There was a time when I thought Chamillionaire was just another here-today, gone-tomorrow rapper. I assumed that once America got tired of Ridin Dirty he’d slowly but surely drown under the pressure of creating another hit. But then things changed: I started to re-consider my stance while first listening to his Mixtape Messiah series, and then he dropped Ultimate Victory and I was forced to flat out apologize. I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong and damn was I wrong. Not only is he no one-hit wonder, Cham is legitimately one of the most … ...Read the full album review
Fans can also check out Chamillionaire's previous albums: Chamillionaire - Ultimate Victory | Chamillionaire - Mixtape Messiah (Part 3) | Chamillionaire - Mixtape Messiah: Part 2
DJBooth Album Review
There was a time when I thought Chamillionaire was just another here-today, gone-tomorrow rapper. I assumed that once America got tired of Ridin Dirty he’d slowly but surely drown under the pressure of creating another hit. But then things changed: I started to re-consider my stance while first listening to his Mixtape Messiah series, and then he dropped Ultimate Victory and I was forced to flat out apologize. I’m man enough to admit when I’m wrong and damn was I wrong. Not only is he no one-hit wonder, Cham is legitimately one of the most underrated rappers alive.
Just in case he hadn’t proved me wrong enough, now Chamillionaire has made one of the best mixtapes of the year. Whether or not you believe it’s literally the year’s best depends on what you like in a mixtape. If you turn to a mixtape for tracks so grimy and illegally copyrighted they shouldn’t even dream of mainsteam radio, then you’re better off spending the night with the Re-Up Gang (no homo). But if you like your mixtapes so daringly creative it’d make most major labels run faster than Diddy after a club shooting, then you need to get down to Mixtape Messiah 4.
Remember that “most underrated” claim I made in the intro? (If you don’t it’s probably time to lay off the chronic). Well luckily Messiah 4’s contains more than a couple high profile remixes, giving us a golden opportunity to compare him to the game’s best. Speaking of The Game, Cham remixes the hit My Life and showcases the profilic writing skills that sets him above the crowd, though it’s worth noting that unlike Game, he just doesn’t have that distinctive voice that makes you feel his pain in every syllable. He’s stronger when he can just flow on track’s like Hero, his remix of Nas’s latest hit, a moving track’s that sure to get some attention after he calls out nearly every major rapper alive and then declares “I’m shouting out all these artists to make me step up my game.” Exactly where he belongs in the rapper ranks is a discussion for another day, but it’s safe to say that on lyricism and bravery alone he’s near the top.
While Cham may not have a one-in-a-million voice, he is absolutely dominating the concept track game. With the exception of Lupe, no one delivers more innovative ideas than the man they call King Koopa, starting with the “you have to hear this” Roll Call Reloaded. On Roll Call he impressively flips through impressions of other rappers, from Jeezy to Snoop and Ricky Ross, so dead-on he’s like hip-hop’s version of a Transformer: paticularly impressive is his Plies and Jim Jones’ distinctive “Ballin!” Closer to home is Internet Nerds Revenge, a track where Chamillionaire embodies the kind of “keyboard gangsters” that run rampant over the internet – and DJBooth’s worked to keep at bay. You get the feeling that Internet Nerds is more like Cham’s revenge on everyone who’s ever dared type his name, especially considering the almost ridiculous ending. But the real lesson is that Chamillionaire says what he wants to say, when he wants to say it, and on Messiah 4 he says it all.
While Messiah 4 doesn’t have a true banger it’s by no means devoid of heat. Koopa borrows one of the hardest beats on record for Go Hard, a pounding track that was 20K in a previous lifetime. If you’re looking for unharnessed aggression than Re-Up Gang’s version is still better, but Go Hard shows he can flex some lean muscle when the challenge arises. Gun talk just isn’t Chamillionaire’s forte, if he’s going to hit the streets he does so much better on tracks like Do It For H Town, a smoothly grinding track that’s part tribute to the late-great Pimp C, part ode to Houston. The slower pace fits Cham perfectly and he appropriately kills it. Frankly he kills the entire mixtape, but we’ve got to be careful not to confuse mixtapes with albums – albums still matter more – but if Messiah 4 is any indication Chamillionaire’s on a mission to take over the rap game by force, and he’s only getting stronger.
Listen to More: Chamillionaire Written by Nathan S.
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Member Reviews and Ratings
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Total Ratings: 61
Showing 50 of 61 Ratings. See All Ratings
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DJ Booth Member |
agree with this review 100 %, cham spits fire on nearly every track hes on and never gets the respect he deserves, everytime ive ever told somebody that cham was ill, i get a response close to "hell no, they see me rollllin they hattiinn, that nigga garbage"....totally underrated.....chamillitary mane all day
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 75 |
Great job on nearly every track. I couldn't stop laughing at the Dream impersonation and the Internet nerd's revenge! Killed the "serious" tracks too.
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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damn straight Cham is THE most underrated rapper. and he's really versatile. how many rappers out there can sing their own hooks and sound as damn good as he does? none. and his rhymes are deep too, and you can contrast that with how he impersonates everyone else: he not only sounds like them, his rhymes are sophisticated for those smarter rappers and simple for those simple ones. AND you don't even miss the profanity. top 5 rapper for me
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
I dont really think cham's underated..(well defo not in my eyes anyways!!)..(hes in my top 10.. along with nas, raekwon, gza, lloyd banks, mobb deep, bun b, styles p, jadakiss & ghostface)..horror flick the intro song iz the albums best song in my opinion
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
Chamillionaire is lyrically a monster, his word play and delivery are always on point. He's creative, versatile and brings it hard on every track. This is in my opinion one of the hottest mixtapes out.
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
its funny that people would rather listen to jeezy than this guy
i dunno you figure it out |
| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 502 |
I kinda forgot about Cham there for a while, until i started hearin about MM4, and then i heard A Milli and Foolish remix by him and he was back in my spotlight within 2 secoinds of hearing those, I just hope he doesn't make any tracks like Ridin Dirty anymore.. 100% GREAT review, no arguement about that, anyone says otherwise, you should be shot lol!
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 502 |
BTW did he really just underate himself as a rapper on his song Internet Nerd's Revenge? LOL!! CRAZY!
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 407 |
Nathan got this review perfect...because its true that Chamillionaire just doesn't get the credit and notability that he deserves...hes so underrated considering he is one of the most lyrical rappers out there yet people still hate on him...and thats exactly where Internet Nerds Revenge comes about...all the haters out there...besides the fact he is the best rapper in my opinion and the Mixtape Messiah series is on the same level as Weezys if not better...
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 433 |
Holy
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 312 |
this mixtape SOLD OUT the 1st two days..im still waiting for mine to come in the mail and i live in DALLAS..this review is completely on point. Cham is very underrated and the Ultimate Victory was LOADED with hits that became missed. Go to youtube, type in mixtape messiah 4, and listen to koop murder the tracks. BEST OF THE MIXTAPE MESSIAHS BY FAR which is why it appears in the form of an album unlike Mixtape Messiah 2 and 3 where you can just download those free on his site. GO BUY IT!!
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
BEST MIXTAPE THIS YEAR
CHAMILLIONAIRE SOOOOOO UNDERRATED |
| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 312 |
o yeah 2 THE PEOPLE WHO PUT MUSIC UP ON DJBOOTH..im sure u awready know but incase u don't....Koopa claims **MIXTAPE MESSIAH 5** will drop in NOVEMBER and his new ALBUM will drop in DECEMBER new single comin...hopefully ntohing gets pushed back and hopefully the new album gets good promotion.
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
CHAM THE BEST RAPPER ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
MIXTAPE MESSIAH 4 IS AN INSTANT CLASSIC BRING ON NOVEMBER AND DECEMBER |
| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 04, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 96 |
Chamillionaire never lets us down on the Messiah series, and I loved every minute of this mixtape. Chamillionaire is definitely one of the most under rated rappers alive in the game. Go buy it, and you will not be dissapointed!
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 434 |
CLASSIC MIXTAPE!!!CHAM ONE OF THE BEST IN RAP TODAY
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
i love this mixtape. its a great album and what nathan said was true he is a underrated artist. internet nerd revenge is a cool song except for the ending i was like 0_o lol but its a great mixtape. =D
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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Tastemaker |
Damn!! Dys shyt is so hot. He basically killed every instrumental and did better than the original songs. All the new beats was dope too. He is really underrated. Im still listening to his album right now and when MM5 come out I still wont be done listening to it. Koopa, keep doin yo thang. This mixtape is straight classic
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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Tastemaker |
Wow almost all 5's. Also, this dude never cusses if you notice. People dont realize how amazing it is that this dude spit fire and he barely ever cusses. Thats hard
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 1 |
That review was dead on and was right about everything. Hopefully more and more people will realise that Chamillionaire is one of the best rappers in the game
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 908 |
DOPE. And even more dope; MIXTAPE MESSIAH FIVE NOVEMBER! ALBUM DECEMBER! 18 dollars may sound a lot for a mixtape, but it's double-disked and worth the buy. I think this is the first review in a while (or for the last four-five, lol) that hasn't gotten the hater's call too!
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 433 |
Does anybody know where I can find this. I downloaded most of it online, but I was to hear the rest of it by buying the cd.
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 96 |
DJ Baer, go to your local Mom/Pop Mixtape Shops, they should usually have them. If you have an Eargasm or a Mixtape Shop at the Mall, they'll most likely have it.
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 05, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
sikk!
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| Posted on Sep 06, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member |
cham is def up there with wayne and ti for best in the game right now after this
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| Posted on Sep 06, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 06, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 91 |
Mixtape messiah...thats pretty accurate.
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| Posted on Sep 07, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 172 |
Mixtape Messiah 4 = best mixtape in a long time its funny that cham puts out a better mixtape then most artists real albums just gos to show how much better this guy is then the rest of the game!!!!!
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| Posted on Sep 07, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 07, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 319 |
OK, i havent actually listened to ANY of Koopa'z mixtape series through. this was the 1st and i was more then impressed. I heard alot of the songs on the booth and knew that I had to get my hands on this, and I did. This is REALI REALI hot. King Koopa brings energy and something fresh into every track! This is far better then alot of studio albums of late! Give This a spin, you wont be sorrY!
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| Posted on Sep 07, 2008 |
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DJ Booth Crew Total Ratings: 904 |
Somehow Cham's mixtapes are better than most people's albums. Pretty amazing. Cant wait for the new "studio" album!
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| Posted on Sep 07, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 908 |
!! Is this DJBooth's highest average rating for an album? 47 ratings, approx. 5, that's impressive.
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| Posted on Sep 07, 2008 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 908 |
Oh, uh, forget that. Everything just got rounded up, haha.
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| Posted on Sep 07, 2008 |
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| Posted on Sep 08, 2008 |
Showing 50 of 61 Ratings. See All Ratings