The Ten Bizarre Yet Strangely Rational Things About Cam’ron & Mase’s “Horse and Carriage,” Upon Re-Watching It a Decade Later
10. For his first single, Cam’ron Giles chose to introduce himself to the world by informing it that there was a reasonable possibility that they “might see [him] in designer underwear, in a reclining leather chair.” A disturbing image that does nothing to reconcile this video of Cam in blue polka dot boxers purchased from Ross.
9. With the black plastic nerd glasses that he sporadically sports, Cam’ron may have been the proto-hipster rapper. Mickey Factz, you aren’t as original as you thought.
8. That their are paparazzi with boom mics and cameras trying to ask Cam’ron questions. In 1998, other than than Big L, Mase, Un, and a transvestite hooker named Fluffy that had been known to frequent the 125th st. exit of the subway, no one had ever heard of the dude.
7. When Cam asks an astonished co-ed whether she is “sexy in thongs” it foreshadows a sexual ambiguity and doubt that will be a hallmark of his career. If you have to ask…..
6. Why is Mase’s love for hire? Is this a tacit admission of the rumors that perpetually dogged him from the shiny suit days? The love nest with Puffy? The Midnight Cowboy-esque romps through Times Square in the “Only You” video. Can’t love be free, Mase? Is nothing sacred?
5. Cam’s line that he “loves when cats think they’re bigger than a sumo/that’s when I hit ‘em with a little Puerto Rican judo/oh you don’t know what that is/that’s when I go, ju don’t know whose gat this is.” Okay, there’s nothing bizarre about this–it’s just a hilariously awesome line. Perhaps my favorite other than “Drinkin’ sake on a Suzuki/we in Osaka Bay.”
4. The blink-if-you-missed-it cameo of a permed-out Jim Jones in a all-white suit that makes him look like a Cuban lawn bowler or the Neoyoriquino DJ Quik.
3. Mase’s conspicuous absence from the video, allegedly because he demanded payment to appear, a move which supposedly started beef between him and Cam. Either that or they had a lover’s spat over where to take Puerto Rican Judo courses.
2. Killa’s brusque attitude towards the valet. Okay, we get it dude, you’re rich and important with your Poindexter glasses, but no one likes a guy who’s rude to the help.
1. Cam’s refusal to attend his pool party without pink plastic inflatable sharks. It just makes too much sense.
Download:
MP3: Cam’ron ft. Mase-”Horse & Carriage”
MP3: Cam’ron ft. Wyclef, Charli Baltimore, Silkk the Shocker & Big Pun-”Horse & Carriage Remix”
Stumble It!
December 5th, 2008 at 1:56 am
That’s quite a remix. I submit that there has never been a “remix” before or since which is so completely unrelated to the original song. To the extent that I’ve heard “Horse and Carriage” dozens of times, and there is absolutely no chance I could have guessed what the “remix” was supposedly a “remix” of.
First of all, the music bears no resemblance to the original music. I guess it’s sort of the same rhythm, but it’s less cool and more obvious, and the synth melody is totally new, and the bassline is very different.
Second of all, the original hook is completely gone, not even altered, just replaced with another hook. No sign of Mason Betha anywhere.
Third, none of the words to any of the verses are the same. That is, Cam’ron’s one verse on the “remix” is not one of his verses on the original, and all the other vocals are by people who weren’t on the original.
Fourth, the remix hardly even includes the words “horse” or “carriage” - they just occur incidentally once n Charli Baltimore’s verse and once in Big Pun’s verse.
In conclusion, the only things the two songs have in common are:
- the four-note DJ noise that starts both songs
- the phrase “ju don know?”, making a cameo appearance right at the beginning of the “remix” after it became so popular in the original.
December 5th, 2008 at 4:23 am
That’s your second favorite Cam line? I might go with
You think you real, well my posse is crazier
Your moms, robbin and rapin her, Saudi Arabia
or, from the same song
Papi’s rotten, my block, top, and spot be poppin
I popped ak’ over some oxycontin (contin!)
December 5th, 2008 at 7:47 am
Pretty sure 357 was Cam’s first single. Never caught the Jones cameo.
December 5th, 2008 at 7:49 am
wow - “or the Neoyoriquino DJ Quik.”
This might be the single best thing written on the Internet all year.
December 5th, 2008 at 8:45 am
A simple equation that probably sounded great in 1998:
“Night Court Theme” with the “Seinfeld” slap bass loop on the hook (or so it seems)
+
2 of the worst flows ever (Silkk and Charli, whose verse was obviously written by Cam)
+
Wyclef recycling ANOTHER old song on the hook but singing it as if it was revealed to him by a burning bush
+
The genesis of Big Pun mailing it in
+
Cam NOT talking about Dan Fielding, Markie Post, or Judge Harry Stone (c’mon man–the ball is on a tee!)
=
“Horse and Carriage Remix”
December 5th, 2008 at 9:34 am
http://www.gtp.gr/TDirectoryDetails.asp?id=54305
i learned from the best, dun.
December 5th, 2008 at 9:48 am
Abe: You may be right–though I wasn’t able to find release dates for either single. I do remember “Horse and Carriage” being substantially bigger (Mase hook prolly helped). I could see Cam going with “357″ as his first because of a love of the Magnum PI theme and men in mustaches.
Zilla: Markie Post/Gave Me the Rope A Dope/Okie doke/Took Off My Pants Said Damn…Cam/Strokie Stroke.
Instant Cam lyrics.
December 5th, 2008 at 10:31 am
talk gully/but you n*ggas sweet like almond rocas/was in the middle-east/i said “salaam” and poked her/and then i harmed her chocha/ace stunna, face cumma/y’all n*ggas is base-runners/i got the arm of sosa
RAPPING LIKE CAM IS SO FUCKING FUN.
December 5th, 2008 at 11:40 am
i’m all for a discussion on spectacular cam lyrics. and thanks for the reminder on the puerto rican judo line jeff! i dont visit the first 2 cam records as much as i should.
and if we’re gonna talk about ambiguous sexuality, i think the following two cam verses are worth examining:
off of ‘freak’:
“I’m the one who is the low-key Don
dick stay hard, call me Pokemon”
(associating his dick with poke-a-mon? - with a faux jamaican accent, couldnt it easily be interpreted as an open fondness for humping men ?
off of confessions:
“But I jerk off ’til I bust blood /Oh yeah I got my balls pierced”
Ummm.
December 5th, 2008 at 12:32 pm
Let’s just recall that Nasir (we can’t say his full name because that’s the same as Jimmy’s) once said that he drank his own urine, his own semen. It’s on the unreleased version of You’re Da Man, Sony didn’t let him put that shit on the album because it was too ambiguous for them. (I mean, it couldn’t have been because it was too gross, they didn’t censor him the time he talked about a girl eating his shit.)
December 5th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
Wait a minute, there’s an unreleased version of “You’re Da Man” out there where Nas claims that he drinks his own piss?! Under what context does that remotely fit with the theme of the song?!
December 5th, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Did he actually say that? Sheeit. I once did a urine themed post http://swangerrrmanagement.blogspot.com/2008/11/psa-urine-revolution.html , and a nas blurb would have been perfect argument to legitimize the urine revolution.
You’re da man, atleast the version i heard, had traces of some dark, horrorcore steez
“Sex with death, indulge in these women
Vision my own skeleton swimmin in eternal fire
Broads play with pentagrams in they vagina
Like the Exorcist, then they gave birth to my seeds”
So in that context I can possibly see nas saying something about piss-drinking. Still I’m curious too, as to the actual context dude spit those unreleased lines
December 5th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
They cut it out right before he goes “but wait, give me time to explain.” Logically enough. If you google Nas, You’re Da Man, and urine/semen, it comes up a few places.
December 6th, 2008 at 1:49 pm
That’s not the only instance of Nas talking about pee/scat shit along with demon/crucifix talk. Dude’s a weirdo.
December 31st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
[…] to parlay his lifelong friendship with then-Bad Boy star, Ma$e, into a lasting career (or even an awesome song). He’d released an album on a label that folded soon after and seen his contract absorbed […]