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The new mixtape cover.

Rap music in the new millennium is fueled by personalities and events. Why else are there a dozen or more awards shows annually? It’s not like people are doing more things artistically. It’s just that we are celebrating mediocre art more frequently. At these events we see personalities. Some will be dressed in tophats with tails, while some will opt for white tees.

In a year that has seen some G.O.O.D. music come out of the rap genre we are still dominated by discussion of one of the greatest mediocre rappers evar. CAM’RON GILES has spent the last six months of 2007 in an undisclosed location while the rap world, er, the internets, has speculated on what his future recording career might be. Are we that bored? Yes, and no. The truth is that CAM’RON is one of the rappers who understands the cult of personality disease that plagues most Americans.

Why else do we care about Foxy Brown? Let’s face it, Foxy is a more compelling personality than Lil’ Kim. I could care less about the music output from either lady, but I find myself anxious to hear about Foxy’s latest dustup in the county lockup. CAM’RON applies the same principles for marketing his personality. He has become a character that can possibly say anything at anytime. From his laughable interviews on the Bullshit O’Reilly show to his embarrassment to the entire African American collective on 60 Minutes it’s obvious that CAM’RON knows what to say to push our buttons.

Why else would we even care about his whereabouts? Last week was further proof that CAM’RON still has a buzz with the folks that live in their parents’ basements. A media event was created at the idea of CAM’RON giving away his latest mixtape in front of the Apollo Theatre in Harlem. This is the first music being released by him since his pre-summer squabble with Fifty Cent, another fellow media whore savvy rapper.

Suffice to say, CAM’RON didn’t show, but enough people did show up and report on the scene that ensued. Everyone seemed to be in awe of the pink colored Range Rover. I would venture to argue that even if CAM’RON hadn’t distributed his mixtape on that night just the appearance of a pink painted Range Rover would have satisfied the crowd. The events have exceeded the art that created them. Where in the world is CAM’RON? He’s thinking up his next media event.