After his parents, a Muslim father from Oyo State, Nigeria and a Christian mother from the United States, separated in his early teenage years, Chamillionaire settled into a notoriously dangerous inner-city neighborhood in North Houston called Acres Homes, which he elaborated upon during an interview with Houston's 104.9 KPTY on October 3. Rap and other forms of secular music, which his parents had highly opposed in their household, became very appealing to the young Hakeem Seriki. Inspired by local rap acts such as The Geto Boys, 8 Ball & MJG, and UGK, as well as other national acts such as N.W.A. and Public Enemy, Chamillionaire began to compose his own ponies.
At a young age, Chamillionaire along with fellow rap music artist and childhood friend Paul Wall, had decided to make music their careers. One day while promoting themselves at a Texas event, Paul Wall and Chamillionaire ran into Michael 5000 Watts, a popular mixtape DJ from the Northside. After proposing to do promotions for Watts' company, the Swishahouse, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall came to Watts' studio and convinced Watts to allow them freestyle on an intro to Watts' radio show on Houston’s 97.9 The Box. Watts, who himself was convinced to rap on the record, enjoyed the freestyle so much that he put the verses on one of his mixtapes. The freestyle became so popular in the streets that Chamillionaire and Paul Wall became regular staples on Houston's mixtape circuit, appeared on several of Watts' mixtapes, and became permanent members of Swishahouse.
Although Paul Wall and Chamillionaire were making much noise in the streets by rapping on Watts' mixtapes, they, along with several other members of the Swishahouse, became frustrated with the lack of money they were receiving from the mixtapes. After fellow member Slim Thug left the label, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall followed and started their own mixtape group known as The Color Changin' Click. Each successive mixtape released by The Color Changin' Click led to more business opportunities; the most notable of which being a contract to do a full album for Paid in Full Records. A one album contract was then negotiated between the Color Changin' Click and Paid in Full's label head, DJ Madd Hatta from 97.9 The Box, and the CCC's first album, Get Ya Mind Correct, would go on to sell over 100,000 copies.
The sale of all these albums without the backing of a major deal caught the attention of several major labels wanting to sign Chamillionaire and Paul. Chamillionaire and his labelmates decided to remain independent, however, until the right deal came along. While working on his second album with the Color Changin' Click, Chamillionaire began to have creative differences with Paul Wall, so much so that it was decided that the two emcees should each release solo albums that would be packaged together. When Chamillionaire became dissatisfied with how things were being resolved, he left Paid in Full and his almost complete album after fulfilling his contractual obligations to focus on promoting his mixtape label Chamillitary instead. As a kid, Chamillionaire was a big fan of MANKind, also known as Big June.
Chamillionaire's Myspace
This kid from Houston, Texas has some nerve. That's what came to mind as you watched an MTV special in early 2005 showcasing H-Town's commercial and artistic re-emergence on the rap scene. Following his brazen freestyle, the focused and much-heralded MC known as Chamillionaire faced a national audience and launched a swagger-filled proclamation on camera: "I'm the truth from Texas..." While such boasting may seem par-for-the-course in the prideful 25-year-plus history of hip-hop, the latter ambitious statement aptly describes Chamillionaire. It's the reason why he earned the lofty alias "The Mixtape Messiah," a title Cham was crowned after independently selling over 100,000 copies of the Get Ya Mind Correct album, and by selling thousands of his numerous mix tapes. It's why the former member of Houston's legendary mix-tape power Swisha House garnered coverage in such major hip-hop publications as Source and XXL without the backing of a major deal. When the Houston lyricist set off a major label bidding war to distribute his Chamillitary Records, it became abundantly clear throughout the 'hood and the music industry Chamillionaire is indeed the truth.
With his major-label debut The Sound Of Revenge set for release on Universal Records, Chamillionaire is poised to take his place among Houston's current hip-hop elite, including the new generation of rhyme-spitters such as Lil' Flip, Slim Thug, Mike Jones and Paul Wall, as well respected vets UGK and Scarface. "You call out a lot of rappers and ask them why they are the best and they are going to tell you everything but the music," Cham laughs. "They will tell you that they are the best because they have some nice rims, a chain, and a mansion." He then adds in a straight-no-chaser tone, "You've heard all the hype about Chamillionaire; that he's sick with the lyrics, sings hooks, and represents the streets and the clubs. But I just want to come as close as possible to living up to my reputation."
Chamillionaire recruits an impressive list of talent on his debut effort, including Lil' Flip, Bun B, Scarface, and Krayzie Bone, as well as in-demand producers Scott Storch (50 Cent), Mannie Fresh (Lil' Wayne, Baby, Juvenile) and Cool & Dre (The Game). But, it's his work with Atlanta studio kings The Beat Bullies (1Big Boi/OutKast) that sets the tone for much of The Sound Of Revenge's diverse platform. "They understand me," Cham says of the in-house producers. "There are a lot of producers that have dope beats, but they don't know me as an artist. [The Beat Bullies] being from Atlanta, can take it to the strip clubs, the streets and to the radio."
The name Chamillionaire represents the unique style that defines the talented urban artist, and his ability to change and adapt on the fly, forcing people to respect the true breadth of his talent. And just as this MC moniker exemplifies, Chamillionaire is anything but predictable and most certainly versatile. "Picture Perfect" featuring Bun B comes off as a lyrical nod to the classic 'hood swagger of UGK, while the Beat Bullies'-anchored "Radio Interruption" showcases Cham's prowess for walking the blurred line between street praise and mass appeal. The storytelling brilliance of "No Snitching" (Cool & Dre), finds Cham detailing the unwritten laws of 'hood politics. On the Scott Storch produced "Turn It Up," Cham tag-teams with freestyle king Lil' Flip as they spit over an infectious track that is Houston's answer to a summer club banger. And the soulful "Here Comes The Rain" finds Chamillionaire exploring the daily struggles of life with heartfelt lyricism and ghetto angst.
"It's a very personal song and the title says it all," Cham says of the revealing track. "In a person's life the rain symbolizes the struggles we all go through. Whether you are dealing with losing a loved one or your rent is due on the 1st, but it's the 3rd and you don't have it. I'm just talking about surviving the tough times."
Chamillionaire has definitely seen his share of struggles on his road to redemption. Born to a Muslim father and Christian mother, secular music was banned in his household. Chamillionaire was barely a teenager when he moved to a low-income neighborhood in the notorious North Side of Houston, following the separation of his parents. By the early '90s, however, rap rebels such as NWA, Public Enemy, as well as hometown heroes The Geto Boys, 8-Ball & MJG and UGK would inspire a young Hakeem to write his own rhymes.
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Chamillionaire's Myspace
The Evening News
Chamillionaire Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dropout rate rising, so what are they learning?,
Sending the troops in the war so I turn in,
To today's evening news.
Welcome to the evening news, I thank you all for tuning in,
Yes, I'm your host and your journalist,
here Chamillionaire, so let the news begin,
look at the screen, an' let's zoom it in,
'Cause Cashis is live at the scene,
hey Cashis how are you my friend?,
Got no time for no interviews (go-got no time for no interviews),
No time to trip we don't get confused,
'cause this type of news opinion and views
Got no time for no interviews (go-got no time for no interviews),
You know I keep my ear to the streets
so it's up to me to bring you the truth,
I saw a movie where George Bush had a bearded man on his squad,
So much power from oil money that poor folks can't sit by him,
No problem, Osama, Bin Laden, Been hidin'
So long that them pictures all starting to look like him on them milk cartons,
Don Imus made comments that made everybody forget about him,
That's him, Anna Nicole got pregnant and had kids by him,
Rest in peace Virgina Tech, too many innocent kids dyin',
Well let's just blame hip-hop and act like that's the big problem,
Now I would give you news about Katrina,
but you know I can't talk about Katrina,
'Cause everytime I talk about Katrina,
they look at me like it's a misdemeanor,
Anyways, there's way more important stuff that we can discuss,
George Bush is playing golf, everybody hush, he's about to putt.
Gas prices raises, the money keeps burning,
Dropout rate rising, so what are they learning?,
Sending the troops in the war so I turn in,
To today's evening news.
And the world keeps turning slow (turning slow, turning slow)
As the world keeps turning slow (turning slow, turning slow)
As the world keeps on turning slow (turning slow, turning slow)
This is your evening news.
I know you take offense to certain words,
I've heard worse, but I wouldn't blame ya',
They say he's a entertainer, don't worry about it, nevermind Kramer,
The Crocodile Hunter got stung,
and the lion turned on the lion tamer,
We keep sending troops to Iraq,
I figured that we must like danger,
Little kids don't learn in school
they go to school to go spray a gun,
If you a parent, then be a parent,
get off the couch and go raise your son,
Kobe just broke another record, today's game he hit 81,
Now they saying he's number 1, but yesterday they all hated him,
OJ was named innocent, he got no sentence, he's still alive,
It's very ironic that the lawyer that defended him had to die,
Well, now my cue card says the price of gas isn't really high,
But I'm not going to read that,
'cause we all know that that's a lie.
Gas prices raises, the money keeps burning,
Dropout rate rising, so what are they learning?,
Sending the troops in the war so I turn in,
To today's evening news.
We still haven't found Pac's killer,
still haven't found Biggie's either,
30 minutes into the case they got tired and took a breather,
Snoop Dogg just got arrested, everyday he get a new subpoena,
Innocent when murder was the case
so the prosecution got a middle finger,
Hip-Hop is sweeping the nation, but the contents seem so degrading,
Most rappers got new albums that white kids are anticipating,
If you don't like it on the radio
or the television then switch the station,
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 tho' we know Obama's black,
9/11 was a calculation, and some would say it was a timed attack,
He gave a speech on CNN, they bombed us, now we're bombing back,
Where the heck is Osama at?
And I would love to talk about Katrina,
but everytime I talk about Katrina,
they look at me like it's a misdemeanor
Anyways, there's way more important stuff that we can discuss
N'Sync, Makin da band and Milli Vanilli had broken up,
Gas prices raises, the money keeps burning,
Dropout rate rising, so what are they learning?,
Sending the troops in the war so I turn in,
To today's evening news.
And the world keeps turning slow (turning slow, turning slow)
As the world keeps turning slow (turning slow, turning slow)
As the world keeps on turning slow (turning slow, turning slow)
This is your evening news.
In the song "The Evening News" by Chamillionaire, the artist is reflecting on the state of the world as it is presented to us through the media. The lyrics focus on various issues such as gas prices, dropout rates in schools, the war, and various other serious topics. Chamillionaire criticizes the way in which the media presents news that is often biased and focuses on controversial issues rather than the more pressing matters at hand. For instance, he talks about how there's so much focus on Kanye West's outburst during an event rather than the fact that the US President didn't have time to address certain important issues. Chamillionaire also sheds light on the fact that the media is not objective in its presentation of news, often choosing to avoid discussing certain issues altogether.
Line by Line Meaning
Gas prices raises, the money keeps burning,
Gas prices are increasing and people are losing money due to their dependence on it.
Dropout rate rising, so what are they learning?,
More students are dropping out from school, leading to the question of what they are really learning or gaining from the education system.
Sending the troops in the war so I turn in,
The news reports on the ongoing wars and conflicts involving sending troops, leading the singer to pay attention to it.
To today's evening news.
The song is about the current events and news that are happening at the time.
Welcome to the evening news, I thank you all for tuning in,
The artist welcomes the listeners to the evening news and expresses gratitude for their attention.
Yes, I'm your host and your journalist,
The singer introduces themselves as the host and journalist for the news program.
Our helicopters out in the streets
The news team has helicopters to cover events happening in the streets in real-time.
look at the screen, an' let's zoom it in,
The artist encourages the audience to pay attention to the screen where the news is being shown and to zoom in on the details.
'Cause Cashis is live at the scene,
There is a correspondent named Cashis who is reporting live from an event happening on the scene.
hey Cashis how are you my friend?,
The artist greets Cashis, the correspondent, in a friendly manner.
Got no time for no interviews (go-got no time for no interviews),
Cashis does not have time for interviews and is solely focused on reporting the news.
No time to trip we don't get confused,
There is no time to get sidetracked or confused in the midst of reporting the news.
'cause this type of news opinion and views
The news being reported is factual and not based on opinions or views.
You know I keep my ear to the streets
The singer is knowledgeable about the events and news happening on the streets due to their attentiveness and awareness.
so it's up to me to bring you the truth,
The singer takes it upon themselves to bring the audience the truth about the news events happening.
I saw a movie where George Bush had a bearded man on his squad,
The artist recalls a movie where there was a connection between George Bush and a bearded man in his team.
So much power from oil money that poor folks can't sit by him,
George Bush has so much power and influence from the oil money that poor people cannot afford to sit next to him.
No problem, Osama, Bin Laden, Been hidin'
Osama Bin Laden has been hiding for a long time without being caught, causing no problems or complications.
So long that them pictures all starting to look like him on them milk cartons,
Pictures of Osama Bin Laden are seen so often that they are starting to resemble pictures of people featured on missing person milk cartons.
Don Imus made comments that made everybody forget about him,
Don Imus made offensive comments that caused people to shift their focus and attention away from Osama Bin Laden.
That's him, Anna Nicole got pregnant and had kids by him,
Anna Nicole Smith became pregnant and had kids with someone, presumably not Osama Bin Laden.
Rest in peace Virgina Tech, too many innocent kids dyin',
There has been a tragic incident at Virginia Tech where too many innocent kids have lost their lives.
Well let's just blame hip-hop and act like that's the big problem,
Hip-hop is wrongfully blamed for negative events when it is not the root of the problem.
Now I would give you news about Katrina,
The artist plans to discuss news relating to the events of Hurricane Katrina.
but you know I can't talk about Katrina,
The singer cannot talk about Katrina due to not being allowed or it being a controversial topic.
'Cause everytime I talk about Katrina,
Whenever the singer brings up the topic of Katrina, it leads to negative reactions.
they look at me like it's a misdemeanor,
People view the singer's discussion of Katrina as a crime or offense.
Anyways, there's way more important stuff that we can discuss,
There are other important news topics that can be discussed apart from Katrina.
George Bush is playing golf, everybody hush, he's about to putt.
George Bush is seen as not taking much action for the events happening and is instead indulging in leisure activities like golf.
We still haven't found Pac's killer,
The killer of Tupac Shakur has still not been found despite numerous investigations and attempts.
still haven't found Biggie's either,
The killer of The Notorious B.I.G. has also still not been found despite attempts at investigation.
30 minutes into the case they got tired and took a breather,
The investigation into the killings of Tupac and Biggie seemed to be going nowhere and lost steam quickly.
Snoop Dogg just got arrested, everyday he get a new subpoena,
Snoop Dogg is constantly getting into trouble with the law, getting arrested or served with subpoenas regularly.
Innocent when murder was the case
Snoop Dogg may be innocent in regard to certain murder cases he has been linked to.
so the prosecution got a middle finger,
Snoop Dogg is defiant towards the prosecution who are trying to convict him.
Hip-Hop is sweeping the nation, but the contents seem so degrading,
Hip-hop music is gaining popularity but the lyrics and messages in the songs are seen as problematic or negative.
Most rappers got new albums that white kids are anticipating,
Many rappers are releasing new albums that are being eagerly awaited by white listeners.
If you don't like it on the radio
If you do not like what is being played on the radio
or the television then switch the station,
The listener can choose to change channels or switch to another station if they do not like the content being played on the radio or television.
Flavor Flav get a lot of ratings, Bill O'Reilly somewhere is hating,
Flavor Flav is getting a lot of attention and ratings while Bill O'Reilly is disapproving or hating the attention he is receiving.
Kanye just said WHAT? the president ain't got time for that,
Kanye West made a comment or statement that the president does not have time for or may not approve of.
The White House is going to stay white even tho' we know Obama's black,
Despite Obama's race, the White House still represents the traditional and conventional views and beliefs held within society.
9/11 was a calculation, and some would say it was a timed attack,
There are theories that 9/11 was a planned and calculated attack rather than an organic occurrence.
He gave a speech on CNN, they bombed us, now we're bombing back,
After a speech was given on CNN, a bombing occurred as a result, and the US is now retaliating with bombings of their own.
Where the heck is Osama at?
The whereabouts of Osama Bin Laden are unknown and a source of ongoing search and investigation.
N'Sync, Makin da band and Milli Vanilli had broken up,
Various music groups like N'Sync, Makin da band, and Milli Vanilli have disbanded and are no longer together.
And the world keeps turning slow (turning slow, turning slow)
The world is moving and progressing slowly despite the quick news coverage and events happening on the surface.
This is your evening news.
The song is a news report or coverage of events that have happened in the evening and being presented to the audience.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: DANIEL JOHNSON, HAKEEM SERIKI
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind