Prelude To A Legacy 4.17.09 : Chamillionaire

Posted by Fred Richani on 04.17.2009

From The Color Changin' Click to Number One Hits, Chamillionaire has been through it all. Find out why he will go down as a great one day. Chamillitary, man!

Hakeem Seriki is a very unique man. He is known as The Mixtape Messiah in his beloved home of Houston, Texas, a place he' called home since the age of four, for his scathing disses at Mike Jones and Paul Wall back in the mid-2000s. His group The Color Changin' Click (with Paul Wall) were kings of the underground (well kings not named UGK). In fact, their album Get Ya Mind Correct sold 150,000 copies independently!




After a falling out of sorts with longtime friend Paul Wall, Seriki signed with Universal Records and released his solo debut that slowly but surely made waves on the charts in The Sound of Revenge.

Hakeem Seriki is a man who decided to go against the grain and not conform to the pressures of the corporations that run the music industry. Hakeem, known to his fans as the rapper Chamillionaire (pronounced ka-million-air), has been displaying his lyrical prowess since the age of eighteen. Hits such as "Ridin" and "Get Up" featuring singer Ciara have catapulted him into success. His first album The Sound of Revenge even went platinum, selling 1 million copies and counting. Heck, the guy even won a Grammy. However, it is not the success of Chamillionaire's first album that makes him so diverse, but his lyricism and changes that have occurred in his life since his debut.



In the world of hip-hop music, great lyricists are hard to come by when it comes to southern rap. Southern rap is quite different from rap/hip hop in other areas, as songs tend to have misogynistic themes coupled with a synthesized beat that has plenty of bass. This is the kind of rap today that dominates American radio.
The Sound of Revenge did not necessarily fall into that category for the Houston, Texas native. The album did have its share of Top 40 hits and tracks that prominently showcased themes of money, fame, and women. That is all the subject matter that hip hop fans have grown accustomed to when it comes to rappers south of the Mason-Dixon Line.

Don't look for all that in Chamillionaire's sophomore effort Ultimate Victory. Inspired by the backlash towards hip-hop after the Don Imus controversy, Chamillionaire opted not to include any profanity on his album and focus on more serious issues that don't involve girls, money, and fame. Sure, there are still some tracks that resemble that on Ultimate Victory, but not without the mix of politically/socially aware tracks such as "The Morning News", "The Evening News", "Hip-Hop Police", and "Ultimate Victory".

There are tracks such as "Rock Star" and "Come Back to the Streets" might be skip-able to some, although Chamillionaire cannot be lyrically denied throughout this entire album—on "The Bill Collecta" with "Ridin'" partner-in-rhyme Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony fame.





With beats that allow you to bump most tracks in the whip—courtesy of the likes of The Runners and Play-N-Skillz—and great lyricism, Chamillionaire's Ultimate Victory will definitely go down as the best album nobody bought in 2007 (barely selling 250,000 copies domestically). I know when people think of 2007's best album, Lupe Fiasco and Kanye West automatically come to mind, but do yourself a favor a cop this album ASAP if you want thought provoking lyrics, ill rhymes, and bangin' beats. Chamillionaire's The Sound of Revenge may have gotten fans' and critics' attention, but Ultimate Victory earned their respect. America loves a comeback. Something tells me King Koopa isn't far from one in a major way.