In Hanif Abdurraqib’s A Little Devil In America — a vivid treatise on the impression of Black efficiency in America’s cultural historical past — there’s a reasonably fascinating excerpt on how the Diplomats inverted basic American symbolism all through Diplomatic Immunity. In the chapter on “magical negroes” (an outdated trope in and of itself), Abdurraqib recollects a time when white suburbia and faculty frat boys throughout the nation embraced Cam’ron, Juelz Santana, Jim Jones, and Freekey Zekey for draping themselves in purple, white, and blue. They rapped alongside to the report’s many combative lyrics equating road violence to the War On Terror. They purchased into the Harlem crew’s obvious zest for patriotism, from their stars and stripes bandanas to their Great Seal of United States-inspired insignia: a bald eagle toting two Glocks. The similar crowd who cheered on Dubya’s invasion of Iraq satirically noticed themselves in a bunch of bon vivant troublemakers who repeatedly name-checked the Taliban and bragged about making “9/11 music.”
In some ways, although, it may be argued that Diplomatic Immunity was Dipset’s means of illustrating resilience within the face of cataclysmic devastation. Juelz would survey the wreckage of Ground Zero and invite listeners to “follow [him] through the debris of these towers,” however would later lament the impact the tragedy had on the drug commerce (“I’m mad the coke price went up/ And this crack won’t sell”) on the booming “Gangsta.” Given that Diplomatic Immunity was their defiant response to American media’s post-9/11 narrative, it’s simple to say that the joke’s on the pro-war fanatics who by no means bothered to look past the refashioned imagery. But it actually was simply Dipset being Dipset, whose envelope-pushing irreverence throughout a tumultuous interval was emblematic of the group and the report as a complete.
Released 20 years in the past this Saturday, Diplomatic Immunity was really a product of its time: Equal elements chaotic and celebratory, it was much less a double-disc LP and extra a compilation of the very best bits off Diplomats Vol. 1 to 3. A mammoth mixtape-of-sorts spanning 27 tracks, Diplomatic Immunity’s messiness calls again to an period when the Diplomats redefined rap bootleg tradition. 50 Cent and G-Unit obtained the plaudits for his or her mixtape hustle within the early 2000s, however Dipset broke new floor by popularizing the artist-driven road tape. Beginning with Vol. 1 (which predated June 2002’s 50 Cent Is The Future by a number of months), their method noticed them mix business freestyles with all-new materials, and even obtained them dominating the airwaves with each radio station taking part in “Oh Boy” on repeat. With Dipset’s strategies changing into the blueprint, mixtape tradition was endlessly modified.
Diplomatic Immunity was the fruits of the Harlem posse’s mission to as soon as once more make NYC the epicenter of rap. Released a few years after Cam signed to Roc-A-Fella and earned a platinum plaque for ’02’s Come Home With Me, the ostentatious report was an bombastic showcase for Killa, Juelz, Jones, and Zekey to spray semi-auto raps about what’s actually good of their stomping grounds. In Cam’s case, he developed from being a mere disciple of Big L to dismissing normal rhyme staples and delivering his personal model of slanguage. Dipset’s de facto chief was a swaggering thesaurus who captivated and confused us in equal measure; he’d serve up a buffet of phrase salad (“Let’s get lost in Camby/ I got lobster in Boston, Austin/ Floss in, of course, Miami”), make references acquainted (“Wax on, wax off/ Put our wax on, take that wack off”) and obscure (“I’m a genius, Papadopilis/ Never lenient”), and even dabble in French (“Jim Jones c’est ce bon, Santana magnifique”). His deadpan hustle rap is nonsensical however dope on the similar time, a way he’d good two years in a while 2005’s Purple Haze. I can’t assist however hint Lil Wayne’s dizzying wordplay, Action Bronson’s absurdist wit, and Roc Marciano’s pimp tapestries again to Cameron Giles’ means with phrases.
While Cam stole the present on Diplomatic Immunity, the remainder of the clique embraced the highlight he bestowed upon them. Chief ad-libber and Ed Hardy aficionado Jim Jones didn’t have the skillset of his brothers-in-bars, however he infuses a way of genuine vulnerability at any time when he goes off on the remnants of Reaganomics (“I’m an insomniaddict, up all night/ Pops and moms was an addict, shit”). The then-incarcerated Hell Rell turns as much as freestyle a cappella over the Clinton Correctional Facility telephones, longing to lift havoc along with his Ruger while evaluating Biggie’s affinity for Coogi along with his penchant for profiting off drug cash. More than anybody although, Juelz seized the chance to journey shotgun with Killa and validate the hype that accompanied his speedy ascent. Santana spat with a ne’er-do-well bravado that fitted his upstart standing again then, whereas additionally displaying a thoughtfulness that belied his then-adolescence. Despite an odd reverence for Osama Bin Laden and Mohamed Atta, he prays for the victims of 9/11 with a sincerity that’s amplified by the Heatmakerz’ soulful manufacturing. The report was Juelz’s coronation, a simply reward for penning the timeless “Dipset Anthem” as a approach to show himself to his elders.
Diplomatic Immunity additionally owes its immortality to Rsonist and Thrilla of the Heatmakerz, the duo who put in probably the most work behind the boards. While the origins of “chipmunk soul” will endlessly be debated about on varied subreddits and Twitter threads, the pair are one of many first to be credited with accelerating its reputation. O. V. Wright’s sped-up wails over “DJ Enuff Freestyle” and the jauntiness of the Moments all through the Freeway-assisted “My Love” symbolize only a style of early-2000s Roc, mixing with towering basslines and tight hi-hats to triumphant impact. Fellow in-house Roc producer Just Blaze additionally will get in on the act along with his tinkering of Major Harris crooning “I Really Mean It,” concocting an imperious backdrop for Cam and Jones to have a ball with. The Heatmakerz didn’t simply play with attractive soul samples both — “Dipset Anthem” begins with raucous horns sourced from reggae artist Sanchez’s “One In A Million” that looped across the iconic party-starter. It’s loopy to suppose that Rsonist was near binning the beat altogether in a match of frustration.
Looking again, the Diplomats’ impression stretched past rap. I grew up in Greater London, separated from NYC by the Atlantic, but the variety of heads that rocked a mix of Avirex leather-based jackets, Lot 29 hoodies, and Evisu denims grew exponentially in tandem with Dipset’s rise. Sales of fitted New Era caps and Air Force Ones with the pink swoosh rose with every Cam’ron or Juelz Santana video on MTV Base, additional solidifying the rise of Harlem stylish in our neck of the woods. Back in highschool, my mates and I’d eagerly focus on that point they visited London with (the now-disgraced) Tim Westwood in tow, and questioning if the newly-signed S.A.S. had been gonna be the ultimate bridge between UK and US rap. We would even rewatch their legendary activate BET’s Rap City and luxuriate in debates over whether or not it was the greatest-ever look on the present (spoiler alert: it was — Cam casually counting stacks for over 4 minutes was the deciding issue). While their contemporaries in G-Unit additionally obtained a heavy quantity of spins in our CD gamers, we appreciated the Dips for being the fashionably affable opposites to 50 and his motley crew of villains. Cam, Juelz, Jim, Zekey, and Rell had been the braggadocious class clowns we gravitated in direction of at any time when we wanted to have enjoyable, and we cherished them for it.
With the unease surrounding the early years of the turbulent 2000s, Diplomatic Immunity was mandatory escapism. Those recklessly charming anti-heroes on prime of the East Coast rap meals chain inspired us to look past nightly information obsessions of “-isms” and throw our two arms up, landing. Subsequent years following the report’s launch would see the Dips break up (to our discontent), then reunite (to our delight), then get slaughtered on a Verzuz battle towards lyrically superior opposition (to our amusement). Then once more, Juelz all the time insisted that the Diplomats had been all the time “a movement, a union, more than what you people call ‘music’” — a mantra which I and hundreds of thousands of others are more than pleased to acknowledge.