Earlier this week, Chamillionaire, still glowing from being free from the tyrannical grip of Universal Records, released Major Pain 1.5. Thursday afternoon, he was polite (or politic) enough to take a few minutes to talk about the tape.
The notes from the conversation and the tape are kind of long, so we'll skip the self-referential story that usually precedes these sorts of things and get right to it. Keep it moving, chumps.
#MajorPain1.5Notes The first song starts with some nursery-rhyme music playing in the background, the same way they use it in horror movies, with a guy saying, "Hey there little fellow. I know you missed me. Huh. You're a mean little fellow, aren't you? You hungry?" followed by a dinosaur roar that evolves into a beat.
The subtext there is pretty clear. If you're sitting there like, "Wait, so what does it it all mean?" go watch some Waka Flocka videos on YouTube or something.
#ConversationNotes When you're interviewing someone, they'll usually say two or three interesting or insightful things every ten or 15 minutes; it's easy to keep up with things if you're sitting at your keyboard. But with Cham, that shit is damn near impossible. It's pretty easy to tell that whatever he's talking about, he's spent a considerable amount of time thinking about, and that makes everything seem important.
#MajorPain1.5Notes Yes, there is a song on the tape called "Slow City Down." Yes, it is what you think it is. And yes, it is enjoyable. Go figure.
#MajorPain1.5Notes "To sum it up: There will be no Venom album."
#ConversationNotes There will be no Venom album.
#MajorPain1.5Notes Part of the reason Cham has been successful is because he's a) always thought bigger than Houston; while b) making no attempt to conceal that he's always thought bigger than Houston.
He certainly has songs in his arsenal that spiral back towards Houston rap memes, but there are more that don't. And that's why "Chandelier Ceiling," a choppy, sleepy, candied track produced by Big Krit, is so endearing.
#MajorPain1.5Notes There is lots of beat thievery on MP1.5 (Drake, Yelawolf and Trae, Nicki Minaj), but the most immediately and esoterically enjoyable is when he jumps over Em's "I Need A Doctor," switching the chorus to say, "I stay Screwed and Chopped Up." Neat, neat, neat. Bonus: At the end of the song, he takes a couple of swipes at XXL magazine for asking to do an interview with him about how, essentially, Houston sucks now.
#ConversationNotes "It's easy to trick people. I just Screw my voice a little and everyone's like, 'Man, this that old Chamillionaire.' It's the same me, people just wanna say that."
