Chamillionaire - Local Rap/Flow Legend, Been Turning Down Major Deals Since Nine-Eight Jul 07 '04    Write an essay on this topic. Tweet Popular Products in Music The Dirtchamber Sessions, Vol. 1 by The Prodigy From $11 Jersey Boys [Original Broadway Cast Recording] by Original Broadway Cast From $8 The Bottom Line Chamillionaire has become an integral part of the Houston rap scene, with catchy hooks and sinister flows, an inescapable force that's incredibly tight but busting out of the seams. It's pretty rare, and at the same time, equally awesome to hear of an artist who rises to local stardom, gets a fair amount of more than decent offers from major labels like Def Jam, Warner Brothers, and Elektra, and declines them all. Partly to hold out for a better deal, partly to stay closer to the streets, partly just because he damn well can, Chamillion is a cat that flows to his own rhythm, only sometimes -- like a lot of underground artists -- not to his own beats. There are significant and costly downsides to remaining independent and underground, but the credibility, accessibility, and humility (don't worry, I'm done with the "ilities"...for now) that are attained with staying "major without a major deal" are far better than the rewards, from what "King Koopa" has found. He goes by a crapload of names, from Chamillion to Chamillionaire to Koopa to King Koopa to Tha Color Changing Lizard to the Mixtape Messiah, but regardless of the moniker he currently is sporting, the man just wrecks tracks hard like Mack Trucks after a case of Bud Light. You can find him in clubs all around Houston, and once in a while venturing to Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas; when he's feeling particularly crazy, he visits "The Boot" of Louisiana. However, his reach is far, mostly by word of mouth and an insane street team that has fans broadcasting support from Ohio to San Diego to New York (where major labels are always trying to court him). This is written on the eve of his latest mixtape release, Mixtape Messiah, the most anticipated and developed compilation Koopa has yet to work on. It is over a year in the making, with an insane amount of promotion, all of which is grassroots-style campaigning -- you'll never find Paid-In-Full Records doing any sort of viable promoting, seeing as they have less cash than Chamillionaire at this point -- from the hardcore fan base he has compiled over the years. I have written a review on his first original album, Get Ya Mind Correct, a collaboration with Paul Wall, his longtime friend since childhood, someone he has literally been playing and working with since elementary school on the block. Koopa, like Magnificent of the Swisha House, has such a distinct enunciation and melodic style to his songs and hooks that can be recognized within a few words once you are familiar with it. It has made him one of the most highly regarded prospects from the North Side of Houston, which makes for a lot of baffled fans and listeners as to why he has yet to sign a major deal. However, like Paul, he has chosen to take the high road and to not hastily sign a deal just because it's put in front of him: he wants to wait for the right time, the right amount of money (obviously), the right people to work with, and the right feel of the deal. It's pretty highly rumored that he would only release Mixtape Messiah after he pushed it to a label and got a deal he wanted, so one can imagine someone like myself eagerly awaits the news to hear of what fortune and fame will be coming Chamillionaire's way. He has been one of the core members of the Color Changin' Click (CCC, founded by the one and only King Koopa himself), and has been featured on countless Swisha House Freestyle mix CDs and album releases, along with Boss Hogg Outlawz CDs (E.S.G., Slim Thug), Lil' Flip Undergrounds, and sh!t, just too many to name. He's around the Houston scene as much as Scarface, but instead of the Rap-A-Lot Records exposure, Koopa has the rap a lot and wreck tracks exposure of killing anything he touches. A vast amount of information can be found on his website, the http://www.chamillionaire.com that loads with a message from Koopa, leading to an index site filled to the brim with info. You can watch "Koopa Cam" clips, an A/V news outlet that skips the middle man and spreads the word straight from Cham's mouth to your eyes and ears. You can download the latest Color Changin' Click CD, the Superbowl Mix released, duh, right before the Super Bowl. At the right times of the day and the week, you can listen to Chamillionaire Radio, the host of some exclusive plays showcasing new material or some deeply underground sh!t you would never think to find even if you tried. You can sign up for the street team, and you can buy all of Cham's releases, along with some of his buddies' albums that he hosts on his store as well. However, two of the best parts to the website are the forum and the text and video biographies of the "Underground Allstar Team," which basically entails everyone Koopa has been associated with, from Cham to Slim Thug to 50/50 Twin to DJ Michael Watts to Paul Wall -- it gives you a detailed biography and mild discography, along with a video "hello" from each artist that offered one up, pretty cool really. The forum is where I waste a lot of time in the day. You can chat about who is beefin with who, the general rap scene, participate in freestyle battles and tournaments, talk about the latest underground and major rap releases, and organize meetings at shows or festivals. It has helped me to better my freestyle skills, appreciate those way the hell better than me, find out information on when Koopa and others like Z-Ro are coming to Austin, find out when CDs are dropping and whether they're hot, all types of sh!t. Although it's fairly likely that Cham has either recently signed a deal to be worked out and finalized with a major label like Interscope or Roc-A-Fella -- those are the two most rumored to have been courting Cham, he'll continue to keep the underground and local grassroots support because of how he came up and stayed real, choosing to keep things on a smaller scale to better involve and relate to all the fans instead of selling out to a major and going commercial like, ahem, Jadakiss (boooo!). Still, it goes without saying that whoever joins on the increasingly trendy bandwagon of supporting Chamillionaire is not scoffed at by those already on the boat, but rather embraced and cheered on by furthering the cause. It's not an elitist thing, it's more of a mutual love for the dude, that keeps everyone in a tightly-knit community of fans. I could pretty much guarantee that any fan who has a computer, is a regular visitor to the Chamillionaire website and forum, and wouldn't go a month without recommending or playing some Cham songs for some homies that hadn't heard it before. If you were to go and check out a few songs to peep his style, I'd personally recommend: 1) "Don't Blame Us" (Get Ya Mind Correct) 2) "Balla Talk II" (Get Ya Mind Correct) 3) "Power Up (Flow)" (Chamillionaire Greatest Hits) 4) "NBA on NBC Beat" (Homer Pimpson) 5) "Don't Stare At Us (Flow)" (Get Ya Mind Correct - Screwed and Chopped) 6) "Air Force Ones (Flow)" (Chamillionaire Greatest Hits0 7) "Tipsy (Flow)" 8) "N Luv Wit My Money" (Get Ya Mind Correct) 9) "Batter Up (Flow)" (Swisha House All Starz) 10) "Move B!tch (Flow)" (FK2K1) If you're highly illegal, it should be pretty easy to find those songs on KaZaA Lite searching for Cham and the title (freestyle and flow should be interchanged if you can't find it as one or the other). However, I'd highly recommend supporting Cham while he's still getting the money for selling his CDs -- if he gets that deal soon, he won't even get three pennies from each CD sold. Also, don't forget, I did mention you can download the whole Superbowl Mix CD from the Color Changin Click, which will give you a great feel for Cham, Rasaq, and their crew. If you find yourself feelin' his style, go ahead and get a few CDs, they aren't that expensive man...I'd start with Chamillionaire Greatest Hits, Mixtape Messiah, and Get Ya Mind Correct...but that's just me. How better to end it than with a Cham line.. Chamillion the Mixtape Messiah, way ahead of his day // The Mixtape God better bow down, and prepare to pray

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