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DIPLOMATS
MORE THAN MUSIC
BY CHRIS NELSON
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Harlem’s premier hipster-approved hustlers have rolled out another "album" that’s little more than a glorified mixtape. But when you're making the kind of mixtapes the Diplomats do, that’s not such a bad thing. As on past collections, Cam’ron and the founding fathers are present in the periphery — peep Jim Jones and Juelz Santana on the organ freakout "What Is This" and the metal-riff-ripping "Santana's Town II," respectively — but More Than Music is mostly a showcase for the clique’s lesser-known MCs. "You Make Me Say" proves that 20-year old "Dominican prince" J.R. Writer is capable of melding his own smirking charisma and Father Cam’s beguiling cadence. Getting through all 67 minutes is something of an endurance test, but a little goes a long way on quick 16-bar handoffs like the Otis Redding–sampling posse cut "Dipset Symphony."
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