Get Ya Mind Correct: Music to Kill Aesop Rock Fans To
Written: May 21 '08 (Updated May 21 '08)
Product Rating:
Pros: Dope rhymes, hooks, beats; So commerical that you can't knock it; Chamillionaire's career begins
Cons: OMG!!!11one1! COMMERICAL RAP!!?!? NOOOOOO
The Bottom Line: The album that turned the biggest East-Coast head into a bonafide fan of the Houston scene. Seriously...give this albuma shot, you won't regret it.
russianraiderz's Full Review: Get Ya Mind Correct [PA] by Paul Wall (Rap)/Chamil...
It has been a minute, has it not? I see some folks have missed me in my extended hiatus, but fear not...as I am back. Starting today, I am going to chronicle the career of my newfound (well not really new anymore) Hip Hop hero - Hakeem Seriki, otherwise known as Chamillionaire.
Originally going by the moniker of "Chamillion" - for his ability to blend and flow over any type of instrumental, the young Houston rapper burst onto the scene with his childhood friend Paul Slater, as well as his rhyming cohorts known as the Color Changin Click. It is clear to see by the entire group's theme that Chamillionaire was always the leader. The group signed with an up-and-coming Houston label known as Swishahouse (sound familiar?), led by DJ Michael '5000' Watts. The group put out a slew of mixtapes, packed with chopped-and-screwed freestyles over popular instrumentals. While they weren't getting MTV play, the group began to elevate their status in the Houston underground circuit. The fate of the group is now well known in a much-publicized feud between Chamillionaire and Paul Wall, as the former got frustrated with Swishahouse and decided to start his own label, while the latter stuck with Michael Watts.
However, during their time as a group, the duo put out a pair of LP's that still blare out of the windows of rap fans in Texas. I'll cover their faux sophomore album "Controversy Sells" in the next review, but the write-up at hand is dedicated to my personal favorite guilty pleasure album of all time - "Get Ya Mind Correct".
Why is this album so great? Whenever I'm feeling frustrated, or annoyed, or hopeless - this album has the uncanny ability to always boost up my confidence and keep my head up. Not to say it is anything moving or inspirational...God, no. I said it was a guilty pleasure remember? Whenever I listen to "Get Ya Mind Correct", I hear two young cats out of Houston who know the finer things in life and never let anyone see them sweat. At this stage in my life, that speaks volumes.
From the introductory song "My Money Gets Jealous", just as you hear Cham's opening word 'Koopa....', the listener is enticed. Warning folks: If hearing a rapper talk about money or "commercial" topics offends you, STAY AWAY. That's right, I'm going to say it flat out...I have never heard a single album in my life that spends more time talking about riches and getting money more than this one. But why do I like the album? Because Chamillionaire and Paul manage to do it RIGHT, and avoid sounding boring and lifeless. Gorilla Zoe can talk about being a "Hood Figga" and Ross can be 'the biggest boss', but they fail in the art because they just sound like the next rapper. However, what Paul and Cham manage to do is bring such intense swagger and flavor to what they rap about, that you can't help but enjoy it. The intro track is a Chamillionaire solo that tips off the money-rap marathon that this album is. Over an extremely bouncy instrumental, Koopa flows about his riches and why they are the most important thing to him, even more important than a true love - because they ARE his true love. What I love most about this common theme through the album (more on this later), is that while they constantly talk about it they retain a hint of humor and satire to still add fun to the matter, thus making it a bit more enjoyable. Chamillionaire and Paul stand out in my book because while they rap about the commercial life, they concede that they are ONLY about the money, and do not try to come off as gangsters and thugs, much like their cohorts.
What can I say about Chamillionaire as a rapper that hasn't already been said about Kobe Bryant as a basketball player? Yes folks, please stop sleeping. Listen to his verses on this album and tell me he is another Southern artist, I dare you. While he is still a young man on this album, and had not reached his true potential as an MC as he would on his solo albums (which I will cover in due time), he retains the swagger, charm, and untouchable flow that are the foundations to his success as a rapper. Just on "My Money Gets Jealous", hearing the versatility in his rhyme-schemes and punchlines completely override the fact that he's not rapping about anything eye-opening. I've listened and re-listened to this album, to the next group album, to all his albums and mixtapes, and I will go as far as saying I have not heard the man come lazy on a SINGLE VERSE. The man's got more than "Ridin", folks.
Anyway, I digress. The intro song is dope, but it is the second song that is the true jewel of the album. "N Luv With My Money", the lead single off the album, comes next and is a perfect transition from the previous song as it deals with the exact same topic - the personification of money as a romantic partner. Sound comical? Yes. Commercial? Yes. But that means the rappers suck, right? Wrong.
N Luv With My Money, while being as commercial as commercial rap gets, is a candidate for my all-time favorite Hip Hop song. Deep in between the rhymes and verses, there is something in the swagger that Chamillionaire and Paul Wall carry that makes the song so beautiful and enjoyable, that I really can't put it to words. Featuring the most catchy hook in rap history, Chamillionaire simply out-does himself in both the singing and rapping department. I mean, does there exist a better flow than this? No matter what mood I'm in, or what bad news spoiled my day - I can put this song on and I completely tune out and am reminded of why life is fun. When a song has the power to do THAT, then there is no elitist, anti-commercial Hip Hop nerd that will convince me that Houston rap sucks.
*Chamillionaire*
"You can catch me squeezing grain
Sittin crooked on D's and swangs
Color changin lizard - he's insane
Ya woman missing? then he's to blame
Charge it to the game keep the change, most marriages blossom and die...
When its over I'm tellin her bye, but she act like I'm tellin her lies
While you fallin in love with a she...I rather be dubbin a G
Could you see me in a car that rhymes with 'rent me' and starts with a B?"
*Paul Wall*
"You betta rearrange ya head, thinking I trick my cash to a broad...
Go ahead and ask ya broad, I got more green than the grass in a yard
And thats so raw, It ain't hard for me to get the class to applaud
I shine like a blasting star, glass on a car, more blacker than tar"
For Christ's sake, Paul Wall comes with the greatest verse in his underwhelming career, and comes close to actually outshining Cham for once. As the album progresses, it is clear to see that the white boy is definitely the weakest link out of the two. Chamillionaire handles every single hook on the album, and rightfully so. Throughout Hip Hop, we've seen the pseudo-singers like Nate Dogg and Akon, who became icons in chorus-singin and a staple of every major lead single. Enter: Chamillionaire - a blend of the obligatory chorus guest and the underground lyrical mastermind. If you loved "Ridin", I personally believe Get Ya Mind Correct to be the album where Koopa really shines with his hooks. "Balla Talk II", in my humble opinion, is the hottest club banger I have ever heard. It's token brag-rap over a club instrumental, but Chamillionaire sings the million-dollar hook. How this song didn't crash the charts is beyond me, but as I said before - Paul and Chamillionaire are the kings of swagger and that carries every song they make to get your head nodding at the least.
"its Chamillion the rap ruler, I run with a black crew of
N*ggas that give a round of applause and clap rugers
Being in black cruisers, sip drank outta fat coolers
And being in every chinese restaurant like fat buddahs
Man we stack movers, everydays a pay day
Only thing I do Free, is that girl next to AJ"
I mentioned earlier that Paul Wall clearly stands out as the gimpy leg, but I personally still believe that he was an excellent counterpart to King Koopa. For Chamillionaire's overly-serious and tough guy image, Paul Wall is there to dillute it with a more light-hearted and good guy flavor. It works out well and keeps every song balanced with a degree of humor. "Thinkin' Thoed" is a hilarious brag-fest, chockful of punchlines and metaphors that should have you laughing at every 4 bars. "Go Grind" is the blue-collar MC's anthem, basically calling out that if you set your eyes on the dough, then work hard to get it. Do I need to explain how Chamil and Paul start it off? "We don't shop at Family Dollars, If your ice is fake/ If you ask me for a verse, I make my price inflate/ We still ghetto, lookin for some metal mics to break/ I'm still hangin around the hood, like a license plate"After talking about themselves for so long, "Falsifying" finally delves into the fakes and clowns around them, over one of my favorite beats on the entire album. But wait, back to the dough - "U Owe Me" is a prologue to Ultimate Victory's single "The Bill Collector", as it deals with personal debt and owing money. Once again, the song is carried with a hint of comedy where as a listener you understand that they really aren't serious, its just the image. Yeah sue me, I can tolerate rappers putting on a front - doesn't matter, THEY STILL RAP DOPE WHILE DOING IT.
After the constant show-boating and shit-talking, the album's emotional centerpiece comes in "The Other Day", a Paul Wall solo that single-handedly made me a fan of the man's music. Over the same beat that 2Pac had for "Str8 Ballin", the Iceman remenisces on his humble beginnings and doesn't easily forget where he was only a few years prior, when nobody took him or his dream seriously. Chamillionaire contributes a hook that simply floors me each time. Folks, I dare any one of you to give this album a listen and still tell me that this isn't real rap. I can't give Houston rap props without having the token Rhymesayers fan tell me that I'm missing out on the talented MC's. Please...point out to me where the talent is missing!
"Get Ya Mind Correct" went on to sell over 150,000 copies, garner a nomination at the Source Awards for the Indie Album of the Year, and forever etch the Color Changin Click's status in Houston's Hip Hop lore. However, the group's chemistry would soon begin to deteriorate, and it came at the worst possible time. In the middle of recording their sophomore LP, the duo called it quits and went their seperate ways. So what happened to the ensuing album? Well...stay tuned, that will be the next review...
As for now, I still have "Get Ya Mind Correct" to bump.
Tracklisting:
1. "My Money Gets Jealous"
2. "N Luv Wit My Money"
3. "Thinkin' Thoed" (ft. Lew Hawk)
4. "Skit"
5. "Falsifying"
6. "U Owe Me"
7. "Skit"
8. "The Other Day"
9. "Game Over"
10. "I Wanna Get"
11. "Balla Talk II"
12. "Go Grind"
13. "Skit"
14. "Luv N My Life"
15. "U Already Know"
16. "Play Dirty" (featuring 50/50 Twin)
17. "Outro"
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