Chamillionaire (real name Hakeem Seriki) shot to fame with his Platinum album "Sound of Revenge" in November 22, 2005. With "Sound of Revenge" he kills the misconception that southern rappers lack lyrical ability and announce that he is a force to reckon with. Following the creative "Sound of Revenge" he released "Ultimate Victory" which is an even better album than his debut but didn't do as good in the market as his previous album. On any day I'll pick "Ultimate Victory" over "Sound of Revenge" He has been a known name in the mixtape circuit even before he released his debut album. Chamillionaire has stated that he has been recording mixtapes as early as 1998 and thus earned the name "Mixtape Messiah".

I caught up with this Mixtape Messiah series, which started way back in 2004, only recently. I started with Mixtape Messiah 4, then got all the rest in the series ending with Mixtape Messiah 5 released as recently as November 23, 2008. I must say he continues to amaze with his lyrical abilities and the flow with which he raps.

Mixtape Messiah(2004) - The first in the series was a 3CD mixtape which has 67 tracks in which big names like Kanye West and Stat Quo are featured. This may be a treat to those who were listening to Hip Hop even before 2004. I am more a fan of the new Hip Hop and thereby didnt like this album much. But the reviews I checked out were having an OK opinion about this mixtape which is supposed to be the best selling mixtape in Texas.
Rating 1/5
I can't recommend this mixtape to you, but from the many who liked this one, I'm guessing some of you may like it. Do check out some samples before you buy it.You can buy it here at Amazon

Mixtape Messiah 2 (2006) - This second one in the series does not live up to his previous Mixtape Messiah. I didn't like both the Mixtapes. It may be largely cause I have heard him rap much better before hearing this. The reviews I checked out on the net too didn't give this one an average rating.
Rating 1/5
If you still want to buy, you can get it here at Amazon

Mixtape Messiah 3 (2007) - This is the mixtape he got out after his Platinum album "Sound of Revenge" and that can be seen in the considerable improvement in his mixtape.
Rhyming over someone else’s beat can be a dangerous proposition, you better be prepared to get compared to the original MC. "Nothin But Lies" uses Kanye’s West’s beat from "Can’t Tell Me Nothing" and Chamillionaire drops a decent flow that can’t touch Kanye’s lyrically complexity. He has done a decent job, if not at par with original MCs, on most of the tracks but his selection of songs deserves aplause.
Rating - 2.5/5

Mixtape Messiah 4 (2008) - From this mixtape onwards you can see a whole new Chamillionaire who hits the mark with lyrics that catch our attention and rhythms which will make you like a song right away. He pushes his creative boundaries and brings out a great mixtape which showcases his music sense. For me the highlight of the mixtape was "Roll Call Reloaded" and "Internet Nerd's Revenge". “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. In “Internet Nerd Revenge” 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. Along with these two clever tracks, a lot of other great tracks makes this album a great listen.
My Rating - 3.5/5
You can buy it here from Amazon

Mixtape Messiah 5 (2008)- Within months of his hit mixtape "Mixtape Messiah 4" he come out with a new one that is as good as or even better than the latter. This mixtape gives us a gander at how dangerous his new studion album "Venom", which is to be released in the first quarter of 2009, is. He returns with a sequel to his "Internet Nerd's Revenge" with "Internet Nerd's Brother". You can also hear him sing a bit in "All I Got is Pain".
My Rating - 3.5/5
You can buy it here from Amazon

I also recommend buying his two studio albums - Sound of Revenge here at Amazon (3.5/5) and Ultimate Victory here at Amazon (4/5)

Chamillionaire’s highly anticipated “Venom” album is coming in 2009, stay tuned for details.
Check out his single from the album Creepin' featuring Ludacris