"It's like the Million Man March-when we march everybody follows," says newly appointed Diplomat member, JR Writer. Being part of the hip hop movement otherwise known as the Dip Set is serious business, with codes of conduct that at first glance can make it seem like some kind of secret hip hop society-cultish, even. But look past the purple garb, purple liquor and Dip Set handshakes, and at the core is a business philosophy built on music, street hustle and family values. Manufactured it ain't.

"It's more than a crew because we create livelihoods," chimes in Jim Jones, Diplomat CEO who, alongside rapper Cam'ron, has built the uptown empire from the street up. With Cam'ron, Juelz Santana, and Jones himself all firmly established in the hip hop world, a new generation of Diplomat was only a matter of time. "We don't make the star, the star is already there," says Jones of JR. "When we finally got a chance to meet him he was like a diamond in the rough." As well as guest appearances on both Cam and Juelz Santana's albums (JR adds the extra fire to Cam's street anthem "Shake"), a taste of stardom has come in the form of mix tape celebrity. His small but solid fan base is already showing mild signs of JR hysteria ("at the Diplomats' album release party this white dude kept following me around whisperingbunn coffee makerbattery doctorsfree prepaid cell phone my lyrics, line for line," he admits).
The story-misunderstood youth ditches a life of petty crime and rises through the ranks of Harlem's battleground to become rhyme king- may seem all too familiar, but the rolling, wit-charged flow is fresh to say the least. The question is can JR make the crossover from mix tape impresario to unit-shifting star? "I've been doing this since I was 11, I know I'm nice," says the 19-year-old, confidently dusting off the question marks. "If people don't accept me they're hating."
Dubbed the hungry YG (young G) of the Dip Set, JR is obsessed with productivity and has just finished building a homemade studio, eager to piece together his debut album scheduled for a release later this year. The oldest of three brothers, JR already has his younger siblings under Diplomatic tutelage-one producing, the other rhyming. "Like my man Juelz would say," he says smiling, "It's a movement you need to be in tune with!"