In the years following Jay Z's first "retirement," there was no one who epitomized New York swagger and cocksureness like Cam'ron, Jim Jones and the Dipset crew. Today (July 15), the Dipset capo known as Jones turns 39 years old.

Born in the Bronx but raised in Harlem, Jones was initially known as Cam'ron's main hype man. The rapper became one of the Diplomats' prominent figures before becoming a star in his own right. His biggest hit to date is "We Fly High." For the mainstream, it was a No. 5 Billboard hit. For Harlem, it was another slick hip-pop jam. After the "Chicken Noodle Soup" dance became a thing, "We Fly High" gave the street dudes a less silly dance (simply a basketball shot wrist flick) to rock to.

Although his success continued into the next decade, Jones was embroiled in a few beefs. Roc-A-Fella's disintegration left Dipset at odds with Jay Z, and in 2009, Jones dissed him and T.I. on the song "Jackin' Swagga From Us" (which played off the hit "Swagga Like Us"). Jones also was at odds with Max B for allegedly cheating him out of money; of course, many sided with Max B because of his folk heroic status.

Dipset also was at odds within. Jim Jones and Cam'ron feuded and stopped speaking to each other from 2007 to 2010. By the time they called a truce, Dipset stopped being a powerhouse and New York was left without a central clique until the A$AP Mob came around. They only had a fraction of Dipset's influence.

Jones hasn't fallen off the map, though. He's kept his profile up through Love & Hip Hop appearances, a Vampire Life clothing line and oddities like an off-Broadway musical called Hip-Hop Monologues: Inside the Life and Mind of Jim Jones. The musical isn't as essential as "We Fly High." No lie. You know this.

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