The Dip Set keeps dipping

By Dennis Winn/ Entertainment Columnist
Published: February 28, 2008

"The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses--behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights."

-- Muhammad Ali

The Dip Keeps Dipping'

S.O.S. The Diplomats ship looks to be sinking fast and furious. The lingering feud between Cam'ron and Jim Jones has been well documented; however, the exact cause of their feud remains cloudy.

Cam'ron, Jim Jones, and Juelz Santana, in one word, Ballin'! The three Harlemnites have all released critically acclaimed solo albums, as well as Dip Set albums as a collective with some lesser known emcees. For the first half decade of the 21st century the Dip Set achieved very memorable success. Cam's "Come Home with Me" LP produced such hits as "Hey Ma" and "Oh Boy," while Jones followed suit with such hits as "Ballin," among some rather celebrated guest appearances. In 2005, Juelz released his anticipated debut album "What the Game's Been Missing" to a warm reception.

The feud between Cam'ron and Jones has put Juelz in the awkward position of refraining from taking sides. An obstacle that he seemed to navigate quite easily until last week when he appeared on Angie Martinez's Hot 97 radio show in NYC.

When asked the reason for such the long wait between albums, Juelz answered, "Me and Cam gotta work some things out, bottom line. I came in the game when I was young, right, so it's no reason, for me to have accomplished and did as much as I did, to be getting treated the same way as I was treated when I just came in."

He then reportedly requested that Cam'ron call in to the station so that the two could talk over the airwaves. The request went unanswered, and who could blame Cam for not calling the station? The last time he attempted to confront someone on air at Hot 97, he made himself look like an idiot while trying to clown 50 Cent in a battle of words.

Anyway, it's quite obvious that the steady momentum this crew built has come to a halt. All is not lost for the Diplomats, but something has to give…and soon!

Chris and Rhianna Sittin' in a Tree…

By the looks of it, 20-year-old Rhianna and 18-year-old Chris Brown seem to be quite the item. The New York Post's Page Six caught the couple getting all close and cuddly in a Jamaica swimming pool last week. Rumors had been swirling about their alleged romantic relationship after the two were spotted together off stage on occasion. Apparently, Chris even threw a birthday party for Head's 20th a couple of weeks ago.

The Page Six photo shows the two looking very happy in the water. Page Six also said "They were floating together with him carrying her and she kept saying, 'Don't get my hair wet.' She was very soft and feminine but he was a big kid and splashing around."

Alright, I'm not sure if you're thinking this, but I am. Let's hope this Brown doesn't take the same route as another Brown did with his Grammy Award-winning diva-to-be! I'm such the cynic.

Shyne's Early Release…Maybe?

Jamal Barrows aka Shyne, the respected emcee who became a household name after involvement in a New York nightclub shooting in 1999, may be released from prison earlier than expected.

Shyne was sentenced to ten years after being convicted of firing a gun in a crowded nightclub following an altercation between his boss, P. Diddy, and another club patron. Two bystanders were struck by those bullets. There were no fatalities.

The incident made world headlines when Shyne, Anthony Jones, Diddy and his then girlfriend, Jennifer Lopez, were stopped by police as they attempted to flee the scene. Police found a loaded handgun inside the group's car. While Diddy, Shyne, and Jones were charged with crimes, Shyne's conviction served as a sideshow to Diddy's acquittal in the same trial.

Numerous news sources have reported that Barrows may receive this "reward" as a result of good behavior. His expected release date is 2009, but it is possible that the former Bad Boy Records artist could see the light of day sometime this year. Can't wait to hear his soap box on sale at a record store near you.

As for the Diddster…

How did you feel about his role as Walter Lee in ABC's remake of the classic film, "A Raisin in the Sun"? Now much of the cast from this remake, including Diddy, have been performing the play on Broadway for quite some time and have received some very good reviews (Diddy included).

Yet, Diddy's performance was second-rate at best. I give my man many brownie points for going out there and giving it a try. I do not believe in bashing someone for trying. It takes a lot of courage to attempt something new and challenging.

With that being said, or rather written, HA! His facial expression and emotions were the same throughout the whole movie. It seemed that he was not able to bring himself out of his personal character of Diddy and into the role of Walter Lee. That in itself was critical for him to pull off the performance of a character that the great Sydney Poitier so masterfully portrayed in the 1961 film.

Maybe it was hard for viewers to get past his persona as the audacious Diddy, but it is Diddy's responsibility to get viewers past that if he wants to make it as serious, respected actor…until next week, peace!

Dennis Winn can be reached at (703) 400-8301 or .