Maintaining Cultural Relevance As Told By Cam'ron

Cameron “Cam’ron” Giles first hit the scene in 1997 with a Notorious B.I.G. co-sign, a best friend in Ma$e, and a ton of momentum with his group “Children of the Corn.”

Fast forward to 2023, and Cam’ron is everywhere these days. His album Purple Haze is turning 20 next year and his new podcast with Ma$e is doing numbers.

30 years of relevance, especially hiphop is no easy feat. It’s a culture driven by the youth, and old head energy eventually leads to you aging out (and rightfully so).

Hip-hop artists are brands in their own right, and Cam’s ascent makes me think about things from a consumer’s POV.

To a marketer, brands are made of promises, creative campaigns, digital, social, KPIs, and blah blah blah.

But to everyday people, brands are made up of tiny moments…

Yes, the product is central to that. But it’s about the commercial you laughed at with your brother on Christmas. That weird jingle you randomly sing at your work desk. It’s the “I see you” compliment you get when someone peeps your new shoes.

It’s those moments that solidified the brand in their mind, the creative was just a conduit. With that in mind, let’s get back to Cam.

Cam’ron is a master at maintaining brand relevance, because he’s mastered the art of the moment. So today’s piece is about Killa’s best cultural moments, and what we can learn from him.

Dipset! **Cam’ron voice**

I. The Pink Fur

The Pink fur coat is perhaps Cam’ron’s most iconic piece of clothing, and it’s responsible for what is easily the most recognizable photo of him on the internet (hence the cover of this piece).

The irony of it being so iconic is that Cam has only worn it 3 times. 

Even more ironic is that he’s worn it so little because it attracts too much attention. The third time he wore the coat was only a few weeks ago during the Drake show at The Apollo, where he let Drake rock it during their guest set.

Peep below for the story:

The Takeaway: You don’t know what’s gonna matter at the end of the day.

You never know which moment will be transformative for your brand, so no moment is too insignificant.

The point is that you could launch a multi-million dollar campaign. It could be Cannes-winning, globally renowned work, but the act that everyone loves your brand for is that one tweet you sent responding to a customer complaint that highlights how good your customer service was. It was small, almost negligible — but it could define you.

When Cam’ron donned the pink fur for Fashion Week, he probably thought it was just a fly coat. Who would’ve thought it would become a definitive part of his brand for almost 30 years?

Exactly. You never know. What’s your brand’s pink fur? If you got it, put that sh*t on.

II. Rico From Paid In Full

Another huge part of Cam’s cultural relevance stems from his stint in movies.

His portrayal of real-life drug dealer Alpo aka Rico in the movie Paid In Full is one of the greatest moments fueling his relevance. The performance was so iconic that tons of memes, gifs, and random barbs in conversations can be traced back to his role as Rico.

Rico, Cam’s character, was so iconic because he represented something cultural & universal: He was the treacherous person in your circle that you didn’t know harbored animosity toward you. He was a hater who killed his friend to get the plug.

The Takeaway: Tap into a Universal Feeling

All it takes is one good piece of creative to spark those moments we talked about earlier — remember it’s just a conduit for what people feel on a larger societal scale.

Proof of its impact is still evident today on the Twitter streets, and whenever a conversation about Paid In Full pops up.

Brand can have that same impact if they strive to tap into the universal with their work.

NIke tapped into solo willpower with Just Do It. But Rico tapped into something even more basic. After all, there’s nothing more universal than a hater.

III. You Maaad?

Boy was this hilarious when first happened.

For those unaware, back in 2006, Bill O’Reilly invited Cam’ron and Dame Dash onto his show with a middle principal to discuss rap music and what it was doing to the youth.

While Bill’s plan was to grill Cam & Dame about their explicit lyrics with the backup of a Black inner-city principal, he was unprepared for the comedic styles of Cam’ron Giles.

Never had anyone upset Bill O’Reilly to this point and laughed at him on-air while doing so. This interview gave us the iconic “You Mad?” gif.

The Takeaway: Relax, it’s not that serious.

Listen, a little bit of immaturity never hurt anyone. This moment wouldn’t have been viral if Bill hadn’t let Cam & Dame get under his skin.

We’re in an era where brands take themselves a little too seriously. The reality is that very few things in life (or in marketing) are ever that serious. Sometimes a bit absurd or even self-deprecating humor will get you far.

Look at the boom in popularity that Duolingo has experienced. Totally unserious social content, but it’s driving views and engagement. Are all of the pieces great? Nah, but again, it’s not that serious.

IV. No Snitchin’

About a year after his iconic guest appearance on the Bill O’Reilly show, Cam’ron sat down with Anderson Cooper to talk about snitching.

Anderson laid out a scenario where he asked Cam’ron what he would do if a serial killer lived next door. Is that a good enough reason to call the police?

Cam replied that it wasn’t his business and he’d simply move apartments rather than snitch. And with that statement, another piece of Cam’ron’s lore was born.

The Takeaway: Every Man Gotta Have a Code - Omar, The Wire

Whether or not you agree with Cam’s stance, he doesn’t stray away from his principles.

Cam’s Principles are grounded in remembering who his audience is and what they will accept from him. Without that level of clarity, a brand risks flailing because it doesn’t have clearly defined lines of who it’s for and why it exists.

If this were The Wire, and Omar (R.I.P. Michael K. Williams) would say you have to have a code.

For brands its as simple as remembering that (in this particular instance) you are the culmination of implicit/explicit promises you make to a consumer. Define what promises you want to make & never abandon them.

V. Curtis

Not many people can stand toe to toe with 50 Cent in a beef. He’s witty, calculated, and honestly just cold as hell with it lol.But when him and Cam’ron got into it, it was one of the few times where a rapper was actually able to stand their ground.

Though 50 was Hip-hop’s biggest bully, Cam was also considered one of Hip-hop’s funniest dudes. When the two personalities combined great moments (and diss records emerged)

Cam used his humor to create a diss record using the 50’s government name “Curtis” and at the height of Hip-hop’s blog era he had fans yelling “Curtisss”

The Takeaway: Fight Battles Your Way, Not Theirs

Aye look. Building a brand in a crowded space can be tough. But you only win you play YOUR GAME.

Cam’ron maintained his position throughout each one of his beefs because he didn’t play their games, he played his. it didn’t matter whether it was Nas, or 50, or even Jay, he stuck with the humor throughout all of those beefs and as a result he didn’t come off as the loser — if anything the culture saw them as a draw.

David fought Goliath and even though Goliath lived, people respected David all the same.

So yea, play the game. Win customers, win their attention, and win their wallets. But if you end up in a tough spot, be self-aware. If you’re a social-first brand don’t start going the traditional route hoping it’ll serve you when your back is against the wall.

Remember your strengths because that’s how you win.

VI: It Is What It Is

The raw, unfiltered (and borderline offensive) nature of the show reminds fans of something that sports journalism is missing: Honest opinions that don’t sway due to political affiliations o fear of losing brand partnerships.

Cam’s unfiltered nature proves that no matter what he’s alway going to show up as himself. Because of that, even local NY bodegas have his sports show playing in the store over traditional sports pundit.

Take a look at the clip below where they discuss the Ja Morant situation. They’re saying what everyone thinking, but traditional pundits can’t say. And while Cam & Mase could certainly clean up for daytime TV

The Takeaway: Reinvent yourself, but don’t lose yourself

The reason this podcast works is because Cam’ron is being his complete self. He and mase are on there cracking the same jokes that you would here at the barbershop, or on the block.

Brands often get caught up in viral stunts and re-branding efforts when things get stagnant, but in the process they’re showing that their integrity is for sale. Again, consumers aren’t dumb — they can tell when things are getting slow for you based on how you rebrand?

Think about the Planters “baby nut” campaign, for example. It’s cringy as hell. Things must’ve been slow.

It’s okay to reinvent yourself, but stay true what people know and love about you. That’s how you move forward.

So, What Now?

A huge part of Cam’s brand relevance is his personality. He doesn’t try to be funny but by nature he just is.

It’s continuing to serve him well and I wouldn’t be surprised if we get a new album (and hopefully a Dipset reunion) at some point.

As for now, It Is What It Is, is picking up steam in the culture and with more high profile guests appearing on the show it won’t be long before they take it to another level.