Cam’ron, founder of The Diplomats, came to Philly for a rare performance on Saturday at The Blockley. G.W. Miller III of JUMP Philly was there among the packed crowd, covering the scene – which included a roll-call of Philly hip-hop luminaries. Here’s his account of the night:

Right before Killa Cam took the stage, The Astronauts crew, including Pace-O Beats and Mont Brown, had the crowd bouncing with their energetic stage presence. At one point, they were joined by Chill Moody, who lugged around a 2 liter bottle of green tea ginger ale (which was not just soda), for their hit “Hi Top Fade.”

Jakk Frost took the stage next and rhymed along with Mont and Pace, then Peedi Crakk strolled out and all four rapped along to a few songs, including “Flipside.” There was a lot of Philly love and talent all night. Earlier, Voss, from the Northeast, and Newz Huddle, from North Philly, fired up the crowd. Beano French ran through the crowd and jumped on stage to perform with Newz Huddle mid-song.

Cam, sporting a New York Giants pendant that was covered in diamonds, took the stage after 12:30 am, backed by a bodyguard the size of a Volkswagon Beetle and an entourage of about two dozen people. And he was live. He strutted back and forth on the stage and reached out to the audience. In the intimate confines of The Blockley, it felt as if Killa Cam was in the middle of the crowd, which added to the raucous environment.

The Dipset founder doesn’t perform much these days and he hasn’t played Philly in years. Those in attendance were pretty lucky because who knows if he’ll play Philly again anytime soon. If ever.

Pace-O Beats and Mont Brown, by Rick Kauffman. Chill Moody with The Astronauts, by G.W. Miller III. Jakk Frost with Mont Brown, by G.W. Miller III. Peedi Crakk, by Rick Kauffman. Jakk Frost, Mont Brown and Peedi Crakk, by G.W. Miller III. Newz Huddle with Beano, by G.W. Miller III. Cam’ron, by G.W. Miller III. Cam’ron, by Rick Kauffman.