Chris DeLine

Chamillionaire returns with his latest mix tape, Mix Tape Messiah 3. In typical mix tape fashion he delivers over twenty tracks with some hits, some misses and some unnecessary skits. One of the main points of interest comes from Chamillionaire’s heavy use of Chicago-based beats in the mix combined with words distancing himself from the Houston scene. In a recent recap of the first half year in rap XXL’s Byron Crawford presented the “It Was Fun While It Lasted” Award (Presented to a genre of rap that was inexplicably popular for three months two years ago) to… Houston Rap. (link)

In his final commentary track “Chamillionaire Speaks” many remarks go to further separate the man from his local contemporaries, “strength in numbers but i feel stronger than a mother on my own two feet.” He continues by addressing the ongoing criticisms of the scene’s recent slump “the magazines be like Houston we have a problem or is Houston over or…who’s gonna hold it up and I’m like what? What that got to do with me? Nothing.”

In another measure of distancing himself from Houston some of Mix Tape Messiah 3’s best tracks utilize said Chicago beats, taken from Kanye West’s upcoming Graduation and Common’s Finding Forever. Common’s “The People” is sampled in “Don’t Hurt ‘em Hammer,” “Nothin’ But Lies” samples Kanye’s “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” and the aptly titled “Makes Me Stronger” samples Kanye’s “Stronger.” Take heard record industry: the multi-million selling rapper’s entire mix tape and accompanying DVD are available on Chamillionaire’s web site – legally and free of charge.

[This post was first published by Culture Bully.]