Diplomats, and they will never change.
A year after their Harlem street classic “Diplomatic Immunity”, The Diplomats are back at it again with part two on Koch Records. While last years edition relied heavily on the Heatmakerz magnificent production and a strong showing from Cam’ron, Juelz Santana & Jim Jones, part two goes in a completely different direction. With the Heatmakerz only producing four tracks, the production is nowhere near as satisfying. In addition, “Diplomatic Immunity 2″ is more of a mixtape that showcases the Dips up and coming talent, such as S.A.S., Jha Jha, Bugs, J.R. Writer & 40 Cal. Unfortunately, only J.R. Writer and 40 Cal are worth hearing, as Jha Jha, Bugs & S.A.S. put forth awfully bad tracks on the album.
In today’s music industry it is not always what you know but whom you know. The Diplomats are living proof of this statement, as it’s not their skills or outstanding abilities on the mic that have gotten them where they are today but rather their connections within the industry. Cam’ron and his Diplomat crew, consisting of Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, Hell Rell & Freeky Zeekey, first starting building up some modest street hype upon the crews signing to Roc-A-Fella Records. Soon this modest hype built up into a full frenzy after the release of Cam’s “Oh Boy”. Soon mixtapes everywhere were cluttered with Cam and his Dipset affiliates as they flooded the market with their own brand of Harlem street tales. Right from the start you knew it was only a matter of time until the Diplomats tried to strike it rich with their debut group album “Diplomatic Immunity”.
Party Like A Rockstar remix featuring Lil Wayne & Jim Jones
