Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (), is an American rapper. He was the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click from 2001 until the group split in 2005. He began his solo career with local releases in 2002, including the collaborative album '' Get Ya Mind Correct'' with fellow Houston rapper and childhood friend Paul Wall. He signed to

Universal Records Universal Music Group N.V. (often abbreviated as UMG and referred to as just Universal Music) is a Dutch– American multinational music corporation under Dutch law. UMG's corporate headquarters are located in Hilversum, Netherlands and its ...

in 2005 and released '' The Sound of Revenge'' under Universal. It included hit singles " Turn It Up" featuring

Lil' Flip Wesley Eric Weston Jr. (born March 3, 1981), better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is an American rapper. He embarked on his musical career as a freestyle and battle rapper before earning a record deal with Suckafree Records in 1999. Lil' F ...

and the number-one, Grammy-winning hit " Ridin'" featuring Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony. '' Ultimate Victory'' followed in 2007, which was notable for not containing any

profanity Profanity, also known as cursing, cussing, swearing, bad language, foul language, obscenities, expletives or vulgarism, is a socially offensive use of language. Accordingly, profanity is language use that is sometimes deemed impolite, ru ...

. Chamillionaire is also known for his most anticipated '' Mixtape Messiah'' series, which ran from 2004 until 2009. In 2011, Chamillionaire left Universal Records, which led to his would-be third album, ''Venom'', going unreleased. He released his first independent

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

Ammunition Ammunition (informally ammo) is the material fired, scattered, dropped, or detonated from any weapon or weapon system. Ammunition is both expendable weapons (e.g., bombs, missiles, grenades, land mines) and the component parts of other weapo ...

'' in March 2012 and was noted as his first major release since he left the label. Another EP, '' Elevate'', was released in February 2013. He states that it is going to be one of several to be released before his third studio album, and shortly after his third EP '' Reignfall'' was released in July 2013. He is working on his third studio album, ''Poison''. Chamillionaire is the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment, which he founded in 2004. He joined Los Angeles-based venture capital firm Upfront Ventures in 2015 and has been focusing on his entrepreneurial career over his musical career since.

Early life

Chamillionaire was born to a Muslim

Yoruba The Yoruba people (, , ) are a West African ethnic group that mainly inhabit parts of Nigeria, Benin, and Togo. The areas of these countries primarily inhabited by Yoruba are often collectively referred to as Yorubaland. The Yoruba consti ...

father and an African-American

Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words '' Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρ ...

mother in Washington D.C., and moved to Houston, Texas at the age of four. Chamillionaire's parents separated in his early teenage years. He settled into the Acres Homes neighborhood of northwest Houston. He attended Jersey Village High School alongside rap partner Paul Wall. Rap and other forms of secular music, which his parents had highly opposed in their household, became very appealing to Chamillionaire, who was still in his teens at the time. Chamillionaire has stated that he was inspired by southern rap acts such as the Geto Boys, 8 Ball & MJG, and UGK, as well as other national acts such as N.W.A and

Public Enemy "Public enemy" is a term which was first widely used in the United States in the 1930s to describe individuals whose activities were seen as criminal and extremely damaging to society, though the phrase had been used for centuries to describe ...

. At a young age, Chamillionaire, along with fellow rap music artist and childhood friend Paul Wall, had decided to make music their careers. Chamillionaire has a brother, who is three years younger than him, Rasaq Seriki, who is also an occasional rapper and a past member of The Color Changin' Click.

Music career

1998–2004: Career beginnings

Seriki's stage name Chamillionaire is a

portmanteau A portmanteau word, or portmanteau (, ) is a blend of wordschameleon" and " millionaire" While promoting at an event, Seriki and fellow rapper Paul Wall met Michael "5000" Watts, a popular mixtape DJ from northern Houston. After proposing to do promotions for Watts's company Swishahouse, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall came to Watts's studio and convinced Watts to allow them to freestyle on an intro to Watts's radio show on Houston hip-hop radio station KBXX-FM. Watts, who himself was convinced to rap on the record, enjoyed the freestyle so much that he put the verses on one of his mixtapes. Soon, Seriki (performing as Chamillionaire) and Paul Wall became regular staples on Houston's mixtape circuit, appeared on several of Watts's mixtapes, and became permanent members of Swishahouse. Chamillionaire and Paul Wall soon started their own group, The Color Changin' Click. In 2002, Chamillionaire and Paul Wall collaborated for the album '' Get Ya Mind Correct'', which went on to sell over 150,000 copies. '' The Source'' magazine nominated the album for independent album of the year in 2002. Chamillionaire and the Color Changin' Click, dubbed "Houston's answer to 50 Cent and his G-Unit posse", performed at the SXSW music festival in 2004.

2005–2006: ''The Sound of Revenge''

Chamillionaire's first major solo release '' The Sound of Revenge'' was released through Chamillitary Entertainment and Universal Records on November 22, 2005. The album debuted and peaked at number 10 on the ''Billboard'' 200 album chart in the United States. The album's lead single was " Turn It Up", featuring

produced by Scott Storch, followed by " Ridin'", featuring Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony produced by Play-N-Skillz; "Ridin'" reached number one on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Its video also was named "

Best Rap Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Rap Video was first given out in 1989, and it was one of the four original genre categories added at the 1989 MTV Video Music Awards. This award was last given out in 2006, as MTV did not bring it back in 2008 lik ...

" at the

2006 MTV Video Music Awards The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 31, 2006, honoring the best music videos from June 11, 2005, to June 26, 2006. The show was hosted by Jack Black at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The 2006 Video Music Awards marked th ...

. In 2007, he won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pre ...

for ''Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group'' for "Ridin'". He was at that time signed with Michael 5000 Watts' Swishahouse label. Comedic performer "Weird Al" Yankovic made a parody of the song entitled " White & Nerdy", for his own album '' Straight Outta Lynwood''. The third single from the album was "

Grown and Sexy "Grown and Sexy" is the third US single and second international single from Chamillionaire's album, ''The Sound of Revenge''. The music video is set up to have a futuristic feel to it. Chamillionaire's appearances on Ciara's "Get Up" and Frank ...

". Additionally, the bonus track "Grind Time" was featured in the video game '' NBA Live 06''. The album was certified platinum by the

RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/ ...

, and a chopped and screwed version, screwed by OG Ron C, was released in February 2006. Guest appearances for the album included

, Natalie, Krayzie Bone,

Bun B Bernard James Freeman (born March 19, 1973), known professionally as Bun B, is an American rapper. He is best known as one half of the southern rap duo UGK (UnderGround Kingz), a group he formed in 1987 alongside Pimp C. Aside from his work wit ...

, Lil Wayne, Pastor Troy,

Killer Mike Michael Santiago Render (born April 20, 1975), better known by his stage name Killer Mike, is an American rapper, actor, and activist. Mike made his debut on Outkast's 2000 LP '' Stankonia'', and later appeared on their Grammy-winning single ...

, Scarface, singer Billy Cook, and his brother Rasaq. Chamillionaire won the Best New Artist award for the 2006 BET Awards The second installment to the Mixtape Messiah series, '' Mixtape Messiah 2'', was released January 5, 2006. Later in 2006, Chamillionaire was featured in the singles "

Get Up Get or GET may refer to: * Get (animal), the offspring of an animal * Get (divorce document), in Jewish religious law * GET (HTTP), a type of HTTP request * "Get" (song), by the Groggers * Georgia Time, used in the Republic of Georgia * Get AS, a ...

" by Ciara, " That Girl" by Frankie J, " Bet That" by Trick Daddy, "

King Kong King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...

" by Jibbs, and " Doe Boy Fresh" by Three Six Mafia in 2007.

2007–2008: ''Ultimate Victory''

To promote his new album, Chamillionaire released '' Mixtape Messiah 3'' as a prelude to his new album on July 18, 2007, at 11pm Eastern Time on his website. Chamillionaire released his second mainstream album '' Ultimate Victory'' on September 18, 2007. ''Ultimate Victory'' was made without a single profanity said by Chamillionaire. Guest appearances included UGK, Krayzie Bone, Lil Wayne, Famous (Lil Ken), Tony Henry,

Devin the Dude Devin Copeland (born June 4, 1970), better known by his stage name Devin the Dude, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is known for his unique rapping style and his 2002 songs "Lacville '79" and "Doobie Ashtray". Early life Devin Cope ...

and

Lloyd Lloyd, Lloyd's, or Lloyds may refer to: People * Lloyd (name), a variation of the Welsh word ' or ', which means "grey" or "brown" ** List of people with given name Lloyd ** List of people with surname Lloyd * Lloyd (singer) (born 1986), American ...

. The first single was " Hip Hop Police", featuring Slick Rick, which both Chamillionaire and Slick Rick performed on the CBS television network program ''

Late Show with David Letterman The ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production c ...

'' on September 14, 2007. The following single was "The Evening News." '' Mixtape Messiah 4'', the fourth title in Chamillionaire's ''Mixtape Messiah'' series, was initially set for release on December 18, 2007, but was released on August 27, 2008.

2008–2010: Final ''Mixtape Messiah'', ''Venom'', and ''Major Pain''

In November 2008, Chamillionaire announced his plans for his third album, ''Venom'', for release in early 2009. His sixth installment in the ''Mixtape Messiah'' series was to be a "prelude" to ''Venom''. The first single from ''Venom'' was initially planned to be "Creepin' (Solo)", which featured

Ludacris Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, homophonous with 'ludicrous' in American English), is an American rapper, actor, record producer and record executive. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludac ...

and ended up reaching No.1 on the Billboard Bubbling Under R&B/Hip-Hop Singles chart. However, it is unclear whether or not the song will be included on ''Venom'' after Chamillionaire canceled and then reinstated the album. He announced that '' Mixtape Messiah 7'' would be the final installment of the "Mixtape Messiah" series and that he cancelled ''Venom'' to create different material for his third album. Chamillionaire awarded his final ''Mixtape Messiah 7'' to 100 winners of a contest which he ran on his website. The first disc from ''Mixtape Messiah 7'' was launched for free download on August 4, 2009, and Disc 2 was released on August 6, 2009. The next day, the Discs 3 and 4 were released for a total of 66 tracks. Chamillionaire Dubai DokaRecords

On September 29, it was officially announced that Chamillionaire's third album would indeed be entitled ''Venom'' after a fan vote on his website. The first single from this upcoming album was titled " Good Morning". The album was scheduled to be released on June 22, 2010. Chamillionaire appeared on the remix for Weezer's song "Can't Stop Partying", from their album ''

Raditude ''Raditude'' is the seventh studio album by American rock band Weezer, released on October 30, 2009 and is their final album on DGC Records, Geffen Records and Interscope Records. The title of the album was suggested to Weezer vocalist Rivers Cuo ...

''. He also joined Weezer for live performances as Lil Wayne, who is featured on the original version of the track, was convicted on gun possession charges and was unable to perform. On December 11, 2009, Chamillionaire performed a set for "Fort Hood Community Strong", an event described as a day of "healing, fun and entertainment" for those placed at the

Fort Hood Fort Hood is a United States Army post located near Killeen, Texas. Named after Confederate General John Bell Hood, it is located halfway between Austin and Waco, about from each, within the U.S. state of Texas. The post is the headquar ...

military base who were affected by the shooting that took place on November 5, 2009, killing 13 people. Other performers at the event included

Nick Jonas Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...

, Dana Carvey and Zac Brown Band. On December 23, 2009, Chamillionaire announced via his YouTube page that he would be initiating a new mixtape, ''Major Pain'', through his website on February 2, 2010. Due to the

2010 NBA All-Star Game The 2010 NBA All-Star Game was an Exhibition game, exhibition basketball game that was played on February 14, 2010, during the National Basketball Association's (NBA) 2009–10 NBA season, 2009–10 season. It was the 59th edition of the NBA All-S ...

taking place in

Dallas Dallas () is the List of municipalities in Texas, third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the List of metropolitan statistical areas, fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 ...

, Texas, Chamillionaire released a new song, "The Main Event", on February 11, 2010, via free download. It features fellow Texas rappers Paul Wall,

Slim Thug Stayve Jerome Thomas (born September 8, 1980), better known by his stage name Slim Thug, is an American rapper. He initially gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the hit single by rapper Mike Jones, " Still Tippin'". In July 2005, ...

and Dorrough. "Every artist on the song with me has independent hustle and strength in the streets," he said. "It's an All-Star song, so what better place to shoot the video than All-Star Weekend, right here in our own backyard." It was later released to iTunes on June 8, 2010. On Chamillionaire's official website, he stated: "Right now the Venom album is set for March 16 and has been pushed back just like Lil Wayne's Rebirth, Game's Red album, and countless other hip-hop albums that this happens to." The date was later pushed back to June 22, but was not released that day. ''Venom'' has been confirmed as canceled as Chamillionaire has parted ways with Universal. ''Venom'' was later released on DatPiff in 2011 as a bootlegged mixtape made by the fans.

2011–2012: Departure from Universal Records and ''Playlist Poison''

According to Kanye West's engineer and producer Andrew Dawson, Chamillionaire and Universal Records have parted ways. "I've been working a lot with Chamillionaire, because I produced some tracks for him. He got out of his deal with Universal ecords which wasn't a good situation for either of them," revealed Dawson. "Him and I have an active producer agreement that is now null and void because they got caught in the legal shuffle, but I'm like, 'I just want the music to come out. Let's find a way to make it happen.' I was emailing him stuff back and forth when I was ith Kanye Westin Hawaii. Some big stuff will be coming out this next year, so I'm stoked to see it going." Chamillionaire also tweeted that he'll be doing a Ustream session on January 14 to discuss his future plans. During his live UStream on January 14, 2011, Chamillionaire announced he was officially leaving Universal Records. As part of this deal he was not allowed to release ''Venom'' or any material recorded during that time. He was then working on a new series called ''Playlist Poison'' and released tracks on a random basis. The first ''Playlist Poison'' song released was "When Ya On" which featured

Nipsey Hussle Airmiess Joseph Asghedom (August 15, 1985 – March 31, 2019), known professionally as Nipsey Hussle (often stylized as Nipsey Hu$$le), was an American rapper, entrepreneur, and activist. Emerging from the West Coast hip hop scene in the mid- ...

and was followed by "This My World" featuring Big K.R.I.T., "Charlie Sheen" featuring

Rock D Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

& Killer Mike, and "Passenger Seat" featuring Short Dawg. On April 18, he released the next installment in his ''Major Pain'' mixtape series, ''Major Pain 1.5'' for free download from his website, and subsequently released three other mixtapes entitled ''Badazz Freemixes'', ''Badazz Freemixes 2'' and ''Badazz Slowmixes''. Chamillionaire's eight song EP titled ''

'' was released for digital download on March 20, 2012, and all physical bundles were released on March 27, 2012. His third studio album, ''Poison'', was initially announced for a 2013 release, but is still unreleased . In 2012, Chamillionaire was featured on the track "Mayday" from the Krizz Kaliko album '' Kickin' and Screamin''' as well as the single "Keep Pushing" from the

Saigon , population_density_km2 = 4,292 , population_density_metro_km2 = 697.2 , population_demonym = Saigonese , blank_name = GRP (Nominal) , blank_info = 2019 , blank1_name = – Total , blank1_ ...

album '' The Greatest Story Never Told Chapter 2: Bread and Circuses''. On the December 4, 2012, Chamillionaire released the single "Show Love" featuring D.A. of

Chester French Chester French was an American indie pop band consisting of lead vocalist and songwriter David-Andrew 'D.A.' Wallach and multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Maxwell Drummey. They met as college students at Harvard University, naming their band ...

to iTunes. This was the only music video he released in 2012, although he appeared in the music video for the song "No Room in Hell" for the video game '' Dead Island: Riptide''.

2013–2015: EPs, finalizing ''Poison''

On January 17, 2013, Chamillionaire announced he had been working on a new

extended play An extended play record, usually referred to as an EP, is a musical recording that contains more tracks than a single but fewer than an album or LP record.

, stating that it would be one of many he would release to promote ''Poison''. The seven-song EP, titled '' Elevate'', was released on February 12, 2013. ''Elevate'' featured no guest artists. Chamillionaire announced that despite leaving Universal, ''Poison'' was likely to be released through a major label, unlike the various promotional EPs. On July 23, 2013, Chamillionaire released '' Reignfall'', his third EP. ''Reignfall'' would be his first project since his second studio album to chart on a '' Billboard'' chart. On February 13, 2014, Chamillionaire released his first single of the year titled "Watching Breaking Bad" featuring

Tami LaTrell Tami or TAMI may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tami (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with either the given name or nickname * Mark Tami (born 1962), British politician and Member of Parliament * Pierluigi Ta ...

, in recognition of the TV show ''

Breaking Bad ''Breaking Bad'' is an American crime drama television series created and produced by Vince Gilligan. Set and filmed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, the series follows Walter White ( Bryan Cranston), an underpaid, overqualified, and dispirited ...

''. The single "Go Getta" followed on February 28 and "End of a Knife", produced by Kato, was released on March 21, 2014.

2015–present: Entrepreneurial career, hiatus and return to music

Since 2015, Chamillionaire has been appointed as an entrepreneur in residence for Upfront Ventures. During this time he has given more focus to his entrepreneurial career than music. He was featured on one single titled "Sweet Dreams" by BeatKing in the same year. Chamillionaire released volume 3 of his Greatest Verses on April 3, 2018, which contained a collection of non-album songs recorded from 2007 to 2014. After a two-year break, he returned to music in 2017 where he was featured on Trae tha Truth's single, "

I'm On 3.0 I Am or I'm may refer to: Language and literature * "I Am that I Am", a common English translation of the response God used in the Hebrew Bible when Moses asked for His name ** I am (biblical term), a Christian term used in the Bible * "I Am" (p ...

". A music video for the single was released in January 2019, and was the first time in six years that Chamillionaire made a music video appearance.

Entrepreneurial career

2003–2005: Fly Rydes and Record Label

In addition to being a musician, Hakeem 'Chamillionaire' Seriki has embarked a business career and established himself as an entrepreneur in a number of industries. In 2003, he ventured into one of his earliest investments in a Houston-based auto dealer and car customization shop, Fly Rydes Kustom Toy'z. Chamillionaire's partner, Big Ernest, created the company years back, and Chamillionaire decided to collaborate with him to get "corporate money" for the business and build its clientele. Chamillionaire has since let Ernest take over the whole company, due to his career. He says; "Out here in Texas, that car thing is big. We'll do videos and rent all kinds of cars and people will waste all kinds of money on them, and instead, they can come spend that money with me." Seriki founded his own record label; Chamillitary Entertainment. Seriki created the label after he had left his previous record labels; Swishahouse and Paid In Full Entertainment as he was unsigned. It was distributed by

but has been independent since January 15, 2011, due to Chamillionaire and the label parting ways.

2006–2008: Masterpiece Mind Frame & Tour Bus Company

Seriki opened up a modelling company, called Masterpiece Mind Frame. He believes it is his way of giving back to those who have things to offer, he says, but do not know how to get there. "I will go out and see people and everybody wants to make money, and I will meet video girls who want to live the good life and all, but it is like, you gotta have a plan, you know?" Chamillionaire stated. "That is why it's called Masterpiece Mind Frame because in the word mind frame, your MIND comes before your frame. Print modelling can turn into movies and other stuff, and you can just step all the way up the ladder. It's like that with males and females, and if you're trying to go somewhere, just walk up the ladder, you know, and take it to the next step." It is reported that Chamillionaire also owns a

Tour Bus A tour bus service is an escorted tour (sometimes a package holiday) or bus service that takes visitors sightseeing, with routes around tourist attractions. Information Double-decker buses and open top buses are commonly used, for provid ...

company. He founded the company in 2006 after seeing the business potential from touring around the US after the release of '' The Sound of Revenge'' as a rapper. In addition, most of the tour buses have internet, cable, studio, DVD, surround sound and a shower.

2009–2014: Maker Studios

Chamillionaire met Mark Suster in 2009, an American

entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value. With this definition, entrepreneurship is viewed as change, generally entailing risk beyond what is normally encountered in starting a business, which may include other values t ...

and

venture capitalist Venture capital (often abbreviated as VC) is a form of private equity financing that is provided by venture capital firms or funds to start-up company, startups, early-stage, and emerging companies that have been deemed to have high growth poten ...

who is a managing partner at Upfront Ventures. Chamillionaire became and invested in his online video talent agency, Maker Studios. On November 4, 2009, Chamillionaire also launched the Global Innovation Tournament 2009 at the Stanford Memorial Auditorium, Stanford University with

Quincy Jones III Quincy Delight Jones III (born 23 December 1968), better known as QDIII, QD3 and Snoopy, is an English-born Swedish-American music producer and film producer. Family Jones was born in Wimbledon, London, the son of Swedish model Ulla Andersson ...

as part of the Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar Series. Seriki also invested Cruise Automation, a self-driving automation tech company, during its startup stage in 2013. This investment proved successful after it sold to General Motors for over $1 billion in 2016. The self-driving company includes features such as a kit in which customers can transform their vehicles to include self-driving technology. On March 24, 2014, Maker Studios, Inc. agreed to sell itself to

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Disney Stud ...

for $500 million, rising to $950 million if financial milestones were met. Chamillionaire's investment in Maker Studios was $1.5 million and his payout was reported to be over $20 million. This investment forged a partnership between Chamillionaire and Mark in which Suster realised Seriki wanted to establish himself the tech industry. On April 14, 2014,

Relativity Media Relativity Media is an American media company founded in 2004 by Lynwood Spinks and Ryan Kavanaugh. The company brokered film finance deals and later branched into film production and other entertainment ventures. The company was commerciall ...

submitted a competing bid of up to $1.1 billion, but Maker denied the bid. In December 2015, the company became a subsidiary of Disney Consumer Products and the

Disney Interactive Disney Interactive is an American video game and internet company that oversaw various websites and interactive media owned by The Walt Disney Company. History 1995–1996: Formation and beginnings In December 1994, Disney announced that it ...

division of

. The Network also partnered with Fusion TV in a deal that falls under the corporate umbrella of

2014–2016: Upfront Ventures

Seriki has invested in

Uber Uber Technologies, Inc. (Uber), based in San Francisco, provides mobility as a service, ride-hailing (allowing users to book a car and driver to transport them in a way similar to a taxi), food delivery ( Uber Eats and Postmates), pack ...

competitor, Lyft. He states that "Me and a few others like Big Boi from Outkast and

Trey Songz Tremaine Aldon Neverson (born November 28, 1984), known professionally as Trey Songz, is an American R&B singer and rapper. His debut album, '' I Gotta Make It'', was released in 2005 through Atlantic Records. His follow-up album, '' Trey Day'' ...

were excited about the ride-sharing space," and that "This was around 2014, we started making the steps to get in touch with Lyft and did our investment in 2015." In a 2019 interview with CNBC, he told how he sees great potential with Lyft and even though the company went public in 2018, he is

bullish Market sentiment, also known as investor attention, is the general prevailing attitude of investors as to anticipated price development in a market. This attitude is the accumulation of a variety of fundamental and technical factors, including ...

on the company and will be invested in it for a long time. On February 23, 2015, Upfront Ventures, the largest early-stage fund raised in L.A since 2000, confirmed that Chamillionaire was appointed as an

entrepreneur in residence An Entrepreneur in residence, or Executive in residence (EIR), is a position most often held by successful entrepreneurs in venture capital firms, private equity firms, startup accelerators, law firms or business schools. The EIR typically lea ...

. This marks the first time an honor of this kind has been bestowed upon a rap artist. Chamillionaire hopes that this pivotal new role will allow him to help usher in the next generation of tech entrepreneurs as well as continue to offer valuable advice and investment capital to worthy start-ups. A spokesperson for Upfront Ventures has stated that; "Chamillionaire brings a wealth of expertise in this area to the table based on his own years of employing successful tech and marketing strategies as both an independent music artist and later a label partner with Universal Records. Add to that he has quietly been a fixture in the tech world for many years: attending major conferences both as a keynote and audience member, making him a sought-after promotional partner, advisor and potential investor. It was in this capacity that he met Upfront partner, Mark Suster, in 2009, becoming one of the earliest co-investors in Maker Studios, now a subsidiary of

." In a letter penned by Mark Suster explaining the week he's had at Upfront Ventures in Los Angeles, he explains the presence of Chamillionaire around the office. "The same Chamillionaire who was showing us how to get our respective shines on not a decade ago. But if Kanye has taught us anything, it's that we can find success in multiple creative outlets. In the past five years or so, Cham has been quietly but actively involved in the tech startup scene, from speaking on social media engagement in the music industry to hanging out with Y Combinator associates."

2017–present: Convoz

Seriki teased that he was working on something bigger than music in summer 2017 as part of being an EIR at Upfront Ventures with a soft launch of the social media app. In February 2018, at the Upfront Summit, Seriki announced Convoz, a social media app which allows an influencer to connect directly with his fans. Seriki describes the app as a "the place where you go to talk to people." and the launch comes after he "just wasn't happy with the communication channels that are currently existing on social media." The app permits users to share 15-second clips, which are usually addressed to celebrities. The celebrities can then decide which fan or user they can reply to, individually or all to see. The startup has a total of seven employees, and has cultivated an undisclosed amount of seed funding from Greycroft Ventures, Upfront Ventures, 500 Startups, Precursor VC, Okapi Ventures, XG Ventures, and a roster of angels including Justin Kan and Snoop Dogg. In May 2019, Seriki, in an interview with Yahoo! Finance, announced that they are going to invest $25,000 into a startup founded and managed by a

woman A woman is an adult female human. Prior to adulthood, a female human is referred to as a girl (a female child or adolescent). The plural ''women'' is sometimes used in certain phrases such as "women's rights" to denote female humans regard ...

person of color The term "person of color" ( : people of color or persons of color; abbreviated POC) is primarily used to describe any person who is not considered "white". In its current meaning, the term originated in, and is primarily associated with, the U ...

alongside rapper

E-40 Earl Tywone Stevens Sr. (born November 15, 1967), better known by his stage name E-40, is an American rapper. He is a founding member of the rap group The Click, and the founder of Sick Wid It Records. He has released 26 studio albums to date, ...

. The move came after it was published that Caucasians make up 87% of Venture Capital-backed CEO's and 97% of those positions are held by men. In September 2019, Seriki invested in

Atoms Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas ...

, the first footwear company to come in quarter sizes. The investment was led by Initialized Capital, the investment firm started by Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian and Garry Tan. After seeing the success of his initial $25,000 investment pledge, Seriki and E-40 launched another, much larger, $100,000 competition for minority or woman start-ups. Shark Tank judge Daymond John and Republic.co also joined the team to narrow the search. The winner of the competition was Pierre Laguerre and it was announced in January 2020. His startup idea was "Fleeting Pro", a company that links certified class A & B drivers to trucking companies for scheduled, on-demand transportation needs.

Personal life

Chamillionaire announced through a video log that he has a son born on May 14, 2010. He points out that his son's name, Xavier, means "new house". Chamillionaire has stated that despite being a Texas native, he has always been a Los Angeles Lakers fan. He goes on to say that "I know a few people think I'm on the bandwagon because the Lakers are a hot team but I was on the Lakers when people wasn't really rooting for them." On June 3, 2010, Chamillionaire's third mortgage property home was foreclosed on by the bank. The rapper told TMZ in a public video claiming to have given it back to the bank after paying just over US$2 million on it and claims it was a bad investment and he was never in it.

Controversy

Paul Wall

On November 19, 2004, Chamillionaire's younger brother, Rasaq Seriki, was allegedly attacked by Paul Wall and his entourage at a nightclub. Chamillionaire expressed his disappointment in Paul Wall, arguing that they all used to be family and that these events should not have happened. Before the entire incident between Paul Wall and Rasaq they were all part of the group called " The Color Changin' Click" which now has become fragmented. Chamillionaire released a diss track with Rasaq titled "Go Head". The dispute ended in 2010, when the pair reunited for a full tour. Paul Wall stated "It took a long time and us growing. You know, we started off as a group and a lot of times when you go your separates ways, a lot of people say, "Oh you can't do it without him" and so you wanna prove them wrong. I know for me, I wanted to prove everyone wrong and prove that I could make it on my own." Chamillionaire replied; "We had been bumping into each other a lot. It's kinda been died down for a little bit now but we just kinda needed that stamp of approval. I think the tour kinda just solidifies it for other people. It's not like today we just stopped beefing, we stop beefing a long time ago, but nobody believed us."

Awards and nominations

Discography

;Studio albums *2005: '' The Sound of Revenge'' *2007: '' Ultimate Victory'' *TBA: ''Poison'' ;Collaboration albums *2002: '' Get Ya Mind Correct'' (with Paul Wall) *2005: '' Controversy Sells'' (with Paul Wall) ;Extended plays *2012: ''

'' *2013: '' Elevate'' *2013: '' Reignfall''

Filmography

References

External links

Chamillionaire.com
– Official blog and website {{Authority control 1979 births Living people 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American businesspeople African-American investors American investors African-American male actors African-American male rappers African-American record producers American hip hop record producers American male film actors American male television actors American music industry executives American people of Nigerian descent American transportation businesspeople American venture capitalists Businesspeople from Houston Businesspeople in information technology Grammy Award winners for rap music Jersey Village High School alumni Male actors from Texas Rappers from Houston Republic Records artists Motown artists Southern hip hop musicians Gangsta rappers 21st-century American rappers Record producers from Texas 21st-century American male musicians Universal Motown Records artists Universal Records artists 21st-century African-American musicians 20th-century African-American people