Cam'ron Accepts Legacy Leader Award At Black Independence Awards In Harlem

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NEW YORK, NEW YORK - JUNE 16: Cam'ron attends "For Khadija" Tribeca Festival After Party at Lavo on June 16, 2023 in New York City. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)
Cam'ron reflected on his upbringing in Harlem while accepting a Black Independence Award on Saturday.

Cam'ron accepted the Legacy Leader award in Harlem on Saturday night at the second annual Black Independence Awards. During his speech, Cam reflected on his upbringing and his relationship with his late mother as well as the beginning of his career in music.

“My mom moved to Harlem from Atlantic City in 1963 and I always wondered, ‘What if I grew up in Atlantic City?’ Then I was like, ‘Thank God I didn’t grow up in Atlantic City.’ … Growing up in the late 70’s and early 80’s in Harlem, it was violence-ridden, drug-infested and I lived smack-dab in the middle of it," Cam began.

Cam'ron With His Mother At His Birthday Party

Camron with His Mom Ms. Giles during Camron's Birthday Party - February 8, 2005 at Rhone in New York City, New York, United States. (Photo by Johnny Nunez/WireImage)

Cam continued: “By the time I was 13 years old, I was a top 50 basketball player in the United States… As I was getting older, this thing called Hip Hop was getting older. Whether it was break dancing, graffiti or rapping, I liked putting words together.”

From there, he recalled meeting Ma$e in college and getting more serious about hip-hop after seeing his fellow Harlem native, Big L, land a record deal. He also took a moment to thank Dame Dash, who helped him get out of a record deal and assisted him at Roc-A-Fella. Check out Cam'ron's full speech at the awards ceremony below.

Cam'ron At The Black Independence Awards

“Everywhere I go, I take Harlem with me,” Cam'ron further said in his speech. “I represent Harlem everywhere I go. Next year about this time hopefully my documentary is out and y’all could see much more.” Until then, fans can catch Cam'ron on his new sports show, It Is What It Is, which he hosts alongside Ma$e. The two have made headlines for comments on the show numerous times and interviewed multiple noteworthy guests, including Stephen A. Smith.

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About The Author
Cole Blake is a current staff writer at HotNewHipHop based out of New York City. He began writing for the site as an intern back in 2018 while finishing his B.A. in Journalism at St. John’s University. In the time since, he’s covered a number of breaking stories for HNHH. These include the ongoing YSL RICO trial, the allegations surrounding Diddy, and much more. His work also extends outside of hip-hop, having written extensively about a myriad of topics including politics, sports, and pop culture. He’s attended several music festivals to provide coverage for the site as well, such as Rolling Loud and Governors Ball.
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