Cam'ron/Dipset

We'll eventually get to the way the Diplomats (a.k.a. Dipset) are defining today's hip-hop with brazen head-snappers like "Dipset Anthem." But before that we've gotta introduce crew leader and all-around Harlem Renaissance man Cam'ron. Aligned with the Bad Boy posse early on, Cam's always dusted his pop songs with grittiness and a cocksure attitude, from the confident ladies man anthems "Horse and Carriage," "Down and Out," and "Hey Ma" to the buzzing synthesizers of "Girls."

Like so many mainstream rap phenoms, Dipset rose up the respected way — through mix tapes, rep-establishing group efforts, and shining guest spots on one another's singles. Jim Jones and Juelz Santana split the supporting rhyme roles on the minimal Cam'ron banger "Crunk Muzik," Santana shares the shade with Cam in the dark night-crawler "Double Up," and the entire Diplomats crew gets all Kanye on the chipmunk soul-sampling "Purple Haze" and all G-funk over "Bout It Bout It…, Pt. 3."

The names are now familiar — Cam'Ron, Jim Jones, Juelz Santana, JR Writer, and unifying group banner the Diplomats—but the Dipset crew didn't rise out of nowhere. They started off small and steady with the Diplomatic Immunity/More than Music tapes, two collections of soon-to-be-singles like "Purple Haze" and "S.A.N.T.A.N.A." Solo and collaborative efforts followed suit before the streets and suburbs knew what hit 'em, causing many to refer to a clear Dipset sound of assertive rhymes and unique productions: "What Means the World to You" samples the Police's "Roxanne," while "There It Go (The Whistle Song)" could be the best hip-hop song to ever feature a literal whistle lead.