Cam'ron is part of a late '90s crop of New York MCs—including DMX, Big Pun, Noreaga, and Ma$e—who carried the Big Apple's hip-hop stronghold into the early '00s before the Down South takeover. Co-signed by The Notorious B.I.G., Cam began his career with two well-received albums, but he ascended to stardom with '02's Come Home With Me and '04's Purple Haze. Alongside 50 Cent's G-Unit, Cam's Dipset collective was instrumental in changing mixtape culture from DJ-helmed discs to artist-driven promotional tools.