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Life & Arts

Collaborations make for notable 'Revenge'

By Eli Jabbe
The Daily Cougar

Houston rapper Chamillionaire first became popular with the release of Get Ya Mind Correct, his 2002 collaboration album with former partner, another Houstonian, Paul Wall -- most rap fans remember the local classic "In Love With My Money." Cham and Paul's subject matter rarely strayed from cars and candy paint, but they at least made catchy songs with clever lyrics. Now, three years later, Cham and Paul (as well as many other Houston rappers) have the spotlight squarely on them thanks to being signed to major labels and are enjoying major exposure. 

Cham and Paul have parted ways since releasing that album, and now Cham has released his first major label album, The Sound of Revenge and a few things have changed. Cham no longer uses the nickname "Koopa" but instead goes by "Chamillitary." He still sings on songs, but it actually sounds pretty good, unlike rappers such as 50 Cent and Ja Rule. 

After the intro track is "In The Trunk," where Cham shows off his wordplay with lines like "Tell your second favorite who is the best and show them a picture of me/ He'd have to take me out to prove that he's as sick as me/ So me versus me, the only battle that y'all going to get to see" and "Now my stock is like New York slang (What do you mean?) That's what's up." After the skippable "Turn it up," which features a mediocre guest verse from Lil' Flip, is "Ridin," a nice collaboration with Bone Thugs and Harmony's Krayzie Bone. This song epitomizes the rest of the collaborations on the album with the exception of "Turn it up," in that every one of them is worth a listen.

"No Snitchin'" features a nice beat from Bun B and 2005 "rookie producers of the year" Cool & Dre on the chorus. Next is "Southern Takeover," which features guest verses from two of Atlanta's lesser-known rappers, Pastor Troy and Killer Mike, who steal the show. After a spell of decent solo tracks is the best stretch of the entire album: Tracks 10-14. 

"Think I'm Crazy" is an interesting story-telling track that displays Chamillionaire's song-writing skills. The conclusion of this movie-like song is crazy, to say the least without spoiling it. Next is "Rain," an uplifting collaboration with Houston legend Scarface. After this motivational song is "Picture Perfect" featuring Bun B, who continues his 2005 trend of great guest verses on other rappers' songs. This is probably the best collaboration on the album. The next song, "Fly as the Sky," produced by Mannie Fresh, features Lil' Wayne and Cham's brother Rasaq. This song stands out because the UH rapper represents his school, saying "Chamillion come get me from the University of Houston after I pass my test." When it comes to "rappers-shouting-out-universities," that ranks right up there with Biggie famously shouting out Penn State on the classic "All About the Benjamins."

After the introspective "Void in My Life," the album closes out with "Outro" which is a spoken word track that also features singing. The one problem with the album is the length -- it's 71 minutes long, not including the bonus disc, which features 20 more minutes. It has five songs, but the only memorable one is the "Turn it up" remix, if only for nostalgia's sake. Lil' O, one of the first rappers from Houston to gain national exposure, is on the remix. Listeners will think it's 2001 again when they hear Lil' O on this song. Overall, the album is solid and has nice production, which is handled mostly by Beat Bullies and Sol Messiah. These tracks, along with a couple from stars like Mannie Fresh and Scott Storch, set Cham apart from typical Houston rappers. Songs like "In Love With My Money" and "My Money Gets Jealous" from Get Ya Mind Correct are better than most of the songs on this album. Although Revenge does drag sometimes because of its length, there are plenty of great collaborations and there are more good solo songs than bad ones. This is definitely up there with Bun B and Slim Thug's album when it comes to 2005 releases from Houston rappers.

Chamillionaire

The Sound of Revenge
Universal
Verdict: Whose house? Cham's house!
 

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