Chamillionaire

Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire, is an American rapper and entrepreneur from Houston, Texas.

Born to a Nigerian Muslim father and an African-American Christian mother in Washington D.C., Seriki moved with his family to Houston, Texas at the age of four. Despite his parents' distaste for secular music (including rap no less), 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 became appealing to Seriki, who decided to take up rap music alongside his childhood friend and fellow rapper Paul Wall.

Besides being well-known for his number-one, Grammy-winning hit "Ridin'" featuring Krayzie Bone of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, in recent years he has largely shifted his focus on his entrepreneurial career, joining the Los Angeles-based venture capital firm Upfront Ventures in 2015.


 * Animal Motifs: Chameleons, obviously.


 * Gosh Dang It to Heck: Ultimate Victory is notable for being devoid of profanity, a rarity among rap acts not counting Christian rappers.


 * Music Is Politics: Ultimate Victory was a commentary on his disdain towards the "record industry, money-grubbing ex-friends and lazy rappers". He also discuses this trope with his fans via video chat, basically explaining why his album Venom was stuck in Development Hell.
 * Renaissance Man: Besides his musical career, he is also a successful entrepreneur in recent years.
 * We Used to Be Friends: Chamillionaire had beef with his childhood friend in 2004 when Chamillionaire's younger brother, Rasaq, was allegedly attacked by Paul Wall and his entourage. They've since made amends though.

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: Ammunition
 * 2013: Elevate
 * 2013: Reignfall

Music

 * "Weird Al" Yankovic notably parodied "Ridin'" as "White and Nerdy" which was cited as one of the reasons for "Ridin'"s success.