Rating: 6.5 / 10
After the Grammy-winning single “Ridin’ Dirty”, Chamillionaire seemed to drop from his musical plateau. With him, followed the deceleration of the mainstream obsession with Texas Hip-Hop, and the infatuation seemed to end as quickly as it began. The Texas representative was rolling on empty for a while, but his new EP Ammunition seems him attempting to reload and revive his once sizzling career.
The project begins with a spoken intro, “Your Connect”, where Chamillionaire subtly analyzes, breaks down, and boasts about how he is “the quiet one you need to look out for”. The intro sets the stage for a running theme of forced Mafioso references that severely hinder the momentum of the record. “All Mine” contains a Scarface sample (the movie, for clarification) that reeks of triteness. “On My Way” is the only attempt at a slower paced sound, but it proves to be lackluster. As does, “Running Laps”, the EP’s first real track. His bars are passing, but the production here and throughout the project comes off as hollow.
The record does have its moments, though, like on “You Gon’ Learn”. The traditional boom-bap sound is a refreshing safe haven away from the rest of the pedestrian instrumentals, and guest Saigon provides a note-worthy verse. “Won’t Change” is the best song here, and the only one that truly evokes a southern cool. Soulful guitar strums and wavy bass-lines are welcomed with Chamillionaire, and they match his gruff voice well. “Let’s Get That” is a brighter spot on the EP, with a quick paced flow paralleling the equally fast snares. A remix of the song, however, is also featured. The song isn’t good enough to have a remix on a 9-track EP, where material is scarce to begin with; it’s essentially the same track twice.
The quality of Ammunition does not comply with that of a Grammy-award winning artist. Chamillionaire has proven he can fire more accurately than this. There are too many dark spots here to fully overcome, and not enough light to see full potential. This is not to say Chamillionaire is out of bullets just yet, maybe the clip just jammed this time around.
Stream the EP here and listen for yourself.
