Chamillionaire talks New EP, Independent Hip Hop, and Leaving Universal Records with HipHopDX.com

By The Hip Hop Writer
Hip Hop Vibe Staff Writer

Seven years ago, Chamillionaire was introduced to the hip hop world through his single, “Turn it Up,” which featured Lil’ Flip. At a time when anything Houston meant mainstream success, Chamillionaire quickly rose to the top. Chamillionaire had a minor hit in “Turn it Up” and his song, “Grind Time,” made it on NBA Live ’06.

However, in 2006, Chamillionaire watched as he became the biggest rapper on the planet. In February 2006, Chamillionaire released his second single, “Ridin’,” which went on to become the biggest hit during the summer of 2006. Based off this song, multiple awards were racked up by Chamillionaire.

Hoping to capitalize off his success, Universal Records wanted Chamillionaire to release his sophomore album in 2006. Waiting on his creative juices to return, Cham denied this request and waited until the fall of 2007 to release another album. By this time, interest in Houston had faded and Chamillionaire saw a significant dip in album sales.

In the time since Chamillionaire released his first two albums, things have drastically changed. Once he realized the label was not going to release his third album, Chamillionaire fought to get off Universal Records. When he sat down with HipHopDX.com, Cham revealed he is now trying to see how far he can go on his own. At a time when rappers are releasing free mixtapes and releasing them to hip hop websites, Chamillionaire is selling his music through his site, with his Ammunition EP being the first project.