Purple Haze is the fourth studio album by Harlem rapper Cam'ron. The album was released on December 7, 2004, by Diplomat Records, Roc-A-Fella Records and distributed by Def Jam Recordings.

Background

The release of Purple Haze was delayed several times from its original November 2003 schedule, with the first single “Get Em Girls” dropping a year before the album eventually arrived. By the time of its release in December 2004, Roc-A-Fella Records was undergoing major restructuring, including its sale to Def Jam the day of its release and Jay-Z’s appointment as president and CEO of Def Jam. Around the same period, Roc-A-Fella co-founders Damon Dash and Kareem “Biggs” Burke were effectively pushed out, deepening internal instability at the label. Combined with existing tension between Cam’ron and Jay-Z, these factors contributed to a fractured rollout and limited promotional support. Following the album’s release, Cam’ron sought to leave Roc-A-Fella and Def Jam, making Purple Haze his final album under both labels.

Commercial performance

The album debuted and peaked at number 20 on the Billboard 200 with 123,000 copies sold in its first week. The album has since been certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments and sales of over 500,000 copies in America.

Critical reception

Purple Haze received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average score of 72, based on 7 reviews.

Online music magazine Pitchfork placed Purple Haze at number 114 on their list of the Top 200 Albums of the 2000s. Pitchfork writer Sean Fennessey said, "Call this a personal project for a relentlessly distant artist; an asshole's lament. Purple Haze is simultaneously a refined, perfectly A&R-ed follow-up and one of the most confusing, crude full-lengths ever." In 2022, Rolling Stone placed it at number 174 on their list of the 200 Greatest Hip-Hop Albums of All Time. The magazine's writer Joe Gross said, "Purple Haze was the peak of classic-era Cam, somehow shoring up his delivery and getting weirder for it."

Track listing

;Leftover Tracks

  • "Lord You Know"
  • "Royalty (Crown Me)"
  • "Bust Ya Gunz"
  • "Halftime Show"
  • "Dead Muthafuckas"
  • "Diamonds and Pearls"
  • "Shut the Fuck Up"
  • "Bigger Picture"
  • "He’s a Homo (Phone Interlude)"
  • "Purple Haze"
  • "Yeo"
  • "To the Top"

Sample credits

  • "More Gangsta Music" contains a sample of "Woman I Need You" by Sizzla.
  • "Get Down" contains a sample of "Life's Opera" by Marvin Gaye.
  • "Leave Me Alone Pt. 2" contains a sample of "Bajo Fuego" by Jerry Goldsmith.
  • "Down And Out" contains a sample of "Strung Out" by William Bell & Mavis Staples.
  • "Harlem Streets" contains a sample of "Theme from Hill Street Blues" by Mike Post.
  • "Girls" contains a sample of "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper.
  • "Soap Opera" contains a sample of "Merry-Go-Ride" by Smokey Robinson.
  • "Bubble Music" contains a sample of "Blues Dance Raid" by Steel Pulse.
  • "More Reasons" contains a sample of "Reasons" by Earth, Wind & Fire.
  • "The Dope Man" contains a sample of "Funky Worm" by Ohio Players.
  • "Hey Lady" contains a sample of "I Want to Be Your Man" by Roger Troutman.
  • "Get 'Em Girls" contains a sample of "Carmina Burana - O Fortuna" by Carl Orff.
  • "Dip-Set Forever" contains a sample of "Forever" by Chuck Cissel.

Personnel

Credits for Purple Haze adapted from AllMusic.

  • Cam'ron – executive producer
  • Kareem "Biggs" Burke – executive producer
  • Traxster – mixing
  • Tony Dawsey – mastering
  • Bang – producer
  • Carlisle Young – mixing
  • Charlemagne – producer
  • Eric "Ebo" Butler – mixing
  • Cam'ron – producer
  • Oluwaseye Olusa – photography
  • Kanye West – producer
  • Chad Hamilton – producer
  • Traxster – producer
  • The Heatmakerz – producer
  • Versatile – producer
  • Skitzo – producer
  • Ryan Press – producer
  • Duke Dagod – A&R
  • Nasty Beatmakers – producer
  • Stay Gettin' productions – producer
  • Robert Sims – art direction
  • Antwan "Amadeus" Thompson – producer
  • Travis Cummings – artist coordination
  • Ty Tracks – producer
  • Jamel George – artist coordination
  • Monica Morrow – stylist
  • Shalik Berry – artist coordination
  • Mike Peters – vocals
  • Rick Patrick – creative director
  • Jim Jones – vocals
  • Juelz Santana – vocals
  • Mike T. – engineer
  • Jaconda "Ms" Blunt – vocals
  • Carlisle Young – engineer
  • Latrice "Grease" Carter – vocals
  • Eric "Ebo" Butler – engineer
  • Sarah Hinds – vocals
  • Mike Peters – engineer
  • Steven "Opera Steve" Santiago – vocals
  • Milwaukee "Protools King" Buck – engineer
  • Dave Irving – vocals
  • Damon Dash – executive producer

Charts and certifications

Weekly charts

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!Chart (2004)

!Peak<br/>position

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Year-end charts

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!scope="col"|Chart (2005)

!scope="col"|Position

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| US Billboard 200

| style="text-align:center;"|165

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| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)

| style="text-align:center;"|33

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Certifications

References