S.D.E. could've been a masterpiece, if not for...

[Taadow]

...the beats.

Damn, those beats was not the bomb. Cam was comin' wit' heat, but they should've used somebody besides Digga as the main producer.

And on the real, that's kinda always been Cam's Achilles' Heel:
He thinks he's tight enough to where he can skimp on the technicals - he puts a lot of baking soda
in his musical dope.

Just a random thought.

 

[tuckgod]

I thought most of the production was dope outside of a couple radio reaches

 

[FreshAIG]

I like the beats on SDE. Very early 2000/late 90s street NY heavy, so I can see why it doesn't appeal to everyone

It's easily Cam's best album to me.

 

[AMcV'88]

the beats fit the theme of the album well. you can tell exactly what era it was made in though.
his budget for SDE was trash too and he was getting raped hence why he had to sell drugs to keep living so that prolly played a part in his production choices too.

Cam's biggest problem and why he doesn't have a definitive classic is that he's not an "artist".
seems likes he just a pen and a beat guy and what comes from it comes from it. doesn't seem like its that much of a rigorous or fraught process for him when it comes to making an album. shyt, all of Cam's albums are too long.

he's someone that fell into rap (and became extremely talented at it) because his first love went bad and he didn't want to hustle all his life...its actually quite bizarre to see him downplay himself as a rapper while listing off his accomplishments these days. "i only stuck with it because Big L thought i was nice" type shyt. in that video interview with XXL when talking about still rapping "i'm still pretty nice when i try"

 

[MurderToCassette]

Wish D Rugs 2 made it, classic joint

 

[tuckgod]

My favorite Cam record and my theme music for my entire 20s...

 

[Taadow]

I thought most of the production was dope outside of a couple radio reaches

And that's another thing - the "radio reaches" stuck out like a sore thumb...
but for real - the were some of the best beats on the album.

"Freak" is gold if it was on a soundtrack, or a DJs mixtape, but it didn't fit here.

"What Means The World To You" was a decent beat, but it wasn't for Cam...which is why the remix gets more play than the OG.

The rest of the beats weren't anything special or memorable. They were just there behind the lyrics.

My favorite Cam record and my theme music for my entire 20s...

No argument here...

In fact, I was waiting for SDE in broad daylight with a flashlight because of "That's Me" and "Let Me Know" coming out ahead of it.
And then I put the disc in and it started with the "Fucc You" right in front (which was the highlight of the first album to me), then bled into
"That's Me"...two tracks in, i'm thinking this is gonna be a landmark album. Then the rest of it comes, and it's not that.

 

[No Hook]

I agree with Op. The production was horrible on that album

 

[Pinyapplesuckas]

SDE got pushed back a ton as well

 

[GollyImGully]

first time i heard someone shyt on the production on SDE

 

[RAX 010]

N!gga whaaaaat?

 

[FreshAIG]

One of my favorite tracks that didn't make the US version of the album. Dame was his manager at the time, low key this is his first Roc-A-Fella release.

 

[SoulController]

it was dope for its time, but yea some of the beats were dated after a few years. Digga Branch was kind of like Dame Grease and Swizz in the late 90's (not including Its Dark). hot atm but didnt quite age like DJ Scratch, EZ Elpee or Ty Fyffe productions did from the same era

Movin Weight /Where Im From/Violence tho

 

[I Really Mean It]

Album is still flames. fukk you mean the beats weren't banging?

 

[Blankthawtz]

SDE was Cam's 5 mic album....fukk what anyone says!....