Chamillionaire: Mixtape Messiah 4 (Mixtape Review)

Fresh of the hiatus he proclaimed he’d take at the end of his sophomore album, Ultimate Victory, Houston hotshot Chamillionaire is back with part four of his acclaimed Mixtape Messiah series. While none of the projects have ever come close to matching the original Mixtape Messiah, this by far is a close second.Featuring guest appearances from southerners Slim Thug, Bun B, Killa Mike, “The Freestyle King” Lil Flip and others, the two disc Mixtape Messiah 4 provides a great combination of southern beats with poignant punch lines and lethal lyrics, displaying Cham’s wide range of musical abilities.

As a spin off from Cham’s “Roll Call” on Mixtape Messiah 2, where he imitated Houston’s elite MCs, “Roll Call Reloaded” displays Cham’s diverse talent again mimicking some of rap’s biggest stars. Jay-Z, Young Jeezy, Jim Jones, and even E-40 make “guest” appearances on the song. Not only does Cham sound like them, but also raps in the same patterns and talks about their same topics and ideas.“

Do it for H-town” featuring fellow Swisha House alum Slim Thug and Rap-a-Lot’s Trae is a syrupy-slowed track stating that no matter what the critics say about Houston falling off the rap game, “Tha H” has always only answered to itself— and no one else. Slim Thug on Houston culture: “We been sippin’ drank by the pint since way back/we been candy paint on them 4s since they made that/…I’d rather flip a drop ‘Lac before I flip a Maybach.”One of the more clever tracks is “Internet Nerd Revenge” where he shouts out several online rap websites, including AllHipHop.com, as he pretends he’s a 17-year-old (white) suburban teenager, spending all his time locked up in his room writing bad reviews on Chamillionaire.

Cham pokes fun at himself, noting some of the complaints and gripes that critics—and fans—have expressed. Lines such as,  “He don’t rap about sippin’ syrup/he don’t rap that Houston rap/if I ever saw him in person, he’d be the rapper I’d refuse to dap,” and, “Anyway, I heard a rumor he ain’t beefin’ what a lame/he didn’t even dis 50 back when 50 Cent called out his name,” shows that Cham does indeed keep his ears to the streets.

On the somber “My Life,” Slim Thugga returns with Trae again, rapping about the trials and tribulations of life, including the death of Texas Legend Pimp C. “Last year was a hard one, but life goes on/thinkin’ bout my n***a Pimp while I write this song…Dear Lord, I pray that you take away the pain/from their family and their friends, please help us change,” Slim begs.The second disc is full of bonus tracks like “Cadillac” a distinctive Houston, car-themed song from Boss Hog Outlawz member Killa Kyleon, and “2 Real” by Lil Flip in which he congratulates Cham in being a part of the “platinum elite club” while attempting to revitalize his national career. Killa Mike’s “Never” has a guest spot on the mixtape, with Mike having a “you never know” attitude about life:  “A judge will give you time, you’ll never see the streets again/and even though you said you’d never snitch on any friend/you ain’t never seen the walls of a fed pen/you ain’t never seen them Brotherhood of Arians/…so how tha f**k you say you’d never snitch on any man?”

This provides a deep, introspective track that lacks from much of the mixtape. And lastly, the standout “2 MPH” featuring Bun B and Chamillionaire’s former best friend and partner, Paul Wall, is a cousin of the famous “Still Tippin” anthem that talks about ridin’ and drivin’ slow while bangin’ “Screw” through the streets of H-town.Mixtape Messiah 4 is full of witty punchlines and Chamillionaire getting back to his mixtape roots, because as he says, he left the mixtape game and no one grabbed it. However, in between the clever lyrics and him taking other rappers instrumentals and making them into songs that almost sound original, the “baller rap” can be overkill. Cham’s talk of how much money he has and where he’s been and who he knows gets annoying quickly—the mixtape lacks an overall “depth.”And while Cham references his still newfound national and international fame, the long time Chamillionaire fan that’s been down with him since his Swisha House days may be disappointed that his style and flow, and even subject matter is far apart from earlier in his career and his Color Changing Click era with Paul Wall.Mixtape Messiah 4 stands out and clearly displays Cham’s many talents, but lacks the “meat and potatoes” that you know Cham can give.