For his fourth release Cam'ron enlists the talents of three up-and-comers (Juelz Santana, Freeky Zeekey, and Jimmy Jones) for a colorful and extended foray through New York mores in general and those of their respective 'hoods in Harlem in particular. A typical cut, "Ground Zero," is ostensibly 9/11-related, but closer listening will reveal that it's about that gangsta staple, drugs, the thugs that deal them, and the marks that take them. There are flashes of humor amid the gritty material; "Real Ni***s," with its accompanying skit, neatly skewers the "keeping it real" philosophy, and has a smooth Gamble & Huff sample to boot.
The overall thug-life lyrical slant is leavened with other imaginative samples and arrangements of this ilk, and the double-CD format gives the posse the space to display its comedic skills over the course of several skits. DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY could easily be accused of overkill, but on this showing it just means that there's more of the Diplomats to love.