Words // DeVaughn Douglas | photoS // ty watkins
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ovember 2005 brought the major label debut of Chamillionaire to the rest of the world. Aptly titled The Sound of Revenge, it appeared to show the rapid fire Houston rapper with a chip on his shoulder. He had long since split from collaborator Paul Wall and neither artist appeared to want to reunite. Chamillionaire also did not associate with the H-town go-to label Swisha House which was bringing the Houston sound to the masses. Although the problems between Chamillionaire and Swisha house were said to be dead and gone, he did spend a fair amount of time attacking the label’s marquee artist, Mike Jones, on wax. Fresh off the heels of releasing Mixtape Messiah, a three disc mixtape with over half the first disc dedicated to dissing Mike Jones, the rapper released The Sound of Revenge with the catchy first single “Turn it Up” featuring Lil’ Flip. But while Swisha House’s rise could be described as a big bang Chamillionaire’s was more of a slow burn. The album sold steadily until the release of “Ridin” featuring Krayzie Bone, which catapulted Cham to the forefront. The single about police profiling and brutality earned the rapper a Grammy, a VMA, an OZONE Award for Best Video, and went on to sell well over three million ringtones. Now, he returns with Ultimate Victory. Although it sounds like an attempt to finish what Revenge started it actually presents a new, calmer Chamillionaire. Not so much focused on proving something to the world, and more concerned about proving something to himself, Chamillionaire sits down with OZONE to talk about the new album, his thoughts on the state of Hip Hop, and possible reuniting with old collaborators. Since the last album you’ve released two mixtapes, Mixtape Messiah 2 and Mixtape Messiah 3. Any more coming out? I would drop a whole bunch more before the album but I can’t do too much right now because I don’t want to confuse the marketplace. The goal is to focus on the album. I’ll definitely put out some more [mixtapes] once the album comes out. You’re an artist that uses the internet heavily, giving away your last mixtapes
for free online. Why release so much music right before the album? One, it’s a marketing tool. Two, it’s just about supply and demand with the fans. I’m trying to supply them because my album was pushed back a couple of times. That’s why I put out the mixtapes. Also, it’s about giving the fans something that they’re comfortable with and to show the consistency in my work. The reason I gave the DVD away for free with the album is just to help the fans connect. Nowadays, people want to connect with the artist and I just wanted to show fans more of my personality. Your first single off of the album features Slick Rick and addresses the Hip Hop task force. What made you want to address that particular topic? It’s crazy because a lot of people think that the song is about the police but it’s actually not. It’s about the controversies surrounding Hip Hop: the N word, the F word, the B word. People are basically policing Hip Hop, and loving Hip Hop nowadays is the equivalent of committing a murder. That record is subliminal and is directed at anyone who is on TV trying to tear down Hip Hop artists. I was just telling a story and trying to think of who would be good on the song. The first person I thought of was Slick Rick. I reached out to him and he said he would do it. What was it like doing a record with an artist considered one of the greatest storytellers in Hip Hop? Man, it was real cool. I felt honored. We talked about Hip Hop and how it has changed from back then to now. He showed up at the studio by himself, no boys, no bodyguards, no jewelry. He’s just a real humble guy. It’s inspiring to see that and you just have to respect it. Especially from someone who has been in the game for so many years. What do you think is the big difference between Hip Hop now and the Hip Hop you grew up listing to as a kid? It’s just a big generation gap really. That’s all anyone is really talking about. That’s why some of the people from the older generation are so serious about the N-word. They came up in a time when the racism was much more prominent. OZONE MAG // 73