With a multi-platinum selling album under his belt, two Grammy nominations and an MTV Video Music Award for his hit single "Ridin Dirty," Chamillionaire planning a big year in 2007.
He's finishing off 2006 with a bang by offering his new mixtape, Mixtape Messiah 2, free for download on Christmas Eve (Dec. 24), on his newly-launched website Chamillionaire.com
The mixtape, the follow-up to Cham's notable 2004 release Mixtape Messiah, will serve as a prelude for his upcoming album titled Ultimate Victory, which will be released in stores March 27th, 2007.
"Some people say it supports downloading because I'm giving it to people free on the website," Chamillionaire said. "I'm just feeding the audience some music that they haven't been fed in a long time, and showing them that I appreciate them. I don't want them to think that I'm bigger than them, because some rappers get too big and don't wanna do the mixtape thing because they're too fly.
Ultimate Victory will feature collaborations from Alicia Keys, Kanye West, Busta Rhymes, T.I., The Game, Three 6 Mafia, Pimp C, Young Buck and others.
The album will also feature production by Dr. Dre, Scott Storch, Swizz Beatz, Cool & Dre, and more.
"That's why I'm trying to bring a lot of concepts to the album. It's very conceptual and has a lot of creativity on it," Chamillionaire said.
In addition to releasing a new album in 2007, the Houston-bred rapper will also release a DVD with exclusive footage depicting his rise to fame, from his concerts, to taking trips to the mall.
"It'll have footage from a show where I'm performing and all the people in the crowd are saying my underground stuff," the rapper said. "You know, I've got a lot of fans who have Chamillionaire tattoos, and people who have "Ridin' Dirty" tattooed across their toes and crazy stuff like that. It's like, fans don't get to see the whole experience, so I'm gonna show them the hard work.
Chamillionaire, known for his entrepreneurial spirit, also plans to form a model agency in his hometown and build on a car customizing business called Fly Rydes he got into three years ago with his close friend, "Big Ernest."
The modeling company, called Masterpiece Mind Frame is his way of giving back to those who have things to offer, he says, but don't know how to get there.
"I'll go out and see people and everybody wants to make money, and I'll meet video girls who wanna live the good life and all, but it's like, you gotta have a plan, you know?" Chamillionaire stated. "That's why it's called Masterpiece Mind Frame because in the word mind frame, your MIND comes before your frame. Print modeling can turn into movies and other stuff, and you can just step all the way up the ladder. It's like that with males and females, and if you're trying to go somewhere, just walk up the ladder, you know, and take it to the next step."
Chamillionaire's right-hand man Big Ernest created the company years back, and Chamillionaire decided to collaborate with him to get "corporate money" for the business and build its clientele.
"Out here in Texas, that car thing is big. We'll do videos and rent all kinds of cars and people will waste all kinds of money on them, and instead, they can come spend that money with me," he says, noting that the company recently hooked up rides for David Banner and Pimp C.
