''Ultimate Victory'' is the second

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track cartridge, 8-track or Cassette tape, cassette), or digital distribution, dig ...

by American rapper

Chamillionaire Hakeem Temidayo Seriki (born November 28, 1979), better known by his stage name Chamillionaire (), is an American rapper. He began his career in Houston's hip hop scene in the late 1990s. He was briefly signed with the local record label Swishah ...

. It was released on September 14, 2007, by

Chamillitary Entertainment Chamillitary is an entertainment company and hip hop record label owned and run by rapper Chamillionaire. It was previously distributed by Universal. It has since been an Independent record label, independent record label company. History Cham ...

and Universal Motown Records. The album debuted at number 8 on the US ''Billboard'' 200, selling 79,000 copies in the first week. It is notable for not containing any

profanity Profanity, also known as swearing, cursing, or cussing, is the usage of notionally word taboo, offensive words for a variety of purposes, including to demonstrate disrespect or negativity, to relieve pain, to express a strong emotion (such a ...

.Chamillionaire works with no swearing
/ref>

Critical reception

''Ultimate Victory'' was generally well received by

music critic '' The Oxford Companion to Music'' defines music criticism as "the intellectual activity of formulating judgments on the value and degree of excellence of individual works of music, or whole groups or genres". In this sense, it is a branch of m ...

s. ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' gave note of Chamillionaire's subject matter detailing his disdain towards the "record industry, money-grubbing ex-friends and lazy rappers" while backing up his sentiments with tracks like the

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 wi ...

-assisted "Pimp Mode" and "We Breakin' Up". They concluded by praising the closing title track stating, "“The Ultimate Victory”—on which Chamillionaire expresses sympathy for media-dogged celebrities like

Eminem Marshall Bruce Mathers III (born October 17, 1972), known professionally as Eminem, is an American rapper, songwriter, and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time, he is credited with popula ...

and

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

and admits, "I'm still filled with doubt"—might be the most personally reflective hip-hop track since Slim Shady himself stepped to the mic." Despite finding a few duds in the track listing,

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All-Music Guide and AMG) is an American online database, online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on Musical artist, musicians and Mus ...

's David Jeffries called the album " positive outlook for the future of the genre", praising Cham's pedigree to deliver "verse-filled hip-hop" by smartly utilizing top-notch production and guest artists to deliver catchy songs with substance, concluding that "''Ultimate Victory'' is a brilliant way to recover from overexposure and bring things back to a more sensible level if a long-term, credible career is what's at stake." Edna Gundersen from ''

USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...

'' found the record to be "a surprisingly counterintuitive hip-hop journey", noting its lack of profanity, Cham's criticism on the "materialistic bent and greedy sycophants" that represent the genre, and showing empathy for his fellow artists under media scrutiny, concluding that "''Victory'' ultimately is achieved through Chamillionaire’s charged flow, snappy taunts and unexpected singing talents." Thomas A. Harden of '' XXL'' commended Cham's aggressive delivery towards media gossip, the hip-hop industry and government politics but felt that it "comes off preachy, rather than poetic." He added that said approach works better when its added with "a spoonful of sugar with his doses of hip-hop medicine ("I Think I Love You"), flexes his lyrical skills ("You Must Be Crazy") or just has fun on the mic ("The Ultimate Vacation")." ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'' contributor Josh Timmermann also found Cham being try-hard when tackling tabloid news and politics, but praised his forays into more conventional topics with solid beats and relaxed flows. Timmermann concluded by praising Cham's performance on the title track, saying "it's convincing proof that there might, after all, be life after "Ridin'" for a rapper who previously seemed bound for one-hit wonder status."

Track listing

Bonus DVD

Chamillionaire released his Bonus DVD to Ultimate Victory. This DVD is only in exclusive double-pack in BET Edition available at Wal-Mart. DVD features are: *Access Granted: "Turn It Up", "Ridin'", "Grown & Sexy", "Hip-Hop Police"/"Evening News" *''106 & Park'': Chamillionaire Interview *BET Spring Bling 2007 Performance *BET Black Collage Tour *Fly Rydes Music videos: *" Hip Hop Police" *"The Evening News"

Samples

*"The Morning News" **" Segue II" by

New Power Generation The New Power Generation, also known as the NPG, was the backing band of musician Prince (musician), Prince from 1990 to 2013. They were replaced by 3rdeyegirl as his backing band in 2013. In 2015, the New Power Generation reunited as Prince's ...

*" Hip Hop Police **"

Gin and Juice "Gin and Juice" is a song by American rapper Snoop Doggy Dogg. It was released on January 18, 1994 by Death Row, Interscope and Atlantic, as the second single from his debut album, ''Doggystyle'' (1993). The song was produced by Dr. Dre and con ...

" by

Snoop Dogg Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. ( ; born October 20, 1971), better known by his stage name Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg), is an American rapper, record producer, and actor. Rooted in West Coast hip-hop, he is widely regarded as one of t ...

**"

Murder Was the Case ''Murder Was the Case'' is a 1994 short film and soundtrack album starring and performed by Snoop Doggy Dogg. The 18 minute film was directed by Dr. Dre and Fab Five Freddy and chronicles the fictional death of Snoop Dogg and his resurrection ...

" by

*"Standing Ovation" **"Reign" by Kurt Carr *"Industry Groupie" **" The Final Countdown" by

Europe Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...

*"The Ultimate Victory" **"Pollution" by

Baby Bash Ronald Ray Bryant (born October 18, 1969), better known by his stage name Baby Bash (formerly Baby Beesh), is an American rapper. His first two albums, '' Savage Dreams'' (2001) and '' On Tha Cool'' (2002), were released by the independent Housto ...

Personnel

* Issiah Abolin – engineer (2) * Aaron Dahl – engineer (7), additional engineering (4, 13) * James Hoover – engineer (1, 4, 6, 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19), mixing (1, 3, 4, 6, 9, 13, 14, 16, 18, 19) * Josh Houghkirk – engineer (10–12), additional engineering (2, 5, 7, 10–12, 15) * Rob Montes – engineer (9, 15), mixing (9) * Greg Ogan – engineer (2, 5) * Jonathan Rotem – all instruments (2) * Phil Tan – mixing (2, 5, 7, 10–12, 15) * Nick Taylor – engineer (3)

Charts

Release history

References

{{Authority control Chamillionaire albums 2007 albums Universal Records albums Albums produced by Happy Perez Albums produced by J. R. Rotem Albums produced by Kane Beatz Albums produced by Rick Rock Albums produced by the Runners Chamillitary Entertainment albums