Chamillionaire

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Chamillionaire
File:ChamillionairePress01.jpg
Background information
OriginHouston, Texas
Years active1998 – present

Hakeem Seriki (born November 28, 1979) is a rapper from Houston, Texas, specifically Acres Homes. He is best known by his stage name, Chamillionaire but can also go by his other nicknames: The Mixtape Messiah, Color Changin Lizard, The Truth From Texas, and King Koopa. He is known for his ability to change the tempo and rhyme scheme of his rapping within a single song, and for the rapid, clear, and distinct quality of his delivery and voice. In these respects, he has been compared to Twista and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. He is regarded by many hip-hop fans as one of the most lyrically talented emcees in the South, and has publicly stated that his aim is to prove that the South can produce quality lyricists. He is also a hook writer and usually sings and harmonizes with himself (using double-tracked vocals) on his own hooks. In 2005, Chamillionaire signed a record deal with Universal Records under their Motown Records imprint.

Early career

At 17, Chamillionaire, along with childhood friend and fellow rapper Paul Wall started doing promotional work for various Texas events. Chamillionare has spoken about the beginning of his musical career, saying:

“One day we were doing promotions outside a club on the South Side and we bumped into Michael 5000 Watts, who was one of the hottest mixtape DJs on the North Side. We came at him and gave him a proposition about doing some promotions for his company. He set it up for us to come and meet him at his studio, the Swishahouse, and when we got there, instead of talking about promotions, we convinced him to let us record a freestyle intro for the radio show that he had on Houston’s 97.9 The Box. We even convinced him to rap on the record with us and that was something that the public had never heard before because Watts was a DJ, not a rapper. He loved the record so much that he put it on one of his mixtapes and the freestyle started making a lot of noise in the streets.”

The success of that collaboration enabled Chamillionaire and Paul Wall to rap on several of Watts’ mixtapes. These tapes led to them attaining fixtures at Swishahouse, along with artists like Slim Thug. Chamillionare remembers that Watts & OG Ron C were co-CEOs of the label and each time either one of them would do a tape, we on it. We eventually started makin' a lot of noise in the streets but were not making that much money doing the mixtape thing. There were thirteen members in the Swisha House mixtape camp that the show money had to be divided amongst and us being the newest members, we just got told that we had to pay our dues when the money was being divided.

The disparity between their popularity and the lack of cash payment began to wear on many of Swishahouse’s members. Slim Thug left the label and Chamillionaire and Paul soon followed suit. We split off from the Swishahouse and started our own mixtape group called ‘The Color Changin' Click.’, Chamillionare said. "The group we started was five members including Paul Wall. As a group we were putting our own mixtapes out in the streets and our buzz was still so hot that we started selling a lot of copies and realizing how much money could be made. The hotter our name got in the streets, the more opportunities came our way.” It was at this time that Houston’s popular radio DJ, Madd Hatta from 97.9 The Box came calling with a contract offer to do a full album for his Paid in Full Records label. Madd Hatta had some local success with previous album releases, and had one of the hottest tracks on radio at the time. A short contract was negotiated, and The Color Changin' Click's first album, “Get Ya Mind Correct”, (regular and screwed version) would go on to sell over 100,000 copies independently. The album was nominated for Indie Album of the Year in The Source magazine.

With a street hit under their belt, CCC began doing shows nationwide. Several labels came calling with deal offers and Chamillionaire was featured on fellow Houston rapper Lil Flip’s platinum certified Sony release ‘Underground Legend’ on the song "U See It". However, the group decided to remain independent and build their resume until the right deal came along. As the time drew near for a second album release, creative differences began to fester between Chamillionaire and Paul Wall. When it became clear that the issues dividing them could not be resolved, it was decided that the two would each release solo albums to be packaged together. Things were never resolved to his satisfaction though, and with his contractual obligations fulfilled, Chamillionaire left the label and his almost complete album, and decided to focus on his mixtape label instead.

Solo career

2005-2006 Universal Records to The Sound of Revenge

Vowing never again to work for anyone but himself, Chamillionaire began cranking out his own mixtapes, bringing his younger brother Rasaq aboard as an artist. “I had already been through money problems with Swishahouse and Paid in Full and I swore that I wasn’t gonna work for anybody else but me.", Chamillionare stated. "The best way I could make sure that I received the money I was owed was if I was the person that was in control.” Chamillionaire hired former Swishahouse CEO and ‘chopped and screwed’ DJ extraordinaire OG Ron C, and the group released mixtape after mixtape, going ‘ghetto platinum’ many times over. Chamillionare recalled this point in his career by saying, “It seemed like it was just us against the world because now that we refused to go back and do business with the folks from our past, they started becoming our enemies. The more success we had, the more conflicts I started havin' with other people who hadn’t seen eye to eye with me in the past.” Soon after Chamillionare's departure, Paid in Full released an album with the title ‘Controversy Sells’, a name Chamillionaire had planned to use for his Universal debut, banking on the street buzz they knew had been generated.

Chamillionaire's first major solo release is entitled The Sound of Revenge, and was released in November 2005. The album's lead single is entitled "Turn It Up" featuring Lil' Flip and was produced by Scott Storch. The second single, released in March 2006, is entitled "Ridin'" which features Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony & Play-N-Skillz, who produced the track, all make appearances in the video. After performing Ridin' on BET's 106 & Park, Chamillionaire confirmed that he and Paul Wall had settled all problems and had no friction towards each other, citing that it has taken "so long" to get to where they are in their success.

Chamillionaire recruits an impressive list of talent on his debut effort, including Lil' Flip, Bun B, Scarface, and Krayzie Bone, as well as in-demand producers Scott Storch (50 Cent), Mannie Fresh (Lil' Wayne, Baby, Juvenile) and Cool & Dre (The Game). But, it's his work with Atlanta studio kings The Beat Bullies (Big Boi/OutKast) that sets the tone for much of The Sound Of Revenge's diverse platform. "They understand me," Cham says of the in-house producers. "There are a lot of producers that have dope beats, but they don't know me as an artist. The Beat Bullies, being from Atlanta, can take it to the strip clubs, the streets and to the radio."

The album was recently certified Platinum*[1] by the RIAA, and a chopped and screwed version screwed by OG Ron C was released in February 2006.

He's been getting calls from a slew of artists who want to work or tour with him. So far, he's done verses for Baby and Lil Wayne's upcoming duet LP, Like Father, Like Son, and he's also worked with Ciara, Joe, Young Buck and newcomer Jibs.[2]

Chamillionaire also makes an appearance on DJ Khaled's album with Slim Thug and Trina.

R&B singer and friend, Natalie announced in a recent MTV interview that Chamillionaire will be shooting a video for the track, "Think I'm Crazy." She'll cameo in whilst traveling back and forth in between breaks to shoot the video for her first single "What You Gonna Do" with rapper and also friend Bun B. However, the news here is different from Chamillionaire announcing Grown And Sexy will be the next single.

He also is featured on Ciara's new single, entitled Get Up, which is included on the soundtrack for Step Up. It was leaked onto the internet on June 15, 2006.

Controversy

For the past few years he has had a feud with rapper Mike Jones, because of this he made a three part album, Mixtape Messiah. He accused Mike of slander, and as a result the first CD is mostly insulting Mike Jones in songs like "Who They Want" and "You Got Wrecked". Chamillionaire's brother (Rasaq) was allegedly jumped and punched in the back of the head by former friend/rival rapper Paul Wall and his entourage at a nightclub. These claims were denied, and Chamillionaire denied that anyone was hurt at all. He also expressed his disappointment in Paul Wall, claiming that they "all used to be family", and expressing dismay in the state of affairs. Chamillionaire and Paul Wall have since ended any friction towards each other.

Discography

Singles

Year Title Chart Positions Album
US Hot 100 US R&B/Hip-Hop US Rap Pop 100 Hot Digital Songs
2005 "Turn It Up" (feat. Lil' Flip) #41 #31 #9 #48 #60 The Sound of Revenge
2006 "Ridin'" (feat. Krayzie Bone) #1 (2 weeks) #7 #2 #3 #3 The Sound of Revenge
2006 "Grown And Sexy" - - - - - The Sound of Revenge
2006 "Get Up" (Ciara feat. Chamillionaire) - - - - - Step Up [Soundtrack]

Trivia

  • His name is pronounced "Kamil-ya-naire" (sounds like "chameleon"), and "represents the unique style that defines the talented urban artist, and his ability to change and adapt on the fly, forcing people to respect the true breadth of his talent".
  • He grew up in a strict household with his Muslim father and Christian mother, where secular music was banned until his parents split up in his early teens. Despite these settings, he considers himself a Christian.
  • Chamillionaire once auctioned himself on Ebay.
  • Chamillionaire was on the original version of Still Tippin but due to an argument with Mike Jones, the third verse was given to Paul Wall.
  • Appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno on June 23, 2006.
  • Prefers to ride on bus than plane

See also

External links
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