Cameron Ezike Giles (born February 4, 1976), better known by his stage name Cam'ron, is an American rapper. Beginning his career in the mid-1990s as Killa Cam, Giles signed to Lance "Un" Rivera's Untertainment, an imprint of Epic Records and released his first two studio albums Confessions of Fire (1998) and S.D.E. (Sports Drugs & Entertainment) (2000), the former earned gold certification by the RIAA. After leaving Epic, Giles signed to Roc-A-Fella Records in 2001 to release his third studio album Come Home with Me the following year. It received platinum certification by the RIAA and contained his highest-charting singles to date: "Oh Boy" (featuring Juelz Santana) and "Hey Ma" (featuring Juelz Santana, Freekey Zeekey and Toya), which peaked at No. 4 and No. 3 respectively on the Billboard Hot 100. His fourth studio album, Purple Haze was released in 2004 to continued success, earning gold certification by the RIAA.
After Giles and his label Diplomat Records parted ways with Roc-A-Fella in 2005 due to disagreements between himself and label-head Jay-Z, Giles signed the label to a distribution deal with Asylum Records. In 2006, Giles released his fifth studio album Killa Season, which accompanied a film of the same name, in which Giles made his director-screenwriter debut and starred in the film. In 2009, after taking a hiatus due to his mother's health, Giles returned to music and released his sixth studio album Crime Pays in 2009, reaching number 3 on the Billboard 200. A decade later, he released his seventh album Purple Haze 2.
Aside from his solo career, Giles was first a member of the short-lived hip hop group Children of the Corn, which he formed alongside Big L and Mase in 1993 before disbanding in 1997. He subsequently formed the hip hop collective the Diplomats (also known as Dipset) the same year, alongside his longtime affiliate Jim Jones and cousin Freekey Zekey. He later performed as one half of the duo U.N. (Us Now) with fellow Harlem native Vado; the duo released two collaborative projects. Giles has occasionally worked as an actor, starring in the Roc-A-Fella films Paper Soldiers and Paid in Full in 2002.
Biography
1976–1997: Early life and career beginnings
Giles was born and raised in the East Harlem neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City. He was raised by his mother, Fredericka Giles (July 10, 1955 – February 9, 2023). He went to school at the Manhattan Center for Science and Mathematics, where he met his longtime friends Mase and Jim Jones. He was a promising basketball player alongside Mase; however, he was unable to take advantage of scholarship offers due to his poor academic standing. Instead, he enrolled in a college in Texas, without even graduating from high school, but soon dropped out and returned to Harlem where he began selling drugs before starting his rap career. Giles was eventually introduced to The Notorious B.I.G. through his childhood friend Mase. B.I.G. introduced Giles to Lance Rivera, who signed him to his label, Untertainment.
He began his musical career in the mid-1990s, rapping alongside Big L, Mase, and his cousin Bloodshed, in a group called Children of the Corn. After Bloodshed's death in a car accident on March 2, 1997, the group disbanded and the remaining members pursued solo careers.
1998–2002: Confessions of Fire, S.D.E. and Come Home with Me
Two years before Big L's murder in 1999, Cam'ron was introduced to The Notorious B.I.G. by Mase who was signed to Bad Boy Records at the time. Biggie was so impressed by Cam'ron that he introduced him to his partner Lance "Un" Rivera who signed Cam'ron to his Untertainment label, distributed by Epic Records. His debut album, Confessions of Fire, was released a year later in July 1998 and included singles such as "3-5-7" (which was also featured in the movie Woo), and "Horse and Carriage" featuring Mase, which reached the R&B Top Ten. The album achieved gold status and made the Top 10 of both the pop and R&B charts.
In 2000, Cam'ron was working with music executive Tommy Mottola and released his second album S.D.E. (Sports Drugs & Entertainment) on Sony/Epic Records. With features from Destiny's Child, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, N.O.R.E., and producer Digga, it included the relatively successful singles, "Let Me Know" and "What Means The World To You". The album reached Number 2 on the R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and Number 14 on the Billboard 200.