Author Topic: True Jim Jones Documentary review (+ trailers inside) (Read 133 times)

Elano · « **on:** March 23, 2009, 06:50:24 PM »

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Anyone who had doubts about Jim Jones and his rise to [hood] fame at a staggering speed will walk away knowing what the fuss is all about. The documentary debuts Capo's life changing moments, touching topics of his involvement in gang life, drug use in his family, Dame and Jay beef, Cam'ron, fallen friends, Jones' arrogance, the source of Jay, Cam and Jones' beef and much more.

The usual back story of a rapper involves a history of drugs and gang-related activity as they proclaim their thoroughness to the plight of their inner-city upbringing, and Capo is no different. Pictures of Jimmy in his early years, dressed in Blood apparel, and his involvement with childhood friends Freekey Zekey, Cam and Dame on the come up prior to fame, humanized the relationships that we've witnessed throughout music and videos. Gloating on Dame's behalf about his clout within his neighborhood and Jim's suttle "Stuntin' Like My Daddy" adoration for Dash were insightful, to say the least.

The documentary became more enticing as it involved the rise of Cam'ron's career from his Children Of The Corn days til his big break as a solo artist with Confessions Of Fire. From there, a glimpse into how a young Juelz was discovered and immediately welcomed into the Dipset group corners into avenues fans are more familiar with -- Roc-A-Fella Records. From there, the documentary chronicles the brotherhood between the Harlem-bred rappers throughout the Roc-A-Fella politics, clearing up the decisions made on Dame Dash's behalf in regards to giving Cam a VP title. This is where the riff between Cam and Jay-Z, as well as Jay and Dame are rooted.

As the storyline continues, Jimmy recalls the moment when Dipset discovered their Kanye West "H to the Izzo" beat was taken by Jay-Z and performed at the BET awards. Revenge came in the form of "Strong arming" Just Blaze's "Oh Boy" beat that was meant for Jay. A video was being done for the song and Jay refused to be in it, cited as a "slap in the face" by Dame Dash. When the song "Oh Boy" becomes a hit, Jay lays down a verse for a remix. A spiteful Killa Cam erases Jay's "wack" verse and pushes out the remix to the hit without Jay. Needless to say, this solidified the discontent between the two rappers intensely.

Dame also chronicles his riff with Jay after the VP promotion within the Roc-A-Fella offices, up to the point where Jay buys out Biggs and Dame's share of the label, repeating more than once that Jay cited the decision as "just business." Tagging on to the broken bromance between Capo and Killa as it jumped from happy times to Jim rocking the stage with hip-hop ruffian 50 Cent. As Jimmy discusses the riff, moments of him not being sure why him and Cam stopped talking surfaces, but are overshadowed by comical moments and constant blunt smoking.

Interesting moments within the documentary showed moments when Jim Jones worked an office job at Asylum Records and his abuse of the company credit card. Dame's involvement in the high fashion world with wife Rachael Roy has exposed him to a different caliber of people, but as Dame tries to introduce Jimmy into this world, moments of pitty and embarrassment, as he stood out like a hoodlum in a very sophisticated world, were evident. Despite how uncomfortable those moments were, it was an insightful view of how Dame mentors Jimmy into expanding his abilities and capabilities in entertainment and socialization within other levels of wealth.

The documentary discusses various moments in Jimmy's life from acquiring three recording deals (Koch/Asylum/Sony), the loss of his best friends, his impeccable work ethic, and his move into the world of Hollywood. But, it still left room for plenty discussion: Does Cam and Jimmy have any clue as to why they really drifted apart? Why wasn't this titled "True Jim Jones & Dame Dash Documentary?" Has the top brass at Jimmy's labels figured out that he's kind of/sort of a gimmick?

The 10 chapter formatted documentary is insightful for non-Capo fans and will have viewers walking away with a new respect for him and his hustle, but not necessarily for his music. With that, the branding wealth of Jim Jones are easily forecasted when seeing Jim direct his videos and work agents in Hollywood, but easily tainted through sporadic moments of him engaging in ignorant rants with random people and police. Both Jim and Dame paint a picture of their lost brothers as petty non-communicative partners, but there are still underlining moments when they reveal an openness to reconcile their differences with them. The documentary felt more like a clarification of beef and how both Dame and Jim Jones moved on from it, career wise. Despite their failure to conceal their discontent with their bromances, the next chapter of their life is easily predicted -- reuniting of Jim and Cam, maybe Dame and Jay, too.

Cameos like Danyel Smith of Vibe magazine, Angie Martinez, Funkmaster Flex, Russell Simmons and more will keep your eyes peeled for their candid talk about the careers of Dipset and Jim Jones. The documentary officially comes out May 12th.