Motivation: Jim Jones

Back like I never left.
Pardon my absence from the TMA squad—what up though, fam?
I’m a serious believer that the game is experiencing a drought right now. I know I’m not the only one that waiting for something fresh… either the FRESHmen to step up, the sleepers to wake up, or the divided squads to make up.

That being said… enter Jim Jones, Capo!

I’ve been stopping by TMA to see what’s new. I’ve been online reading the articles and such. Really, besides Kanye speaking to the masses what everyone is thinking on their couches, no one was really doing anything inspirational. Today, I read the Complex Magazine article with Jimmy as the cover story. Jim Jones has traded his skulls in for this photoshoot—that he killed by the way. Def a good look for Jimmy. I guess I’m not the only one that thought Christian Audigier needed to go, huh? But I digress.

From behind my desktop, I see rappers wiping the crust out of their eyes. Cam, I hope you’re swallowing your pride since Jimmy is apparently chomping on some humble pie.

Meanwhile, your relationship with Cam’ron is at a standstill. It seems like that souring has had the most effect on you.

Jim Jones: It’s definitely hard, because that’s my nigga, that’s my brother. We rolled together for a very long time, and there are things I remember we said that we would never do. And now that we’ve got so much success, we’re doing all the things we watched people do and said that wouldn’t be us. It’s the ego; it has to be. This is a question I’ve asked myself over and over again. That’s the only way I see it. Amongst everything else, there was a couple things said on my part, but I can do that if I want to. Above all, I kept it fair; I could really expose shit, but that’s not what I’m here for. Once your ego becomes bigger than money, you can’t get anywhere. It’s a sad thing—we’ve built so much. Everywhere around the world, people know the Diplomats as a strong entity. And it’s at a halt due to the fact we’ve been going back and forth through this minute bullshit.

Jim Jones & Cam’Ron are bordering a Dame & Hov story these days. DipSet is what the game needs right now… but we don’t want them in tangent cliques. We’ve experienced the death of a dynasty and the rest of the Dips. Behind the splashy ego, I think Capo realizes a Dip reunion is long overdue—word to the Byrdgang CD. (We won’t go there today.)

He [Cam] finally came out and said that he couldn’t rock with you because you appeared onstage with 50, kind of questioning your loyalty.

Jim Jones: He’s questioning my loyalty? He was questioning himself. At that point in time when I did [appear onstage with 50], I was doing all business. I was doing what was best for Jimmy, what was best for my career. It was in my best interest to do publicity stunts and get hype. He was nowhere to be found, so who is he to be questioning what I was doing? He couldn’t do that from the get-go because I helped start all this. What went on between him and 50 was a mockery—that was niggas making jokes. That was a YouTube snap battle. It was nothing remotely physical about that battle. I can’t indulge in fun and jokes that’s like wrestling.

Judging from his adequately worded responses, its clear Capo realizes that too. Looks like the money slowed, if not stopped now that the Dips pulled a Roc. After all, I’m ready for Hell Rell in the lime and damn, did the rotation stop at Writer’s Block? (Not too many mixtapes are seeing volume 1 to this day.)

Santana said people act like, “…New York went soft since Jay fell off.” Not quite ‘Elz. For years, DipSet was one of the only squads that kept the heartbeat pumping in NY.

Enter: L-O-X.

Kiss feels his time is now. I feel like it’s been a long time coming.

You hear it all the time, but NY rap is still not back to being at the forefront of rap. Who else would you enlist to bring the game back?

Jim Jones: Without my own personal hatred—I got to put all my feelings aside—to bring NY back properly, I would definitely put the Lox as a whole. Definitely 50. I fuck with 50, and beyond everything we got a mutual understanding. I think we think alike in some ill twisted way. But, it’s still aggressive competition above all, because we all trying to eat out the same pot.

It’s past time for NY to get it together and rock. Word to D-Block/DipSet (a la Silverback Gorilla). Me, personally? At this moment, I’m predicting Jada as the next King of NY—no disrespect to BIG. Fabolous has potential to be the Prince. He just has to decide that he wants it bad enough. In a way, Jim and the Dips are in a league of their own. So no disrespect for not naming him (or any of them) as an heir. They serve as the motivation New York needs to change the game— better yet, bring it back.

Daydreamin’ – Cam, you listening?
Speaking with my big homie, William H. (shoutout, No Days Off) we had a dream. (LOL… that was my song off of Confessions of Fire, though.) Our version of the dream? Jim’s album, Pray for Reign, has to be solid. I can’t experience a ByrdGang revisited. He needs to pause the Christmas album thought— this is not a game. I was hoping that was the joke–make that into a mixtape or something. Cam’Ron would to drop a mixtape in January with still no word on a reunion. Santana official single in Feb. Jim can even get one in there too- late Feb/early March. Dips REUNION mixtape. What happened to the Dips mixtape grind, damn? Cue a DVD (a la a Day in the Fastlane, but focusing on everyone. Can we address some issues, please?) Then, drop an album a week in March: Santana, then Jimmy then Cam. However!! Early March, before the album releases, can we get a Hot97 20-minute DipSet freestyle session?! (Yes!) Lastly, Dip Set official album when the sun gets hot- May. But then again, that’s just our dream.

You see, I needed this article (and photoshoot ::wink::) this morning. This is a damn interview folks! Make readers, like myself, wish it was longer. Rappers have become comfortable. Companies are endorsing rappers based on singles (a la Flo-Rida and Gap— we won’t go there either.)

Jimmy and Cam, kiss and make-up. Seriously, it’s about that time. Afterall, we need the Dips as a unit (no pun intended) to get Writer and Rell. Is Jim the only one who wants it that bad? Also, word to waking up, Fab, we know you’re nice and we know that you know that you’re nice. Can you decide to take over the world like yesterday and get it poppin’, please? Stop coasting, damn!

“The city’s most wanted. I see ‘em plotting but these n*ggas don’t want it.”-Jim.

—Not at all. Somewhere in the wind, I hear an alarm clock buzzing. This interview was the truth. It’s about that time folks! Step your game up. And don’t just show up, show out. New York didn’t go soft when Jay retired (chuckle, chuckle). Everyone just decided to sit on the couch and watch instead of taking that arbitrage opportunity and running with it.

Jimmy… the best is yet to come. Someone needs to make it happen.

Credits: Pictures and Article Quotes by Complex Mag.