Chamillionaire Is Succumbed By Adam Lambert Army At Grammy Social Media Event

The panel discussion with Adam Lambert, Chamillionaire took place today (Friday, February 11th) at the Conga Room at L.A. Live.

Chamillionaire: “You spill your guts in this music, and someone comes along and demeans it in 140 characters.” Sometimes you have to step away from it. It can desensitize you.

Other highlights from the discussion via On the Meaning of Adam Lambert

Pandora, the internet personalized radio service, announced plans to go public and raise $100 million in an initial public offering. That was the real news from the event. Now numbering 80 million listeners, Pandora’s audience is has grown large enough to let the company think about how it can impact an artist’s career, said Westergren. In other words, we ain’t seen nothin’ yet.

Social media is changing the music industry by putting artists directly in touch with fans. Chamillionaire noted that when you’re an artist, “you become public property. If your fans feel vested in what you do, that’s a good thing. You can’t be mad at that. The future is going to be direct to consumer. No one in a suit and tie is going to stand in front of me telling me what to do.”

The economic impact on the music industry has been disastrous to date, with large losses of revenue to illegal downloading. Internet radio could change that. Artists collect royalties from internet play, unlike with broadcast radio. (OK, everyone, run to Pandora and create your Adam Lambert/Chamillionaire station.)

Interacting directly with the audience requires a balancing act. “I’m entertaining an audience. It’s for them. So their opinion and satisfaction is most important,” said Adam. “But part of the reason I’m an artist is that I’m the one making decisions about what I’m going to put out there.” Westergren observed, “The artists who survive are the ones who are really authentic.”

Twitter gives Adam “a sense of control, which I like.” But it comes with a warning label: don’t tweet under the influence. Chamillionaire shared his experience when he tweeted praise of the Black Eyed Peas performance at the Super Bowl and was blasted by his Twitter followers. But, he is unfazed: “I like to be authentic with my feelings.”

Social media provide artists with insight into how fans are reacting to their creative choices. “I lurk to see what people are saying,” said Adam. He said he has used suggestions from fans on Twitter, but wouldn’t specify. “I’m not going to tell you my secrets!” he said, to laughter. “The informative aspect is the best part of Twitter.”

Adam noted (yay!) that social media connects fans with one another.

Foursquare enables people to tag a geographic location, with the aim of getting people to visit favorite restaurants, concerts and other gathering places. This raised immediate flags about privacy and stalkers. Not sure we’ll find too many celebrities on Foursquare, although Adam said he would check it out. (OK, do NOT race to Foursquare so you can stan Adam…)

Pandora’s Music Genome Project is an algorithm to find new music that a listener would like based on their favorite artists. As listeners get older, they are less likely to discover new bands (yeah, life happens), so a service like Pandora might help people stay engaged with current music. I decided to test this. I created a Pandora station with Robyn, Adam Lambert, Goldfrapp and a few others, and Pandora came up with Anna Nalick, who I do like. So far so good. But I already have a very effective channel to get me to listen to music again: Adam’s tweets.

“At a concert, everyone’s got a camera and video,” Ethan Beard marveled. “That’s really powerful.” John Norris concurred, saying “I’m in favor of anything that gets people to be more aggressive in their discovery of music.” Asked how artists feel about the unrelenting recording, Adam expressed ambivalence. “It puts more pressure on the artist,” he said. And he also had more of a spiritual concern that with all the recording technology, audiences are cheating themselves of experiencing the moment. “There’s something to be said for putting your phone in your pocket and just watching.”

Mobile is the most important way people are going to be consuming social media. And I’m sorry Blackberry, but you just don’t cut it as a social media interface. By the time Adam embarks on his next tour, I’m going to have to upgrade to an iPhone.

From the blizzard of real-time tweets during the event, it appears that 99% of the viewers were Adam’s fans, as were the throngs that waited outside. Chamillionaire’s has 700K+ twitter followers. Where were they? On the bright side, Chamillionaire just gained a pocketful of Adam’s fans. He was insightful and charming, and the inner geek in me melted when he talked about analytics. He coined a great new word, “Twota” = daily quota of tweets, which I’m sure I exceed all the time.

Photo links from the event:
Wire Image

Chamillionaire On How He Uses Social Media And The Internet

via The Next Web

Today (June 30th) at the CrunchUp in Palo Alto (CA) rap all-star Chamillionaire sat down with Michael Arrington and talked about the social internet. Chamillionaire is a noted Twitter user, and actually debuted the lead music video for his upcoming album live on Ustream.

Arrington pressed Chamillionaire, real name Hakeem Seriki, on his use of social media to help his last single reach the top iTunes spot. Facebook helped promote the event, and that combined with Ustream time with the rapper himself exploded the song across the internet. That woke up record executives to the power of an individual really working the ‘tubes.

“I’m an artist, but I call myself a businessman,” Hareem said in a discussion about his life. Chamillionaire is a noted attendee of technology events, even when not speaking, given his wish to leverage technology for business purposes. “I come to the tech conferences to see what’s next,” Hareem said to a big round of applause.

Chamillionaire has an interesting record deal that includes a larger percentage of revenues from sales earmarked for himself. “When I went to the lables I had leverage,” he said.

Chamillionaire is perhaps the most active user of social media tools of any artist online. After pulling out three cell phones Chamillionaire brought down the house.

Chamillionaire & Paul Wall: Texan Heavyweights Release Back To Back Albums In June

Chamillionaire Venom on Chamillitary/Universal Republic arrives June 22.
Paul Wall Heart of a Champion on Asylum/Swishahouse arrives June 29.

Chamillionaire Venom announced earlier last month.

Paul Wall Heart of a Champion announced today, press release below.

April 20, 2010, Burbank, CA – Fresh off a month-long tour with former partner-in-rhyme, Chamillionaire, Houston rapper, Paul Wall, is all set to drop his 4th major label album, Heart of a Champion, on June 29th through SwishaHouse/Asylum Records. Almost half of the tracks featured on the album are produced by long-time friend and Expensive Taste band-mate, Travis Barker. The album will also feature several songs from Expensive Taste, the group which includes Skinhead Rob (Transplants) in addition to Paul and Travis.

Houston-based production duo, Beanz N Kornbread, are credited with the majority of the tracks not produced by Travis, including lead single "I'm on Patron", a lyrical documentary of a feeling that most of us have experienced - and greatly regretted the next day - that of simply having too much fun of the liquid variety. "I'm On Patron" is the perfect accompaniment to that 'blame it on the alcohol' kind of night and sure to be a party staple.

Feature duties for "Heart of a Champion" include a diverse list of cast members including Jim Jones, Yelawolf and Raekwon but do not ignore Paul's Houston roots; Bun B, Chamillionaire, Slim Thug, Devin the Dude and Lil' Keke each get their turn at the mic. Another Houston feature is Johnny Dang aka TV Johnny with whom Paul Wall shares a grills and jewelry business which caters to A-list celebrities and average Joes alike.

Always an advocate for the Texas music scene, Paul Wall was recently tapped as President of The Recording Academy's Texas Chapter. In this role, he hopes to educate and enlist the help of Texas musicians from every genre, to ensure that the state is well represented in the Grammy's voting body. The natural politician in Paul Wall makes him the perfect candidate for this role. He embodies his moniker, "The Peoples Champ."

With two #1 album debuts, a Platinum plaque and a Grammy nomination under his belt, not to mention having some of the hottest celebs in the nation rocking his signature diamond-encrusted grills at one point or another, Paul Wall is the embodiment of the Hip Hop success story. His journey began humbly enough as a promoter for hometown indie label, SwishaHouse, and culminated with him being largely instrumental in the growth of the Houston rap movement and its rise into the national arena.

There have been a total of 7 albums since then and the journey continues with no sign of slowing down. 10 years in and Paul Wall remains in the game and in the hearts of the people. Without question, he truly has 'The Heart of a Champion.'

More Paul Wall & Chamillionaire At SXSW 2010 Austin, TX

(video footage courtesy of Run 512)

Realted:
Paul Wall & Chamillionaire: Swishahouse Movement Rocks Texas Once Again At SXSW 2010

Paul Wall & Chamillionaire: Swishahouse Movement Rocks Texas Once Again At SXSW 2010

via the Boston Phoenix

Dem Texas boys support their own. I’m pretty sure that every rapper from within 100 miles of this motherf**ker was at La Zona Rosa for the Paul Wall and Chamillionaire reunion. I’m still semi-blinded from the light dancing off all the cheap bling.

But first a little back story. Four years ago I was down here with my homeys from UnderGroundHipHop.com; needless to say there was nary a southern rap enthusiast among us. Still, I felt it only appropriate to hit a UGK show that was about a 15 minute walk from downtown Austin.

While they won’t admit it now – what with everyone (including me) being on Bun B’s d**k – none of my hateriffic friends cared to venture out with me. As a punishment they missed not only an opportunity to check Pimp C before he passed, but also an opening act with a hook that went, ‘Meet me at the Circle K and wait by the pay phone.’

Why this story? Because it was what compelled me to pass up mad shit and roll to the Paul Wall-Chamillionaire blast off. When my grandkids ask about this moment in rap history, I’d like to be able to tell them that I sniffed meth off a hooker’s tw*t backstage.

So there I was. No hooker; no rails; but a noteworthy onslaught nonetheless. These are without a doubt my two favorite Texas rappers (because they can actually spit) and I’m not the only one who packs that sentiment.

Sure – dudes could have been a bit more prepared, but the spontaneity was part of the attraction. Though hysterically hyped, this was hardly overblown to Hurt Locker proportions (that flick was boring as f**k, by the way).

So that was my when in Rome sh*t. Don’t worry East Coast snobs – today will be filled with nothing but lyrical miracles.

Cali Christmas 2009 Concert Widget w/Interviews & Performances

Related:
50 Cent & Chamillionaire @ Cali Christmas: More Video Footage Posted Online

Cali Christmas w/50 Cent, Chamillionaire, T-Pain And More Concert Recap

50 Cent & Chamillionaire @ Cali Christmas: More Video Footage Posted Online

Related:
Cali Christmas w/50 Cent, Chamillionaire, T-Pain And More Concert Recap

Cali Christmas w/50 Cent, Chamillionaire, T-Pain And More Concert Recap

As reported by August Brown at the Los Angeles Times

Everyone at Cali Christmas (Power 106), from the once world-crushing rapper 50 Cent on down to the welcome young crooner Jeremih, had a streak of self-deprecation to their acts.

Maybe it came from the humbling fact that their genres, which once prided themselves on distinctions between being gangsta and being a gentleman, are now indistinguishable -- and nobody can sound too thuggish over today's dominant Euro-trance beats and thin sales figures. Still, the shift humanized the boys' boasts regarding their earning and bedroom prowess in convincing ways.

Brooklyn rapper Fabolous has long operated at the fringes of pop while maintaining credibility as a dense, lyrical MC. His most recent album, "Loso's Way," sported the unfortunate Carrie Bradshaw-worthy shopping anthem "Throw It in the Bag." But during his set Wednesday, he made some welcome detours through his earlier, much flintier material.

From an opposite vantage point, T-Pain's lush robot quaver has become maybe the defining sound of pop radio in the latter years of this decade. His secret is that he's actually a fantastic singer and arranger; every single comes stacked with inventive harmonies and a playful way with melody. He's a much smarter songwriter than titles like "I'm N Luv (Wit a Stripper)" might lead one to believe, but he also refuses to take himself seriously.



50 Cent has had a tougher time of that in recent months. After Kanye West skunked him on the 2007 sales charts, 50 has struggled mightily to return to his "Get Rich or Die Trying"-era dominance. But one forgets that the 50 Cent who wrote "How to Rob" -- an older track that remains his most exciting song -- was a sneering underdog, not the guy who celebrates an actual "Curtis Jackson Day" in his über-rich enclave of Bridgeport, Conn.

50 does better when people don't see him coming. New singles like "Psycho" have a touch of his old menace; at Cali Christmas, he hit the high points of his conflicted new album "Before I Self Destruct," like the glitched-up ragtime-piano burner "So Disrespectful."

More fan shot footage below.





Read the full review here:
L.A. Times - Live: Power 106 Cali Christmas at Gibson Amphitheatre

PHOTOS:
Getty Images
Orange County Register

(video footage courtesy of gtony87)

Los Angeles Times 2009's Top Hip Hop Songs About Booze

“Crack a Bottle” – Eminem featuring Dr. Dre and 50 Cent

“So crack a bottle / Let your body waddle / Don’t act like a snobby model / You just hit the Lotto,” Em sing-raps on the chorus of this party track. The operative thinking here conflates sobriety with snootiness and getting wasted with winning a lottery jackpot.



“Blame It” – Jamie Foxx featuring T-Pain

“Blame it on the Goose, got ya feelin’ loose / Blame it on the 'trón, catch me in a zone / Blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol,” Foxx sings with no small amount of added Auto-tune attitude in this boudoir jam that was all but inescapable on Top 40 radio earlier this year. Yes, he is talking about Grey Goose and Patrón. But later in the song, he lays bare his reasoning: by continuing to fill a potential love interest’s cup, she’s more likely to lose her inhibitions – “Fill another cup up / Feelin’ on your butt what?”



“Crazy Night” – R. Kelly featuring R. City

“This Hennessy got me,” R. Kelly croons on the lead cut from his latest album, “Untitled.” Then he gets to the chorus: “If you’re drinkin’ what I’m drinkin’, put your hands up in the sky / If you’re thinkin’ what I’m thinkin’, you’ll say, 'What a crazy night!' ” But R’s consumption hardly stops there. In the song, he also brags of a “thousand dollar” bar tab, concluding, “I need another shot of that Bacardi” -- recklessly ignoring the inevitability of a hangover such booze mixing will provoke.



“Shots” – LMFAO featuring Lil Jon

Jägerbombs, lemon drops, Jello shots and kamikazes as well as premium liquors such as Ciroc Vodka and the rappers’ de facto favorite (judging by its ubiquity in hip-hop songs since 2006) Patrón tequila all get a shout-out on this Crunk-inflected club-banger. Even if the song’s “we came to party” ethos is hardly groundbreaking, its hook remains unforgettable: Lil Jon hoarsely screaming the word “shots!” 16 times in a row.



“Maldito Alcohol” – Pitbull

Reggaeton was no stranger to hip-hop’s reigning dipsomania. Exhibit A: Boriquan rapper Pitbull spitting lyrics (in Spanish) such as “I don’t want water / I want a drink”. . . “Damn alcohol, sweet torment / Give me a drink on the rocks.”



“One More Drink” – Ludacris

An unapologetic ode to putting on one’s “beer goggles,” “One More Drink’s” narrative drama revolves around the ramifications of Luda having that proverbial one too many. Drunk driving and bedding ugly women ensues: “Surrendered to the woman / And her bringin’ me home / Because she looked better / Every shot of Patrón.”



“I’m So Gone (Patrón)” – Chamillionaire featuring Bobby Valentino

Chamilly and Bobby Valentino go for the obvious couplet here, rhyming “I’m poppin’ bottles of Patrón” with “all night long.” For the rapper, it’s clear that alcohol provides a palliative for his worldly concerns. “I’mma wash my problems away,” Chamillionaire raps. “Tonight I need a drank.” R&B Lothario Valentino, meanwhile, announces that he doesn’t usually drink but admits he’s “gone” -- read: wasted -- from drinking a mixture of tequila and rose wine.



“Wasted” – Gucci Mane

“Party, party, party, let’s all get wasted,” the rapper exhorts on this hit single. “Shake it for me baby girl, do it butt naked / I’m so wasted, she so wasted / Tell the bartender send me 20 more cases.” The discrete charms of this hit single don’t end with the incontrovertible logic of its chorus, however. Mane also presumes the intoxication of certain notorious pop divas, mentioning that the booze has got him “geeking like Whitney and Britney.”



“Patrón Tequila” – the Paradiso Girls featuring Lil Jon

We can all agree that Crunkmeister Lil Jon was the man behind this year’s most unabashedly pro-booze music. On this paean to rap’s preferred tipple, though, the Paradiso Girls make vocal a silken threat: “By the end of the night, I’mma have you drunk and throwin’ up.”

(source)

Chamillionaire 'Good Morning' Video

Chamillionaire - 'Venom' on Chamillitary/Motown/Universal in-stores January 26, 2010.

Chamillionaire Performs With Weezer At Hollywood Show

Chamillionaire steps in where Lil Wayne's verse would be in the Weezer's song "Can't Stop Partying" during their live performance at the Hollywood (CA) Palladium Friday, October 24.

In other Chamillionaire news, 'Venom' is pushed back to January 26, 2010

Chamillionaire 'Venom' Track List Revealed

01 Venom (Intro)
02 I Can't Believe
03 Good Morning
04 Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda
05 Naked Lady ft. Pimp C
06 Hustla Music Song
07 Brand New
08 Way Up Here
09 Im So Gone ft. Bobby V
10 I Get It
11 Rewind ft. Good Charlotte
12 Ride Slow

Chamillionaire - 'Venom' on Motown/Universal/Chamilitary in-stores December 8.

Related:
Chamillionaire: By Overwhelming Demand Keeps Original Album Title 'Venom'
Chamillionaire Explains The Virtues Of Twitter

Chamillionaire Explains The Virtues Of Twitter

via Los Angeles Times

After dominating the iTunes charts, winning a Grammy Award in 2007 and nurturing his music label on Universal Records, Chamillionaire certainly has money in the bank.

But the rapper is fulfilling his self-professed transformation. In chameleon-like fashion, he appears to be changing -- from feared underground-rap up-and-comer to a technology-consumed geek.

Like many celebrities, Chamillionaire has taken to Twitter. He uses the service to promote things such as his new single, "Good Morning," which shot up iTunes when it was released Tuesday.

He spends a great deal of time on Twitter, conversing directly with fans and sending dozens of tweets some days. That time commitment is one of the reasons Miley Cyrus says she ditched Twitter.

Read the rest of the L.A. Times Chamillionaire article:
L.A. Times - Chamillionaire not a geek, but he plays one on Twitter

Chamillionaire: By Overwhelming Demand Keeps Original Album Title 'Venom'

via press release

Few artists have embraced the monster that is the internet and its abundance of social networking tools quite as comprehensively as Platinum, Grammy-winning rap artist, Chamillionaire; using it to engage with fans for everything from Twitter takeovers to live broadcasts from his own highly trafficked site, Chamillionaire.com. Last week saw him go out to his legions of fans visiting the site daily and asking for their input in renaming his upcoming Chamillitary/Universal Republic third album release, which had originally been titled "Venom"; a name Chamillionaire felt he should change as the growth and direction of the album's intended tracks, to him, no longer fit the moniker. Thousands submitted title suggestions and after narrowing it down, Chamillionaire put his top ten picks up for a vote on his site. To his surprise, his original album title "Venom" won by an overwhelming margin and, a man of his word, the newly-entitled, highly anticipated "Venom" is set to hit stores nationwide December 8, 2009.

"I wanna show all of my haters love. This song's for you…," Chamillionaire sings melodically on the intro to Venom's lead single, "Good Morning". Produced by DJ Frank E., with a track inspired by Tom Petty's 1989 smash, "Free Fallin' ", this ode to killing your naysayers with kindness feels as comfortable as an old friend and fits seamlessly into any Top 40 radio playlist. In fact, the single has already found a home on many Top 40 stations since being serviced earlier this month.

As far as other possible singles or artist features on "Venom" go, Chamillionaire is keeping that information pretty close to the vest, saying cryptically on his site's blog, "Venom stands for 'visually entertaining negatives of money'. I plan to shoot visuals to accompany the leakage of multiple records. I won't be talking too much about features and producers. Well, at least I will try not to. The visuals should do the talking."

Chamillionaire 'Venom' on Chamillitary/Universal Republic in stores December 8.

Chamillionaire: Wanna Be A Baller Video

Life and times of Chamillionaire, Chopped and Screwed.

Beat Bash IV Concert In Texas With Chamillionaire, Slim Thug And Others Video, Photos Posted

Radio Station 98.5 The Beat in San Antonio, Tx threw their 4th annual Beat Bash concert at the AT&T Center on Wednesday August 12.

Fan shot footage below.













Check out the photos from the show:
Film Magic
Wire Image

(video courtesy of lapixiegrl)