Chamillionaire’s always got one in the chamber. When Universal Records limited the multi-platinum emcee’s catalog to two studio albums in over six years, the Houston veteran resorted to acclaimed mixtapes, often sold directly through his website. The just-released nine-song Ammunition EP maintains this model, and while it lacks a big artistic concept (beyond having supplemental material), the fast-talking Ringtone Rap pioneer unloads heartfelt bars that demonstrate his strong connection to his core with another full clip.
“Let’s Get That” is a nod to the pre-major label Chamillionaire. He boasts, “the flow is vicious,” as the notorious nice-guy reverts back to talking about threesomes, fast cars and how he’s apathetically kept his Grammy Award in the box. At the chorus, and to finish the song out, Koopa provides background singing that makes the track perfect for the car, and more than just another cliche “brag-rap.” A more potent message lives in “Won’t Change.” Cham’s much improved choruses and singing pave the track for the emcee to recognize that he’s very much a part of the city whose musical legacy he helped rebuild in 2005 and earlier.
The positive Chamillionaire that evolved after the notoriety shines on EP-closer “Never Enough.” It’s an ambiguous track that plays into the notion that quantity from Rap artists drive the industry, but also a spiritually-tinged song that questions materialism and champions perseverance – themes that have held down Cham’s image over the last five years. Another standout is “You Gon Learn” with Saigon, where the two outspoken critics of labels and old-guard industry tactics preach about outing their lying peers over being poor role models and fake thugs. This is one of the more interesting collaborations in Chamillionaire’s career as of late, for an H-Town artist who found ways to make powerful singles with the likes of Krayzie Bone and Slick Rick.
Ammunition is not the powder keg that was The Sound Of Revenge, or to a lesser extent, Ultimate Victory. However, more than most artists in his position, Chamillionaire proves that he doesn’t need high profile guests, production or a label PR campaign to prove he’s one of Rap’s best emcees. Although there are still some awkward choruses at times and conflicting messages, this EP affirms the belief that the in-house model has many rooms, and that Chamillionaire’s journey has been comfortably cyclical.
this has been on repeat since it came out
this is so dope. My favorites are lets get that remix and all mine. Great ep, and only 6 bucks
“Lets get that” & “Never Enough” goooooo!
Loved it. “Never Enough” was my favorite.
This Clown is so wack..
FUCK OFF YOUNGVAGINA79
mehh…it wasn’t really what I was expecting…
ME ETHER
HES ONE OF THE REALEST
man hiphop needed this pick this up you wont be disapointed!
I WAS DISAPONITED
Excellent review!
I LIKE ANYTHING THAT CHAM DROPS FROM THE ALBUMS TO THE MIXTAPES EVEN THE PRE VENOM(PLAYLIST POISON) STUFF HE RELEASED LAST YEAR WAS WAY BETTER BUT THIS EP SORRY BUT NO!!!!! LETS NOT GO OVERBOARD I ONLY LIKED ONE SONG ON HERE AND THE OTHERS ARE WEAK OR SUB PAR AT BEST(FUCK A INTRO) I WILL STILL GIVE IT 5/5 BECAUSE CHAM IS STILL ONE OF MY FAVORITE RAPPERS BUT THIS WAS A BIG LET DOWN I COUNTED THE DAYS TELL THIS WAS RELEASED SMH WHY THE FUCK ARE YOU CHARGING PEOPLE FOR THIS SHIT BUT I KNOW THE ALBUM WONT LET ME DOWN RIGHT CHAM?
Just another hater who wants everything for free..
YOU DUMB FUCK I PAID FOR THIS EP AND THE ALBUMS I EVEN SAID THAT BITCH
OH I FORGOT THE ONLY SONG I LIKE WAS WONT CHANGE
dude you just came on here to hate. post your opinion and leave it at rest man. there’s life beyond the blinds. whether your really a fan of cham or not i could care less, but face it. most people that heard it liked it including the critics so find another place to comment your unworty opinions.
in case you decide to question my intellect by my vocabulary which you probably would i meant to type unworthy
GOOD FOR YOU BUT I THINK EVERYBODY WENT OVERBOARD ON THIS EP IF YOU THOUGHT I WAS TRYING HATE I UNDERSTAND YOU SAID I HAD A UNWORTHY OPINIONS WELL THINK ABOUT THIS IF YOUR A BIG CHAM FAN WAITING FOR THAT NEXT RELEASE AND YOU GET (PAID) FOR THIS EP SOME WOULD BE WORRIED FOR THE ALBUM AND NOT EVERYONE AGREES THAT THIS EP WAS GOOD
I SUCK DICK LIKE NO OTHER. YOU WANT SOME GOOD HEAD GET AT ME.
STFU TALKING DOWN ON TEXAS LIKE THAT WHATS WRONG WITH YOU
@Texas…What the hell are you talking about this EP was fire…you must have been listening to something else because the only track you actually liked was in my opinion the weakest track on Ammunition and it was all still dope! Cham gave us a nice prelude to his next album Poison!!
WHAT IM I TALKING ABOUT!!! WELL I WAS TALKING ABOUT WASTING MY 6$ ON THE WEAKEST THING CHAMILLIONAIRE EVER DROPPED IM NOT TRYING TO HATE (YOU WILL KNOW WHEN I START HATIN) BUT ITS MY HONEST OPINION THAT THE OTHER CHORUS WERE WEAK AND LINES WERE SUB PAR ALSO I DONT SEE WHY YOU NEED A REMIX ON A 9 TRACK SAMPLE HELL 7 IF YOU DONT COUNT THE INTROS SO HOW WAS WONT CHANGE THE WEAKEST TRACK OH WELL YOUR OPINION BUT IF THIS IS A PRELUDE TO POISON THEN I WONT BUY I WILL DOWNLOAD
BEST RAPPER ALIVE!!!!!!!!!!!11
Agree
BEST IN TEXAS SURE RIGHT 713^^^
^^^^$carface was and still is best in texas
Awesome…
WOW @TEXAS dont even like this now that surprised me but for once hes right this EP was trash waste of time and money and any fan should be disappointed (expect for some of the dick riding fans) this dude fell off and when or if the album drops it will flop harder than victory looks like just another one hit ringtone wonder
This was a good EP. I can see industry hating on this just based off the way he sold it. Thats why I could care less about online reviews, a fan buys it and then finds out if he or she likes it,fuck online reviews. All that being said buy this and support independent artist that are making real music not blueprint rap.
nuthin like his albums but it’s an EP so i can’t complain too much. especially since he’s doin this on his own. playlist poison is gonna be his best to date though. I can’t believe on my way is one of the most hated tracks on this EP. i guess cuz it’s kinda female friendly but it’s one of my favorite songs. lookin forward to his future
You already know.
real recognize real man
I think it’s a great ep he is rapping he always starts off like this and picks it up the more songs and cd he does it will get better
Cham’s lost in the woods now. No major. No realistic timetable for a real comeback. A 9 song EP? I was skeptical when Em and Royce did it, but at least they knew it would sell. It’s cool giving fans new stuff, but it’s just another reminder how Houston rap fell off and never recovered.
HOUSTON RAP NEVER FELL OFF AND NEVER WILL FROM H-TOWN ALL OVER SOUTH TEXAS WE HAVE HIP HOP EVENTS FOR UPCOMING ARTIST AND SELL OUT SHOWS FOR FAN FAVORITE RAPPERS LIKE BUN B,CHAM,SCARFACE AND OTHERS JUST BECAUSE WE DON’T HAVE SOME BIG MAINSTREAM SELLER YOU THINK WE FELL OFF SHIT HIP HOP IS LIVES IN TEXAS ALL OVER AND NEVER WILL DIE
I WAS A LITTLE HARSH IN WHAT I SAID ABOUT THIS EP SO FOR THAT I SAY SORRY YOU SEE THERE IS FAR WORSE OUT THERE LIKE THAT FAG FUTURE SHIT TAPE
lol yeah you got that right
Cham you`re a great MC with great skills, but you should rap more about real life and social issues, not just about your great life.
Anyway, I respect your work and I vote this with 4 stars.
Peace
sick album
You aint never lied
got to have ammunition
This was a great EP.Let’s Get That and Never Enough are the best. But the other tracks are growing more on me.
This is real hip-hop. Salute Koopa.
yes
Good review, but what do you mean by “awkward choruses?”
5/5 for me. I respect the review though. You can still order Ammunition on Chamillionaire.com if you haven’t already.
I thought the whole EP was on point. 5/5 from me, and I’ve got this on repeat now.
It wad a 5 to me.
Chamilitary Mayne
Fire
This tape is a classic. Must listen.
Classic tape…Must have
Chamillionaire NEEDS to get more exposure
Ammunition is on another level!
awesome!
Mayne Yall Need Some Ammunition In your Systems
Haha, man I agree!
This CD is really worth more than what he sold it for. I mean, like each individual track is worth more than the price of the CD. That’s how much quality he put into each track. 5/5
This Ep is the best thing to come out this yr… seriously who’s album can ut be compared to
5/5 would have been an under rated score for this EP. Straight FIRE
Chamillitary mayne
Mixtape Messiah
Check out Major Pain & Major Pain 1.5
Instant classic!
FIre!! Cham killed it! This dude needs more exposure right now!
Major Pain BOY!!
oh yh yh
Been jammin Ammunition all week 🙂
This EP is amazing cannot stop listening
BEST EP OF THE YEAR
Godlike
Ammunition
Chamillionaire always delivers.
tight
Can’t wait for the album
Chamillitary Mayne!!!
Fire!!!
So underated
Cham has always been the best. Tooo nasty!
the best Ep in the streets…….
A nice & solid EP
bawse
it’s fire
get off chams dick SMH everyday i come to back to this review and see your troll ass filling up the votes it was a MEDIOCRE EP GET OVER IT
Epic…
Chamillionaire has always been a legend
#Ammunition
just amazing
Right!
Straight Dopeness
you aint never lied homie
5
it;s solid…period
5
5*****
Shieeeeettt
The album is pure dopeness, period!!
Koopa Mode
I’m a Rap-A-Lot fan from way back and I’ve always considered Scarface the king of H-Town but Chamillionaire is going to go down as one of the all time best Houston MC’s of all-time! I can’t give this shit anything less than a 5. Shits dope.
Chamillionaire is making a comeback but I wouldn’t say this is a classic
dope music like always
owwwwww shittt…..men!!!
Dope EP. Cant wait for him to drop Poison soon. Chams too dope.
Soon
Pure dopeness
awesome
Dope! 5
You guys serious this album wasnt even that great i would only listen to 4 songs on there and one was a remix and on the lets get that i did not like the chorus the the verses were sick
Lyrics 5/5 but production was not as good as Cham’s album work in the past. 9 tracks also seems thin for Cham, need some more.
4/5
EP, not LP
S’okayyyyy
this is defintley some of his best work. with a major label off his back now we can see what koopa is really like.5/5
He’s Baaacckkk. Hail KING KOOPA
This cd crucial.
Cham is back. EP is too cold
couldve been better, needs production from southside, lex luger, mike will, jhALIL AND DRUMMA BOY he need wayy harder beats. and collabs wit ppl like tec n9ne, rasaq, los, big sean, kendick lamar, cory gunz, tyler the creator, jag , cassidy, kid ink, 50 cent, lloyd banks,slaughterhouse, eminem, fabolous, 2 chainz, future, waka, gucci, a$ap rocky,busta, jrwriter, roscoe dash and just more than just htown artist and he can make a classic.
So what you’re saying (as far as the production), he needs to be doing the same as everybody else???? Yea, you’re a genius.
Half the rappers you listed above are not someone Cham (even in his Universal days) would not have on his album. Oh, and half them ruin his flow
Dope EP. Hope his album poison has some better beats though. Keep going cham.
I really like this EP. So far this is the hardest thing I’ve got this year… It’s the first album/mixtape I’ve invested time in because I can listen to it front to back. I like that it’s short because it makes it easier to listen to in one sitting. Fresh as is.
Slaughterhouse needs to add Chamillionaire as an new member. they need an souther lyricist like him. will prob. buy this real soon.
He is a beast.
3/5 to me. Nothing amazing, sorry.
Dopest EP out this year. Dopest rapper of all time.
Typical
Perfection
Love this EP. More people need to hear it.
Genius
Meh
This guy has to stop doing his own chorus’. Its laughable.
That’s one of the best assets of Chamillionaire’s is that he does his own chorus’. He doesn’t need a T-Pain or some R&B singer to come in for an unnecessary hook. Plus he’s a pretty good singer and doesn’t overuse any effects on his voice to make him sound worse than he is.
This is a marvelous mixtape.
Dope
I love that Cham doesn’t rely on gimmicks or block out his songs with guests. He does his thing and gives it to you straight. I especially like that so many of his songs speak to making it … reminds me of a Peter Drucker quote, “The best way to predict the future is to create it.”
“Success coulda ran from me but I woulda caught you!”
-Never Enough, Ammunition EP
na na na
Stans and fans.
King Koopa is the truth!
Best one ever
Such a dope record, cant wait for Poison
Such a good album.
The whole EP is fire!
Sooooo good.
Still bumping Ammunition half way through 2013. This EP is nice.