Chamillionaire (aka Hakeem Seriki) is an American rapper and producer from Houston who has found a great deal of crossover pop success. Active since 1998, he built up his music and image via a series of mixtapes and a DIY work ethic in the Southern hip-hop scene that also yielded like-minded rappers such as Paul Wall and Lil' Flip. By 2005, Chamillionaire was releasing his major label debut, entitled The Sound of Revenge, and finding success on the radio and MTV with his hit single, "Ridin'." His style has settled into a highly marketable blend of his early gangsta rap sound and a new attention paid to pop hooks, therefore cementing his status as one of the more successful mainstream rappers at the moment.
