Lets be frank here, Hip-Hop has been in a slump. The music during the first half of 2007 has been somewhat lackluster, because most releases, especially mainstream offerings, generally havent been worth sitting through. Enter, Chamillionaire who has just released his Mixtape Messiah 3 mixtape. Even though the Houston native sons hiatus hasnt been long (Mixtape Messiah 2 was only sent months ago, though his debut, The Sound of Revenge, dropped in 2005) he delivers on solid material that will show you why he has earned the messiah moniker.Mixtape Messiah 3 has plenty of tracks that give you a piece of the ringtone king. He nips any supposed 50 Cent beef on Get Your Burners Out, which makes for a good opener that sets the pace and makes good on his promise to not diss. You can hear his ear for production and his creativity, as he uses other peoples beats, but creates his own context and concept. There are no better examples of this than on songs such as Dont Hurt Em Hammer where he rips Commons The People beat as well as Nothin But Lies where he beasts all over Kanye Wests Cant Tell Me Nothing instrumental. Familiarity has also been enjoyable with this mixtape series, and that shines here, as you feel a real connection when listening. Generally, he speaks to you like hes next to you narrating his story, and it adds an intimacy factor that seems to be missing from much of todays music. You also hear his struggle and thought process with songs such as Its Just Pain as well as some of the talking he does after tracks, which surprisingly flows with the songs they follow. Mixtape Messiah 3 definitely does its job of softening the ground for Chams pending Ultimate Victory by providing quality music. The best part about this is its free, so there really isnt an excuse not to enjoy it. If this sets the pace for Hip-Hops second semester, then the first half will almost seem worth it.
