Harlem: Diary Of A Summer [PA]

Performer: Jim Jones (Rap)
Artist: Denise Weeks; Cam'Ron; Max B; Juelz Santana; Latif; Hell Rell; T.K.; Jha Jha; Trey Songz; Fatal Hussein; 40 Cal
Producer: Pete Rock; The Treblemakers; Develop; Beat Firm; Knoxville
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: This is a DualDisc, which contains a CD on one side of the disc and a DVD on the other. Personnel: Jim Jones (rap vocals); 40 Cal., Fatal Hussein, Max B., Diddy, Paul Wall , T.K., JR Writer, Denise Weeks, Trey Songz, Hell Rell, Jha Jha, Juelz Santana, Latiff, Cardan (rap vocals). While Jim Jones's 2004 debut, ON THE WAY TO CHURCH, built a darkly surreal world befitting a man whose name and religious references recall a maniacal 1970s mass murderer, the Dipset member's second solo record, HARLEM: DIARY OF A SUMMER, is a bit disarming in its hooky brightness. In fact, the title-track ode to Jones's home neighborhood, with its breezy jazz hook and friendly spirit, is a positive beacon of light. Jones's voice, dripping as it always is with a feeling of impending doom, pairs in a wonderfully grotesque way with the buoyant beats behind him, whether he's boasting over a heavy bass ("Baby Girl"), eulogizing atop a classic old-school beat ("Tupac Joint"), or rapping about a mix of desire and betrayal in a unique sample of the Isley Brothers' "Between the Sheets" ("Summer With Miami").

Spin (p.103) - "[With] chintzy keyboards, '80s synth-rock drums, and soul samples..." - Grade: B Vibe (p.232) - discs out of 5 - "HARLEM has a cohesive and consistent sound....This is summer rider music at its best - a hot and reckless journey."

A true NYC success story, Jim Jones's ascent to a spot among rap's quickest minds and keenest ears by the late-`00s is almost breathtaking in its deliberateness. While hip-hop history is littered with label architects whose attempts to grab the mic were tributes to vain mediocrity, the mercurial Diplomats co-founder is not one of them. Jones waited until practically every other member of Harlem's Dipset crew (Cam'ron, Juelz Santana, etc.) had had his turn before unleashing his solo debut in 2004. By 2009's highly anticipated PRAY IV REIGN, Jones revealed himself as a versatile budding star, as comfortable dropping an auto-tuner heavy single like "Pop Champagne" as elegantly reimagining indie-synth-popsters MGMT's "Electric Feel."

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