Chamillionaire
Interview by Greg “Gate$” Davenport
How much has Sound of Revenge sold?
Right now it’s 1.3 million in the United States. I couldn’t tell you where it’s
at overseas. It’s doing good, man. Actually we’re still selling records right
now. A lot of people ain’t think it was gonna go gold, so for it to be at that
much, it means a lot. 
What were your expectations for that album?
I don’t know. I didn’t really set a platinum goal or nothing like that man. Platinum
in the Rap world is the best thing you can get. Everybody wants to get that platinum
plaque, so they can just say they’re a platinum artist. I wasn’t even on no stuff
like that. I was just really trying to push it as hard as I could. I went on
the road the whole year. Worked as hard as I could. Didn’t even go home. Didn’t
even lay in my own bed. I was just working and that’s the best you can do when
you want a good result.
How do you address those who say this wasn’t a vintage Chamillionaire album?
I can feel where people are coming from with that. See, in this industry, it’s
about who’s smart. The smart people survive. It’s some people, they just about
themselves. If I was doing stuff just for me, cool, I would be making Hip-Hop
just for me and I can do that in my basement. But the successful people, they
know how to make stuff for everybody. I feel like I got a lot of selfish fans.
That’s how underground fans are when you’re a big staple artist. They want you
to stay raw. They want you to blow up, but the minute you start getting commercial
success then people start looking at it like “Awww man!” They mad because you
got little White fans now or you got little grandmothers jammin’. You’re too
commercial when that happens, even if it’s a street topic. That’s how the fans
are. When I make music, a lot of times I don’t even think about me, I’m thinking
about the listener. It’s people that get so stuck on themselves they don’t even
realize that other people ain’t gonna be able to relate to it. “Ridin’” was a
record that every type of person on the planet could relate to. I went to Jamaica.
I went to Paris. I went to Canada. I went everywhere and everybody was loving
that record because everybody could relate to it. I still give people who want
that raw element or that old Chamillion, I still feed them that every now and
then. Mixtapes and stuff like that. I’m trying to grow. People think I’m still
that youngster that was on Swishahouse CD’s. I’m a grown man now.
What’s going on with the new album?
It’s called “Ultimate Victory”. It’s scheduled to drop the end of April.
I’ve kind of been doing this whole thing myself. No A&R’s. No executive
producers. It be a lot of articles, quotes going around that Chamillionaire
got Dr. Dre and Alicia Keys and all these crazy names on there, but that’s
not really the case. I just kind of started at first and did most of
the album myself, then I just pasted on people I felt that matched with
the songs. I ain’t try to simplify nothing. I ain’t try to make this
type of single or anything like that. I kind of did stuff that I thought
was tight. I didn’t really simplify my lyrics. Throughout the whole album
it’s a lot of creative concepts. I think nowadays people are scared to
take risks like that and they just kind of stick with the normal.
Can I get some more details? You trying to hide something from me?
Naw. Naw. I got the single “Not A Criminal” featuring Kelis. I actually have
two versions of that song. I got another one featuring Snoop (Dogg) and Busta
(Rhymes). I’m actually about to release that right now. I’m gonna try to do two
videos if I can and pull that off. I also got a song with Devin the Dude. I got
a song with Slick Rick. I got a song with Lil’ Wayne. Lil’ Wayne – I had him
my last album, but I put him on this album again because I had this song called
“Rock Star” and this producer named Disco D who recently passed away, he sent
me the tracks. I told Lil’ Wayne was gonna be on it. He was all excited that
Lil’ Wayne was gonna be on it. And Lil’ Wayne actually sent back the song real
quick, like in a day or two. I can tell he felt it. After that, dude committed
suicide before we even really got the track. They called me and told me he had
uploaded the files before he had died and his lawyer had took care of the paperwork.
I didn’t even believe it, but I looked on his FTP server and I got on there and
seen that the files was on there. This dude uploaded the files before he committed
suicide. Like, to me that’s crazy. I don’t even know what to say about that one.
I’m definitely glad I got that track on there. I got Pimp C, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
Instead of just putting Krayzie Bone on a song this time I just put all of them.
Actually I think that song is definitely gonna be a big song. Play N’ Skillz
produced it and they’re the same ones that produced “Ridin’.”
Are you afraid of the sophomore jinx?
Nah man. I think any fan of mine will tell you that Chamillionaire can beat “Sound
of Revenge”. The worst thing I can do is get a lot of people around and take
they opinions. When I just do me then I’m good. A lot of people was kind of nervous
because I did Mixtape Messiah Part 1 and they was like “I don’t know how Cham
is gonna top that?” Everybody was like “Cham ain’t doing the mixtapes no more.”
Then the minute I drop that it everybody is like “Aaah, the mixtape go hard.”
Because I just kind of just did me and that’s kind of what I’m doing with the
album.
I was just about to get into that, the situation with DJ Drama and him getting
arrested for selling mixtapes. Are you glad that you gave away Mixtape Messiah
2 instead of selling it? I know that selling mixtapes and undergrounds
was a staple for you for a while.
I was way ahead of the curve on that type of junk, that mixtape stuff. It’s more
to it than people really know. Sometimes corporate America tries to come in and
mess up something and that’s really what’s going on with this mixtape junk. I
don’t want to get too detailed into it because I’m in court for some nonsense.
I gave it away because … It’s called supply and demand. If they want it, you
got to give it to them. People are gonna find a way to get it. They ain’t trippin
on if you selling it, all they know is they want the product. They want some
fire. And if you ain’t giving it to them, you can make excuses all day, but they
ain’t trying to hear that. The next rapper will come in and take your spot or
you’re forgotten. I wasn’t trying to do that. I’m trying to stay visible. You
see I do a lot of cameos on other people’s songs even when I’m not doing my shit
just to stay afloat. It’s a motive behind the madness, especially with the mixtapes.
I’m going to continue doing that. I ain’t finna just stop because of whatever
– even if I’m not making money off of it.
Since we’re on the mixtape subject right now, let’s get into that. You’re in
court with BCD right now. What was the problem to begin with?
I’ve got to pick my words carefully. I really can’t talk about that. I can’t
really say much, but what I can say is mixtapes are meant to stay at a certain
place. When you start going too far, then it’s a problem. They’re not supposed
to go certain places and some people don’t care about that rule, man. Some people
try to do whatever they feel to make money. All money ain’t good money. That’s
what I got to say about that. Just greedy, man. Trying to get all kinds of unnecessary
money you shouldn’t even be messing with. And I don’t do that. I don’t like to
do that and I don’t do business with people that go by those rules. I didn’t
sue nobody. People sued me. I’m defending myself and when it’s all said and done
and I win – then we’ll see what everybody say. Because I will win.
What’s up with Tonto? What happened with that situation?
With who?
Tonto.
Tonto? Who is that? You talking about the cameraman?
Yeah. Ha, ha, ha!
How do you know about him? You met him before?
Dawg, I’m the one that did the story on dirtysouthrap.com.
Oh, you’re the one that did the story for Tonto, the guy that nobody ever heard
about. I got love for Tonto. He was my cameraman. I paid him a lot of money.
I bought him a car. I bailed his family out – somebody had went to jail. I did
a lot of stuff for dude. I paid him to be my cameraman just because. He wasn’t
the best cameraman in the world. He was just my homeboy. I was just trying to
put some money in his pocket. I’ve been paying dues for years – seven, eight
years before I ever started making it to this level. There’s people who come
in and they want to get it overnight. You got to remember you was holding the
camera for me – what do you expect to get? You expect to be Bill Gates in a day?
When all that type of stuff started coming at me I was like, ‘I tell you what
man, if you feel like I’m doing you an injustice you can spread your wings and
fly right now.’ And that’s what I did – I granted him the right to go leave.
And that’s what he did. Then when he left, he started talking a lot of trash
about me. When you was with me, I was the realest nigga alive. But, now that
you not with me no more, you’re not making money, I’m not putting money in your
pocket – I’m a buster. It is what it is. I wish him the best. I’m not going to
say nothing bad about him.
What’s your relationship with Paul Wall? I heard a rumor that ya’ll squashed
everything and you might actually be working together?
I don’t know about the working together part, but as far as being cool – yeah,
that’s how I am. I don’t have enough time to have negative energy towards anybody.
It takes too much energy to try to be mad at somebody. I don’t got the time man,
so let bygones be bygones. Forget whatever I thought somebody did me wrong for
and just push my company. It’s certain people who spend their whole life complaining
about the past, and them people, they don’t get nowhere in life. When I had a
problem with Swishahouse, I kind of stepped out the door and went and did my
thing. I didn’t sit there complaining about them. In everybody’s own way everybody’s
right. Personally, they’re going to feel a certain way and ain’t gonna be nothing
you can say about it. When it come to me and Paul, we went and got grown man
on ’em … we chilled out. That’s with everybody. Everybody in Houston.
I know that the beef with Mike Jones is squashed, but I heard that ya’ll were
actually cool too. Is there any truth to that?
I’m cool with everybody. I’m cool with anybody you can say that you think I got
beef with … I don’t got no problems with nobody – even Mike Jones. He did his
thang. I did my thang. Everybody getting money. Ain’t no need to be sitting over
here mad for what? It takes too much energy to keep going at each other. I look
at the state of the Rap game now and people are beefin’ just to beef now. It’s
too much nonsense. Everybody needs to just grow up. I don’t got no kids, but
anybody that got family and kids can understand that. When you doing this for
all the right reasons you don’t got no time to be over there getting in all this
trouble for nonsense – for the sake of some fan hype or to prove you street.
That’s just silly, man.
What do you think about the current state of Texas Hip-Hop? Because all of the
major guys are signed and out now and they didn’t do as well people thought they
were going to do.
It always goes through different phases. The hits back in the day ain’t the same
type of hits nowadays. The face of Hip-Hop has changed. It’s starting to become
a digital world where ringtones and all these downloads and stuff matter. Where
before, it used to be about the element of rappin’. People used to go get the
CD’s. It ain’t like that no more. It’s definitely changed. The smart businessman
is the person that’s being successful now. It’s becoming more of a hustle. You’ve
got to find a balance between both – know how to do it musically but at the same
time know how to hustle and be on your business. I think it gets stagnant every
now and again. Every time people hear the same old same old over and over, then
it gets stagnant and it switch. That’s why it switches to so many coasts.
What are your plans for Chamilitary? Music? Movies? Television? You haven’t even
put out an artist yet.
I plan on putting out an artist this year. That’s what I’m on – building my company,
my brand. I actually signed an artist named Famous from San Antonio and I have
another artist that I’m probably going to sign. I’mma try to just build this
brand, because this Rap thing is really just like a steppingstone to me. I love
Rap, but then again I love business. A lot of people have been shooting scripts
at me and stuff like that. I took out the grill. I didn’t get no tattoos on my
hand. Whatever I gotta do – I may be doing some movies or something. That’s crazy,
like I said about them fans that’s mixtape fans – they couldn’t never picture
it. They want to see you get that big, but when you get there, they’ll start
being like “Awww man, he turning Pop on me.” My goal is way bigger than this
Rap stuff. Way bigger than that, man. It ain’t just a money thing either because
I got money. Sometimes you got to just live life, man. Do what you want to do.
When you get to a certain level it’s about living life. I can’t be living my
life for everybody else. I gotta do what I want to do and that’s what I’m gonna
do – take it to the next level on ’em.
