After receiving platinum status, winning a Grammy, and gaining commercial success, one would think that an artist would be on top of the world and on their next LP he or she would gloat about all their newfound happiness that they are now able to enjoy.  This is not the case for Chamillionaire.  The Mixtape Messiah uses his second offering as a platform to voice his displeasures.  Not only that, but he also uses his means in a positive anti-fashion and does not curse.  The outcome is The Ultimate Victory, a fiery indictment of social norms and an expression of one’s personal observations.

The album begins brilliantly with “The Morning News,” where Chamillionaire touches on many subject matters including the media, the recording industry, and the current state of Hip-Hop as exemplified in lines like, “Hip-Hop, Crunk music, Hyphy music, Snap music/Sounds like a nursery rhyme/Get a beat and rap to it/Ain’t speaking with a purpose/I’m a call it crap music…” This is followed by the Slick Rick assisted “Hip Hop Police,” a hypothetical interrogation that has every rapper running for his or her freedom.  In fact, throughout the LP, Chamillionaire shows why he is revered as a sharp-tongued lyricist by his clever punchlines and great delivery as shown on tracks like “Standing Ovation,” the Lil’ Wayne well assisted “Rock Star,” and “You Must Be Crazy” featuring Lil’ Ken.  Even on the tracks that have features from heavyweights like UGK and Devin the Dude, Chamillionaire does not get outshined, proving that he is able to hold his own with some of the best in the game today.

Sadly, this album is not without its miscues.  For one, the production comes of repetitive and with 19 tracks this tends to make the album feel rather long.  Secondly, as the album goes on, it seems like it loses steam and falls off.  The two minute “Bill Collector” skit comes off as irrelevant and is just plain awful.  This is not helped by the lackluster “Bill Collector” featuring Krayzie Bone, which proves that magic does not always strike twice.  Then there is the track “Come Back To The Streets,” which is definitely not needed and messes up the continuity of the album.

Overall, The Ultimate Victory is solid, but comes with a lot of issues.  Even though Chamillionaire has a skillful way with words, that alone cannot take an LP to the next level.  If Koopa had condensed his album, along with a variety of beats and more substantial subject matter, he would definitely be in the position to claim himself victorious. – Ryan Harrison