CAM’RON BET ON HIMSELF, AND IT’S THE REALEST RETURN ON INVESTMENT HE’S SEEN BY FAR –
The Harlem-bred native had been running mere minutes behind but was extremely apologetic for the tardy arrival. Before he readied himself to sit in his barber’s chair for a fresh cut and shape-up, he shook hands with the production crew who were patiently waiting and — again — took full accountability for his lack of punctuality, albeit, at the mercy of cross country travel, New York City traffic, and an unexpected ruckus at the entrance of the building that left an individual knocked unconscious and waiting on an ambulance.
Cam’ron was back in his hometown, Harlem, where he once got the “boosters boosting” and “computers ‘puting.” With a music career spanning almost 30 years, selling millions of records, and performing in sold-out venues, the “Get ‘Em Girls” rapper has a business portfolio that ain’t all hip-hop.
In recent years, Cam’s professional ambitions have reached even greater heights, and his shift into digital media has become the vehicle. To understand Cam’ron, one would have to understand that he is never not enterprising and capitalizing on an opportunity.
In February 2023, the rapper-turned-talking-head did his big one, launching It Is What It Is, an irreverent, sports-centric podcast hosted by Cam, his childhood homie, Ma$e, and Treasure “STAT Baby” Wilson. The initiative was a power move that turned his $120,000 investment into an eight-figure entity.
“I would be on the phone arguing with my man … I look at the phone; I’ve been arguing with this dude for an hour and 50 minutes about sports,” Cam’ron said.
“So, I was like, I’m gonna just invest my own money and just make it look like a professional setting, wear a suit but talk how people talk in the gambling spot, on the corner, in the projects, on the stoop or the barbershop.”
“That was the vision,” Cam said.
It Is What It Is swooped in to cater to an underserved demographic who might enjoy sports commentary—without the code switch.
Less than two years later, It Is What It Is has about 279 episodes in the can. The show ranks No. 45 in the sports podcasts category on Spotify, has 630,000 Instagram followers, and has 551,000 subscribers on YouTube, with over 80 million views. The concept is genius and took flight. Along with a sweet payday for those involved came a huge following where thousands of supporters stay saluting the triumvirate and giving Cam’ron his flowers. A glance beneath a given episode post will show subscribers of the network leaving endearing comments:
OH BOY
Cam’ron is aware that there are conflicting views of him depending on the perspective or scenario. His run-ins with controversy, which have seemingly made a few folks salty, are often misconstrued and perhaps perceived without nuance. There’s a rhyme and reason for his reactions and responses in many cases, and he’s more than willing to expound.
“I do what the situation calls for,” he says. “I wouldn’t regret anything that I’ve done in the past.”
Cam continues: “A lot of people say, ‘Cam, when he was on Bill O’Reilly, he was bugging. When he was on CNN, he was acting crazy,’ but if you ever want to know my perspective from any of those situations, I would be more than happy to explain what happened in any situation where somebody thinks that I was ignorant and stupid, arrogant, stupid, dumb, not representing the Black culture.”
Art doesn’t always imitate life, but those lines can easily blur when observing life through digital lenses. However, Cam’ron is every bit of who he says he is, not the idea of who people may project him to be. He acknowledges that his hip-hop persona, tongue-in-cheek commentary, and shoot-from-the-hip mannerisms are often conflated with Cameron Giles.
