Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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20 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Album I Had Been Waiting For, September 17, 2007
Forget about 50 Cent and Kanye West, cause Chamillionaire (Hakeen Seriki) just made the best Hip Hop album of September. You probably ask why I would be praising the guy that made "Ridin" a few years ago but I really didn't see this coming at all. "Ultimate Victory" got what any good Hip Hop album should have. A concept of songs that feel like they are part of the same album and a sound that is both strong but also coherant for the overall project. Chamillionaire talks about what he knows and seen and while other rappers talk about street credabilty and bragadiccio punchlines Cham made an album with a few of socio political themes but mostly of good/bad things he's been through since he became a celebrity, All of this successfully without the use of explicit lyrics, but instead he's really funny on alot of songs even if the subject matter is deep. The production is really strong aswell (Jonathan Rotem, Happy Perez KaneBeatz, the Beat Bullies and Play-N-Skillz) even of many of them aren't exactly superproducers they made better beats then alot of producers with better reputation and like aformentioned the production mostly sounds like it's part of the same project with hard hittin beats, heavy bass and fast drums. There's plenty of stong number here so let's take a look at it.
On the sister songs "Morning News" and "Evening News" he act as a news reporter, have you seen the video where Cham is dressed up as a white middle age guy?. However, here he deals with the hypocracy of the society and how we get gossip news instead of what is really important. An example is "Now I want to know about Katrina, but everytime I talk about Katrina/ They look at me like it's a misdeamenor/ Anyways there's way more important stuff that we can discuss,
N'Sync, Makin The Band and Milli Vanilli had broken off". These two songs are standouts and deals with "forbidden" subjects that really make sense but no one had the guts to mention or make a song of. Like "Flavor "Flav get a lot of ratings, Bill O'Reilly somewhere is hating/ Kanye just said what?/ The president ain't got time for that /The White House is going to stay white/Even though we know Obama's black". These are just glimpses of the lyrics, listen to them clearly cause they are standouts. Another standout is "Hip Hop Police" with old skool rapper Slick Rick that got famous for his humour, wonderful storytelling and British accent. This song hits right on spot and deals with how Hip Hop is blamed for violence and bad influence on youth, and how it's slowly dying cause of that when it's actually far more deeper then just shootings and pimping. On the Rock-esque "Standing Ovation" proves he's no fluke and this album is actually completely diffrent from his debut so he's defenitely right. "Won't Let You Down" may not be a standout but it's beats are lethal and makes it very enjoyable. On Rotem's "Industry Groupie" they use the sample from Europe's classic 80's hit "The Final Countdown". Cham talks about how tired he is of hearing about golddiggers, hoe's and strippers are deregatory terms in Hip Hop for women. All of this with alot of Humour. Could be a hit. "Pimp Mode" with Bun B was produced by Happy Perez and got this very laiback sound with slow guitar riffs. It also pokes fun of the famous P.i.m.p lifestyle, some rappers should feel hit by this one.
"Party Like a Rockstar" with Lil Wayne should have been excluded, it's one of a few bad songs and personally I find this un-invited guest quite annoying. "Bill Collecta" however is strong and deals with people that owes money and never wants to pay back and how they end up in the morgue. "The Ultimate Vacation" is a really catchy, mostly a feel good song but I love it. "Come Back To the Streets" is about rappers that forgot about the streets because they become rich and famous, Cham claims he'll always faithful to his past. "I Think I Love You" is about the love for money, but the trouble it brings aswell. "Welcome to the South" is a rough upbeat song, quite forgettable but atleast he's faithful to his home. "You Must Be Crazy" is the worst song here and sound more like 50 Cent then anything but "Me Breakin Up" is another standout. A love song about a relationship not working. Few others would have the guts to make something like this and no words starting with B or H on this song either. "Rocky Road" is with Devin the Dude, A Happy Perez song that does sound quite simular to his other song. I think it's about having self esteem and not giving up even when times are tough. The title track is the closer and serve as an outro and it's also a strong number from Happy Perez. Here he talks about putting out real Hip Hop and sticking around thanks to his music without becoming a sellout. I think that's what's called "Ultimate Victory".
Overall, Chamillionaire seemed like another decent Southern Rapper after his debut album but his sophmore effort is completely diffrent and ultimately one of the best Hip Hop albums of the year. A coherant album with great production and lyrics that deals with misunderstood stereotypes and not too often they are making fun of cliche's aswell. While conscious rappers like Common and Talib Kweli both made strong albums and often did, Cham's lyrics here on the the socio political songs hit the nail on the head and the fact that he's successfully made a Hip Hop album without the use of foul words and explicit lyrics make it look like a kick start for a dormant genre on the decline. I would be recommending this album to anyone interested in good Hip Hop. More albums like this and Hip Hop would no longer be the scape goat for violence and sterotypes.
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7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Watch out Kanye and 50, September 18, 2007
When Ridin exploded onto the radio a couple years ago, we got a glimpse of how good Chamillionaire is. Although that song got repetitive, it was a good indication of Cham's ability.
On his sophomore album, his ability finally shines clear. Released in the same month as Kanye and 50's new albums, Cham steals the show. In the ensuing months leading up to September, Ultimate Victory wasn't on anyones radar. Yet here it is, and its much better than 50, Kanye or anyone else expected. Each track, minus the two skits is an absolute banger, and the lyrics are superb as well. There were several tracks that struck me as extremely original or spectacular. This is not to say that the other tracks arent killer, it is a 5 cd album in my opinion after all, but these were the best and best described the overall feel of the album.
On the first track, The Morning News, Cham acts a news reporter, interpreting the news for the listener. This song has a great beat and opens the album off well. Its counterpart, The Evening News, follows the same line and is equally good.
Hip-Hop Police, the lead single for the cd comes on next. This is one of the most peculiar singles i have heard in a long time. By no means is this a bad song, but it does not have the commercial appeal of something like Ridin. Regardless, this track is spectacular in its own right. The inclusion of hip hop legend Slick Rick, known for his storytelling, elevates this track to the next level.
Industry Groupie: For anyone that knows the song Final Countdown, this song will be an unexpected surprise. For those that dont, Cham samples a techno beat,very much like Stronger by Kanye, only he does it much better. On this track, Cham absolutely rips the beat,spitting about a groupie that has slept with everyone in the rap industry, claiming that "even akon was smackin that". This is one of the catchiest songs i have heard in the last year, and will be stuck in your head for a long time.
I Think i Love You: Chamillionaire raps about all the trouble money can bring. A stellar track, Cham spits that "money cant buy me love but shes actin like she love me" Finally, he reps the message Notorious B.I.G. did on Mo Money Mo Problems so many years ago
This cd proves that Cham is not your stereotypical Southern Rapper. Ultimate Victory will be a strong contender for rap cd of the year. In the end, this cd has something for everyone. Its got lyrics, beats, style, and a great theme that runs throughout teh album, something thats become almost non-existant in rap today. I guarantee you will be spinning this cd for days. This is Chamillionaire's Ultimate Victory, victory over southern raps stereotypes, victory over 50 and Kanye, and victory over the media's decision to ignore his album.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
This album simply is the Ultimate Victory, September 18, 2007
I'm not going to go in depth about each song and how good it is - they are all ridiculous! This CD is set so far apart from your average rap CD that comes out nowadays. Amazing production, filthy lyrics, songs that are cohesive to a general theme of the album, incredible presentation - overall this is probably the best CD to come out this year. If you are a fan of music period get this album
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by Chamillionaire 
