Interview Time: Chamillionaire

Having earned the title of ‘Mixtape Messiah’ after independently selling over 100,000 copies of the ‘Get Ya Mind Correct’ album, Chamillionaire is the real deal. He is being touted as one of the best lyricists in the game, and with his unique ability to switch up his flow and adapt on the spot, he is quickly proving to be more than your average emcee.

Taken from his major label debut, ‘The Sound Of Revenge’, ‘Ridin’ looks set to make waves for the former Swisha House rapper on this side of the Atlantic too, bringing the Chamillitary movement to the forefront of the hip hop game.

Melisa Tang finds out more from the man himself…

Your current album, ‘The Sound Of Revenge’, has been out in the States for a while. Why has it taken so long to bring the Chamillionaire movement to Europe?

Well one, I just got my passport, so I can do international touring now. I think the goal in the United States was to go platinum, so that’s what we were focussing on. Now that we’ve reached platinum, a million sales, now it’s just trying to take it to other areas. There’s still more work to do in the States, but now we can concentrate on international markets also, because once you’ve gone platinum, then people start paying attention.

You were previously on Swisha House Records, but left due to financial reasons. If they offered you a multi-million dollar deal now, would you ever consider going back?

Nah, I’d never go back! To me, it’s just a thing where I’m not comfortable being in a position where somebody else controls my own money. You know, artists today don’t really make much money; it’s the CEOs and the other people that make the fortune, so I decided to be one of those people, you know what I mean? When a million dollar check comes in, it comes to me, not somebody else that will only give me a small piece of it. So I feel that that’s better for me, and I’ve got pole position where now people know my company, Chamillitary. I’m just trying to be a lone breed, instead of working for someone else.

What’s the situation like now with Mike Jones? Have you two resolved your differences?

Right now, we’re just at a point where we’re just letting it die down. We’ve realised that everybody’s successful so of course it’s just no point arguing now when we’re all enjoying our own success, you know?

There’s been a lot of talk about OutKast being the best group in hip hop history. What’s your opinion of this? Which group do you rate as the greatest in history?

Yeah, OutKast are definitely the best. I mean, other people would probably say the Geto Boys, but you know, OutKast is my favourite group, me being from Texas, but as far as influential, OutKast are the biggest, period.

Your album was given the ‘chopped and screwed’ treatment earlier this year – what did you think of the art form when it first came out?

I hated it at first! It’s an acquired taste; that’s what I tell everybody. I learned about the history of it and how it came about as an art form, and that’s when I learned to appreciate it, but when I first heard it, I thought it was messed up!

Do you think it’ll stand the test of time?

Yeah, I think so. Not everybody’s gonna like it, but it’s not going anywhere. It’s a part of hip hop, you know what I mean, and it’s getting bigger and bigger as more people listen to it. It’s kinda like reggae in Jamaica, you know? It’ll never go away; there will always be reggae.

‘Ridin’ is proving to be very popular in the UK – did you expect the overseas market to catch on to it as fast as it has?

When I first got overseas, it was kind of surprising how people know about it and know the song, but as far as the song itself? It wasn’t a surprise that people liked it, because it’s a topic that anybody can relate to. It’s no different in the US from the UK, I think; people still have to deal with the same problem - police profiling and them thinking that you’re doing something illegal when they pull you over, you know? Everybody can relate to it.

Your follow-up single in the US is ‘Grown & Sexy’ – for those who’ve yet to hear it, how does it compare to your current single?

Well, I definitely think ‘Ridin’ was a track I made as a street single; I really didn’t try to make it as a commercial single, it’s just sometimes you can never tell, you know? My mind frame for putting out different singles is that each time, I just try to capture a different audience. Of course, I could’ve come with another street record, but I decided to add to my audience and that’s why I felt I needed to release a song I could dedicate to the female audience; I didn’t wanna alienate them, because they’re a big part of hip hop buying. I’ve been doing all these raw mixtapes and really just haven’t done any songs for the female audience, so I feel it’s gonna be another hit.

There’s one track on the album, ‘Here Comes the Rain’, where you talk about life’s struggles. What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve had to overcome to get to where you are today?

I think just getting people to respect my hustle in general. A lot of people kept telling me it wasn’t gonna work, you know what I’m saying? Right there, success is the thing in life that proves people wrong. Nowadays I don’t even listen to people’s opinions anymore because over the years, so many people have given me their opinion and then I’ve gone against the grain and it’s worked. What’s the purpose of worrying about what other people are talking about? For me, it’s just to go out there and do the best you can; people will change their minds later. It don’t matter what it is, you always gotta deal with doubters, and when you’re successful on your own, it just proves them wrong.

You’ve come a long way since you first entered the hip hop game – do you have any regrets?

Nah, no regrets. I wouldn’t change anything. Everything that’s happened in my life, my career, it’s made me a stronger person.

Do you have a life motto?

Just be true to you; be yourself. I think that’s something I show to my fans. They can see I don’t fabricate stories, being something I’m not. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, and that’s true to who I am, you know, so just be true to you.

You’re appearing on MTV’s ‘Yo Momma’ series soon – what’s the best ‘Yo Momma’ insult you have?!

Ah, man! I’m terrible at those ‘Yo Momma’ jokes! I’m definitely terrible at that! I recently just started watching MTV and when I heard the idea for that show, I just thought, that’s a really creative idea for a show. Nowadays, people come up with all kinds of reality series, and so when I heard they were doing a show called ‘Yo Momma’, I was like, what’s this about? It’s crazy!

What else are you working on now? Are you recording a new album?

I always stay recording, but as far as a new album, I feel there’s so much more I can get out of ‘The Sound Of Revenge’ because it’s just breaking overseas now, so there’s still a lot more work to do. The label wants me to do another album, but there’s still so much I can get out of this one, so I’m not starting another yet.

Finally, where do you see yourself in five years?

Just successful you know. Whether it’s in the rap world or outside of the rap world, I’m just gonna be doing a lot of business ventures and be successful at that. I just feel that if I work hard now, it’ll all pay off in the future.

Chamillionaire’s album, ‘The Sound Of Revenge’, is out now, and the new single, ‘Ridin’ is out on August 12, on Chamillitary/Universal Records. For more information, visit www.chamillionaire.com or www.myspace.com/chamillionaire.