S. Samuel
Dipset's Cam'ron has revealed how nice his pen game is by admitting to ghostwriting Lil' Cease's 1997 smash hit "Crush On You" verse before his eventual rise to fame.
According to Killa, the opportunity was presented to him by fellow Harlem rapper Ma$e.
In an interview with Hot 97 personalities DJ Cipha Sounds and Peter Rosenberg on their Juan Epstein podcast, the Harlemite revealed that he wrote Cease A Leo’s rhymes on Lil’ Kim‘s 1996 hit “Crush on You.” “What happened was, [Untertainment CEO Lance] Un [Rivera] gave Mase $30,000 to write five songs for Lil’ Cease at that time and Mase gave me $5,000 of the 30 to write one or two of the songs,” he said. “I wrote the ‘Crush on You’ song and they ended up keeping it for Lil’ Kim album but it was really for Lil’ Cease. The original ‘Crush on You’ is all Lil’ Cease, Lil’ Kim isn’t even on the record.” Cam, who didn’t have a solo album deal at the time, says he was paid the $5,000 up front and did not receive any residuals after the song started to gain success, making its way to No. 2 on Billboard’s Hot Dance Music charts in 1997. (XXL Mag)
The song is officially featured on Lil Kim’s 1996 debut album, Hardcore.
“Crush on You” is a single by Lil’ Kim from her debut album and features fellow Junior M.A.F.I.A. members Lil’ Cease & The Notorious B.I.G.. It landed at number twenty-three in the UK Singles Chart and number six on the Billboard Hot 100. The original album version had Lil’ Cease rapping alone, while the single version featured him with Lil’ Kim. Aaliyah and Sheek Louch of The LOX are featured in the music video. The song contains a sample of Jeff Lorber Fusion‘s “Rain Dance” from their 1979 album Water Signs. (Wikipedia)
Following the song’s success, Cease would eventually sign to Lil Kim’s record label.
With his distinctive lisping style, he made his recorded debut in 1994 as a member of the Junior M.A.F.I.A., issuing the single “Players Anthem”; the full-length Conspiracy followed in 1995, and that same year Lil’ Cease scored a hit with the Lil’ Kim duet “Crush on You.” On March 9, 1997, he and the Notorious B.I.G. were driving away from a party in Los Angeles when Biggie was shot and killed; Lil’ Cease continued as a solo artist, signing to Lil’ Kim’s Queen Bee label and issuing The Wonderful World of Cease A Leo in mid-1999. (All Music)
Outside of his past ghostwriting, Cam’ron’s new Gunz N’ Butta album debuted on the sales chart this week.
Dipset’s Cam’ron and Vado’s Gunz N’ Butta also debuted on the chart this week at No. 78. With a week down, their new joint LP has sold 7,600 copies. (SOHH Sales Wrap)
Check out the “Crush On You” music video below:
