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.[3]
| Ultimate Victory | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | September 14, 2007 | |||
| Recorded | 2006–2007 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 79:47 | |||
| Label | ||||
| Producer | ||||
| Chamillionaire chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Singles from Ultimate Victory | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| About.com |   [4] |
| AllHipHop | 8.5/10[5] |
| AllMusic |  [6] |
| Entertainment Weekly | B[7] |
| Montreal Mirror | 8/10[8] |
| PopMatters | 7/10[9] |
| Rolling Stone | [10] |
| Stylus Magazine | B−[11] |
| USA Today | [12] |
| XXL | (L)[13] |
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."[10]
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."[6]
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."[12]
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")."[13]
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."[9]
Track listing
edit| No. | Title | Writer(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 Beatz | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Won't Let You Down" (featuring KC) |
| Kane Beatz | 4:37 |
| 5. | "Industry Groupie" |
| J.R. Rotem | 3:32 |
| 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" |
| The Beat Bullies | 4:05 |
| 11. | "Come Back to the Streets" | The Runners | 4:52 | |
| 12. | "I Think I Love You" |
| The Beat Bullies | 4:43 |
| 13. | "The Evening News" |
| Kane Beatz | 4:08 |
| 14. | "Welcome to the South" (featuring Pimp C) |
| Kane Beatz | 4:12 |
| 15. | "You Must Be Crazy" (featuring Lil Ken) |
| 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" |
| Happy Perez | 3:11 |
| No. | Title | Producer(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 P | 4:01 |
| 22. | "Still Countin' My Cash" (iTunes Store bonus track) | TrakTwinz.com | 4:25 |
Bonus DVD
editChamillionaire 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:
- Access Granted: "Turn It Up", "Ridin'", "Grown & Sexy", "Hip-Hop Police"/"Evening News"
- 106 & Park: Chamillionaire Interview
- BET Spring Bling 2007 Performance
- BET Black Collage Tour
- Fly Rydes
Music videos:
- "Hip Hop Police"
- "The Evening News"
Samples
edit- "The Morning News"
- "Hip Hop Police
- "Gin and Juice" by Snoop Dogg
- "Murder Was the Case" by Snoop Dogg
- "Standing Ovation"
- "Reign" by Kurt Carr
- "Industry Groupie"
- "The Ultimate Victory"
- "Pollution" by Baby Bash
Personnel
edit- Issiah Abolin – engineer (2)
- Aaron Dahl – engineer (7), additional engineering (4, 13)
- James Hoover – engineer (1, 4, 6, 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19), mixing (1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19)
- Josh Houghkirk – engineer (10–12), additional engineering (2, 5, 7, 10–12, 15)
- Rob Montes – engineer (9, 15), mixing (9)
- Greg Ogan – engineer (2, 5)
- Jonathan Rotem – all instruments (2)
- Phil Tan – mixing (2, 5, 7, 10–12, 15)
- Nick Taylor – engineer (3)
Charts
edit| Chart (2007) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| US Billboard 200[14] | 8 |
| US Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums (Billboard)[15] | 3 |
| US Top Rap Albums (Billboard)[16] | 3 |
Release history
edit| Region | Date |
|---|---|
| Germany | September 14, 2007 |
| Japan | September 17, 2007 |
| United States | September 18, 2007 |
| United Kingdom | October 1, 2007 |
References
edit- ^ a b "FMQB: Radio Industry News, Music Industry Updates, Nielsen Ratings, Music News and more!". fmqb.com.
- ^ Henry Adaso. "Top 100 Rap Songs of 2007". About.com Entertainment.
- ^ Chamillionaire works with no swearing
- ^ Henry Adaso. "From Chamillionaire to Chabillionaire". About.com Entertainment.
- ^ Shah, Deepa (September 17, 2007). "Chamillionaire: Ultimate Victory". AllHipHop. Archived from the original on December 1, 2008. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Ultimate Victory - Chamillionaire". AllMusic. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (September 14, 2007). "Ultimate Victory". Entertainment Weekly. Time Inc. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Leijon, Erik. "Chamillionaire - Ultimate Victory". Montreal Mirror. Quebecor Media. Archived from the original on October 12, 2008. Retrieved April 11, 2020.
- ^ a b Timmermann, Josh (October 1, 2007). "Chamillionaire: Ultimate Victory". PopMatters. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ a b "Chamillionaire: Ultimate Victory". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. September 5, 2007. Archived from the original on November 15, 2009. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ Cohen, Ian (September 24, 2007). "Chamillionaire - Ultimate Victory". Stylus Magazine. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Gundersen, Edna (September 17, 2007). "This week's reviews: The fall bumper crop, part 1". USA Today. Gannett. Archived from the original on October 11, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ a b Harden, Thomas A. (October 11, 2007). "Chamillionaire Ultimate Victory". XXL. Townsquare Media. Archived from the original on October 14, 2007. Retrieved July 20, 2011.
- ^ "Chamillionaire Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard.
- ^ "Chamillionaire Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard.
- ^ "Chamillionaire Chart History (Top Rap Albums)". Billboard.