Twenty years ago today, on November 7, 2006, Jim Jones released Hustler’s P.O.M.E. (Product of My Environment) through Diplomat Records and Koch Records. It was the album that took Capo from Dipset’s right hand to a solo star, thanks to one word: “Ballin!”
The Album
Jones leaned on family for this one. Cam’ron and Juelz Santana show up, along with Hell Rell, Jha Jha, Stack Bundles, Max B and Lil Wayne. Jones co-produced alongside a deep bench that included Cam’ron, Chink Santana and Zukhan Bey.
The numbers held up. Hustler’s P.O.M.E. debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard 200 with about 106,000 copies sold in its first week, and it hit No. 1 on both the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums and Independent Albums charts, per Wikipedia. Koch put out an expanded edition in August 2007. “Emotionless” followed as the second single in March 2007.
‘We Fly High’ Changed Everything
The lead single, “We Fly High,” produced by Zukhan Bey, went to No. 5 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was Jones’ first top-10 hit and still his biggest. It also topped Hot Rap Songs, reached No. 4 on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and went Platinum, per Wikipedia.
But the real story was the jump shot. Every time Jones yelled “Ballin!” crowds fired off a fake jumper. He called the move the “Fadeaway.” It spread from clubs to the NFL, where New York Giants players hit the jump shot after big plays in October 2006, and the league ended up issuing a clarification about the celebration. Wrestlers used it in the ring, too.
Then came the remixes. The official remix brought in T.I., Diddy, Juelz, Birdman and Young Dro, and there was a Giants remix as well. Even Jay-Z hopped on the beat with “Brooklyn High,” aimed right at Jones.
The Legacy
Hustler’s P.O.M.E. is a time capsule of peak Dipset: loud, flashy, Harlem to the core, and independent at a time when that was still rare at the top of the charts. Two decades later, you can still yell “Ballin!” in any club or at any game and watch somebody shoot a jumper. That’s real staying power, the kind that makes this a true Culture x Sports classic.
Where does “We Fly High” rank among the 2006 anthems? Tell us. And catch up on our last Archive pick: On This Day in 2011: Wale Dropped ‘Ambition’.
Sources: Wikipedia: Hustler’s P.O.M.E., Wikipedia: We Fly High, Wikipedia: 2006 in hip-hop
