Ultimate Victory

Last updated

Ultimate Victory
Ultimate Victory.jpg
Studio album by
ReleasedSeptember 14, 2007 (2007-09-14)
Recorded2006–2007
Genre
Length79:47
Label
Producer
Chamillionaire chronology
The Sound of Revenge
(2005)
Ultimate Victory
(2007)
Poison
(TBA)
Singles from Ultimate Victory
  1. "Hip Hop Police"
    Released: July 22, 2007 (2007-07-22)
  2. "The Bill Collecta"
    Released: September 18, 2007 (2007-09-18) [1]
  3. "Industry Groupie"
    Released: October 9, 2007 (2007-10-09) [1]

Ultimate Victory is the second studio album by American rapper Chamillionaire. It was released on September 14, 2007, by Chamillitary Entertainment and Universal Motown Records. The album debuted at number 8 on the US Billboard 200, selling 79,000 copies in the first week. [2] It is notable for not containing any profanity. In all, the album has sold 700,000 copies in the United States.

Contents

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
About.com Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svg [3]
AllHipHop 8.5/10 [4]
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [5]
Entertainment Weekly B [6]
Montreal Mirror 8/10 [7]
PopMatters 7/10 [8]
Rolling Stone Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar half.svgStar empty.svg [9]
Stylus Magazine B− [10]
USA Today Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [11]
XXL (L) [12]

Ultimate Victory was generally well received by music critics. Rolling Stone gave note of Chamillionaire's subject matter detailing his disdain towards the "record industry, money-grubbing ex-friends and lazy rappers" while backing up his sentiments with tracks like the Bun B-assisted "Pimp Mode" and "We Breakin' Up". They concluded by praising the closing title track stating, "“The Ultimate Victory”—on which Chamillionaire expresses sympathy for media-dogged celebrities like Eminem and Britney Spears and admits, "I'm still filled with doubt"—might be the most personally reflective hip-hop track since Slim Shady himself stepped to the mic." [9]

Despite finding a few duds in the track listing, AllMusic's David Jeffries called the album "[A] positive outlook for the future of the genre", praising Cham's pedigree to deliver "verse-filled hip-hop" by smartly utilizing top-notch production and guest artists to deliver catchy songs with substance, concluding that "Ultimate Victory is a brilliant way to recover from overexposure and bring things back to a more sensible level if a long-term, credible career is what's at stake." [5]

Edna Gundersen from USA Today found the record to be "a surprisingly counterintuitive hip-hop journey", noting its lack of profanity, Cham's criticism on the "materialistic bent and greedy sycophants" that represent the genre, and showing empathy for his fellow artists under media scrutiny, concluding that "Victory ultimately is achieved through Chamillionaire’s charged flow, snappy taunts and unexpected singing talents." [11]

Thomas A. Harden of XXL commended Cham's aggressive delivery towards media gossip, the hip-hop industry and government politics but felt that it "comes off preachy, rather than poetic." He added that said approach works better when its added with "a spoonful of sugar with his doses of hip-hop medicine ("I Think I Love You"), flexes his lyrical skills ("You Must Be Crazy") or just has fun on the mic ("The Ultimate Vacation")." [12]

PopMatters contributor Josh Timmermann also found Cham being try-hard when tackling tabloid news and politics, but praised his forays into more conventional topics with solid beats and relaxed flows. Timmermann concluded by praising Cham's performance on the title track, saying "it's convincing proof that there might, after all, be life after "Ridin'" for a rapper who previously seemed bound for one-hit wonder status." [8]

Track listing

Ultimate Victory track listing
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."The Morning News" Kane Beatz 3:58
2."Hip Hop Police" (featuring Slick Rick) J.R. Rotem 4:11
3."Standing Ovation"
Kane Beatz4:27
4."Won't Let You Down" (featuring KC)
Kane Beatz4:37
5."Industry Groupie"
  • Seriki
  • Rotem
J.R. Rotem3:32
6."Pimp Mode" (featuring Bun B) Happy Perez 5:22
7."Rock Star" (featuring Lil Wayne) The Beat Bullies 5:00
8."Skit"  3:04
9."The Bill Collecta" (featuring Krayzie Bone) Play-N-Skillz 3:51
10."The Ultimate Vacation"
  • Seriki
  • Reddick
  • Sherwood
The Beat Bullies4:05
11."Come Back to the Streets" The Runners 4:52
12."I Think I Love You"
  • Seriki
  • Reddick
  • Sherwood
The Beat Bullies4:43
13."The Evening News"
  • Seriki
  • Johnson
Kane Beatz4:08
14."Welcome to the South" (featuring Pimp C)
Kane Beatz4:12
15."You Must Be Crazy" (featuring Lil Ken)
  • Seriki
  • David Burke
  • Ken Jackson
Dave M.G.4:54
16."We Breakin' Up"
CHOPS 4:40
17."Skit: Stuck in the Ghetto" (featuring Tony Henry)  1:45
18."Rocky Road" (featuring Devin the Dude)
Happy Perez 4:59
19."The Ultimate Victory"
  • Seriki
  • Perez
Happy Perez3:11
Additional track(s)
No.TitleProducer(s)Length
20."Somebody's Gonna Get Hurt" (Best Buy digital bonus track) Rick Rock 3:25
21."Keep It on the Hush" (featuring Lloyd)Matty P4:01
22."Still Countin' My Cash" (iTunes Store bonus track)TrakTwinz.com4:25

Bonus DVD

Chamillionaire released his Bonus DVD to Ultimate Victory. This DVD is only in exclusive double-pack in BET Edition available at Wal-Mart.

DVD features are:

Music videos:

Samples

Personnel

Charts

Chart performance for Ultimate Victory
Chart (2007)Peak
position
US Billboard 200 [13] 8
US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard) [14] 3
US Top Rap Albums (Billboard) [15] 3

Release history

Release history and formats for Ultimate Victory
RegionDate
GermanySeptember 14, 2007
JapanSeptember 17, 2007
United StatesSeptember 18, 2007
United KingdomOctober 1, 2007

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chamillionaire</span> American rapper (born 1979)

Hakeem Temidayo Seriki, better known by his stage name Chamillionaire, is an American rapper. He began his solo career with locally-tailored releases in the early 2000s, including the collaborative album Get Ya Mind Correct (2002) with fellow Houston rapper and childhood friend Paul Wall. He signed with Universal Records in 2005 to release his debut studio album, The Sound of Revenge in November of that year. It included the singles "Ridin'" —which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and won a Grammy Award for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group—and "Turn It Up". His second album, Ultimate Victory (2007) was met with similar commercial success; it became notable for its lack of profanity and lead single "Hip Hop Police" —as well as its accompanying music video. His pop rap-influenced 2009 single, "Good Morning" peaked within the top 40 of the Billboard Hot 100 was intended for inclusion on his third album Venom, which was never released.

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