Chamillionaire, born Hakeem Temidayo Seriki, is an American rapper, record executive, and businessman. He was born in Washington DC on the 28th of November, 1979.
He was the founder and one of the early members of the rap group “The Color Changin Click” formed in 2001. However, the group split in 2005.
Chamillionaire started his solo career as soon as the group dissolved with the release of the collaborative album titled ”Get Ya Mind Correct” with fellow Houston rapper Paul Wall.
In 2005, Chamillionaire got signed to Universal Records and released an album titled “The Sound of Revenge” with the label. The album includes hit singles such as “Ridin” featuring Krayzie Bone and “Turn It Up” featuring Lil’ Flip.
He left Universal Records in 2011 and released an independent EP entitled “Ammunition” a year later. Chamillionaire has accomplished so much in his musical and entrepreneurial career.
He is the founder and CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment and has multiple business investments. His net worth is estimated to be $50 million.
| Real Name | Hakeem Temidayo Seriki |
| Stage Name | Chamillionaire |
| Place of Birth | Washington, D.C. |
| Date of Birth | November 28, 1979 |
| Age | 44 years (2023) |
| Gender | Male |
| Nationality | American |
| Height | 1.78 m (5 ft 10 in) |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur, Actor, Singer, Songwriter, Music Producer, Music Executive, Record producer, Rapper |
| Net Worth | $50 million |
Early Life and Biography
Chamillionaire was born in Washington D.C. on November 28, 1979. His full name is Hakeem Temidayo Seriki.
Hakeem is an American by birth but is of African descent. He had a Nigerian Muslim father from the Yoruba tribe while his African-American mother was a Christian.
The family relocated from Washington D.C. to Houston, Texas while the young Hakeem was four. Chamillionaire’s parents separated early in his adolescent years. He was a student at Jersey Village High School, where he met Paul Wall, who was into rap music.
Chamillionaire had a profound love and interest in rap/hip-hop music. However, his parents found rap and other forms of secular music violent and disturbing. So, rap music was strongly resented and opposed in their household.
Despite the strong opposition to rap, Chamillionaire still found the music genre appealing. He was inspired by rap artists such as N.W.A, MJG, UGK, 8 Ball, Geto Boys, and Public Enemy.
Chamillionaire decided to make rap music alongside his childhood friend and schoolmate Paul Wall. Both friends took rap music as a career and released several tracks and mixtapes together.
Chamillionaire has a brother named Rasaq Seriki, who is three younger than him. Rasaq is a rapper and was one of the members of The Color Changin’ Click music group.
Career
Hakeem Seriki coined the name “Chamillionaire” from two words – chameleon and millionaire. His music career began in high school, where he met his friend and music partner Paul Wall. The duo were promoting at an event when they met Swishahouse hoss Michael “5000” Watts, who was a popular disc jockey in Houston.
Chamillionaire and Wall offered to help Watts promote the Swishahouse company and convinced him to allow them to freestyle on his radio show on Houston’s hip-hop radio station KBXX-FM.
Chamillionaire and Paul Wall’s popularity in the Houston area increased after freestyling on Watt’s radio show. After that, Watt included some of their songs in his mixtapes. Paul and Chamillionaire became well-known in the Houston rap game and mixtape circuit.
Chamillionaire created The Color Changin’ Click rap group with his friend Paul Wall. The pair released a collaborative album “Get Ya Mind Correct” in 2002, which sold more than 150,000 units. Their joint album was nominated by The Source Magazine for “Independent Album of the Year.”
Their group, The Color Changin’ Click gained exposure and was invited to perform at the 2004 SXSW music festival. The group split in 2005 and members had to pursue solo careers.
Chamillionaire released his first studio album entitled “The Sound of Revenge” as a solo artist in 2005. The lead single of the album was “Turn It Up” feating Lil’ Flip.
The album was released through his company Chamillitary Entertainment and Universal Records. Also, the album debuted and peaked at #10 on the Billboard 200 chart in the U.S. Also, the album was certified platinum by the RIAA.
One of the hit songs in the album “Ridin” featuring Krayzie Bone from Bone Thugs-n-Harmony peaked at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and won a Grammy Award in 2007 in the “Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group” category.
In 2007, Chamillionaire released his second studio album as a solo artist titled “Ultimate Victory.” The album had guest artists like Lil Wayne, Lloyd, UGK, and Devin the Dude.
He revealed plans to drop a third album, which was slated to be released in 2009. One of the songs in the album “Creppin’” featuring popular rapper Ludacris made it to the #1 spot on the Billboard R&B/Hip-hop singles chart. In 2010, he unveiled a song “The Main Event” featuring Slim Thug, Paul Wall, and Dorrough for the 2010 NBA All-Star Game.
In March 2012, Chamillionaire returned with an EP “Ammunition.” He had plans to release an album named “Poison” in 2013 but the album project never saw the light of the day and was eventually scrapped after Chamillionaire saw out his deal with Universal Records.
Aside from his solo and collaborative albums, Chamillionaire has been successful in the release of several mixtape projects. He released “The Mixtape Messiah” in 2004. The mixtape featured 61 tracks in over 3 CDs. It is believed to be the longest and most popular mixtape in the entire Texas history.
The success of the mixtape allowed Chamillionaire to make subsequent releases of mixtape projects, which he called the Mixtape Messiah series. The Mixtape Messiah series is one of the most anticipated and sought-after mixtapes in Texas.
The Mixtape Messiah series had seven series in all. In 2009, Chamillionaire started a mixtape series with a different name “Major Pain“, with the first of the series dropping in February 2010.
The second installment of the Major Pain mixtape series was released in April 2011. After that, he released other mixtape projects namely:
- Badazz Freemixes.
- Badazz Freemixes 2.
- Badazz Slowmixes.
Highlights
Studio albums:
- The Sound of Revenge (2005).
- Ultimate Victory (2007).
- Poison (TBA).
Extended plays:
- Ammunition (2012).
- Elevate (2013).
- Reignfall (2013).
Collaborative albums:
- Get Ya Mind Correct with Paul Wall (2002).
- Controversy Sells with Paul Wall (2005).
Films and TV shows:
- Punk’d (2007).
- The Game (2007).
- Pimp My Ride (2007).
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Awards and Recognitions
On November 22, 2005, Chamillionaire released his debut studio album “The Sound of Revenge.” The album was a hit as it was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
His second album as a solo artist “Ultimate Victory” dropped on September 18, 2007, but didn’t receive certification like the first one.
In 2006, Chamillionaire won four awards from ten nominations. In 2007, he received four nominations but won one. In 2008, he received two nominations and won one. Overall, he has won six awards from 16 nominations.
Here are the awards he won and the nominations he received:
| Year | Award | Nominee/Work | Category | Result |
| 2006 | American Music Awards | Chamillionaire | Favorite Breakthrough Artist | Nominated |
| 2006 | BET Awards | Chamillionaire | Best New Artist | Nominated |
| 2006 | BET Hip Hop Awards | “Ridin'” | Hip Hop Track of the Year | Nominated |
| 2006 | BET Hip Hop Awards | Chamillionaire | Rookie of the Year | WON |
| 2006 | BET Hip Hop Awards | Chamillionaire | Hip Hop MVP of the Year | Nominated |
| 2006 | BET Hip Hop Awards | Ridin’ | Best Collaboration | Nominated |
| 2006 | BET Hip Hop Awards | Chamillionaire | Viewer’s Choice Award (Wireless People’s Champ) | WON |
| 2006 | MTV Video Music Awards | Ridin’ | Best Rap Video | WON |
| 2006 | Ozone Awards | Ridin’ | Best Video | WON |
| 2006 | People’s Choice Awards | Ridin’ | Favorite Hip Hop Song | Nominated |
| 2007 | BET Hip Hop Awards | Hip Hop Police | Best Hip-Hop Video | Nominated |
| 2007 | Grammy Awards | Ridin’ | Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group | WON |
| 2007 | Grammy Awards | Ridin’ | Best Rap Song | Nominated |
| 2007 | Ozone Awards | Doe Boy Fresh | Best Video | Nominated |
| 2007 | Teen Choice Awards | Ridin’ | Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Rap/Hip-Hop Track | WON |
| 2007 | Teen Choice Awards | Ridin’ | Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: Summer Song | Nominated |
| 2008 | Ozone Awards | Hip Hop Police | Best Video | Nominated |
| 2008 | Ozone Awards | Mixtape Messiah 3 | Best Mixtape/Street Album | WON |
Business and Investments
Chamillionaire launched his record label Chamillitary Entertainment in 2004, signing the likes of Troy Henry, Lil Ken, 50/50 Twin, Yung Ro, and his younger brother, Rasaq Seriki. The label released several singles, albums, and mixtape projects.
Chamillionaire’s deal with Universal Records allowed Universal Records to distribute and promote the works of the artists on his label. As soon as Chamillionaire’s contract with Universal Records ended in January 2011, Chamillitary Entertainment became an independent record label.
In 2013, Chamillionaire made a hefty investment in Fly Rydes, an auto dealer based in Houston, Texas. The business specializes in remodeling and customizing cars and is well-known in the Texas area.
In 2019, he launched the Global Innovation Tournament alongside Quincy Jones III, as part of the Stanford Entrepreneurial Thought Leaders Seminar Series. In the same year, he invested $1.5 million in Maker Studios, a digital video talent network service, which was later acquired by Disney for $500 million.
Chamillionaire’s payout from the Disney deal was reportedly over $20 million. Afterward, he began a partnership with Mark Suster, the founder and original creator of Maker Studios and a managing partner at Upfront Ventures, which got him an appointment with the venture capital firm in 2015.
Chamillionaire’s business ventures and partnerships had an impact on his career, as he couldn’t release music regularly. Consequently, he took a little break from the music to focus on his entrepreneurial career.
In 2013, Chamillionaire invested in Cruise Automation, a self-driving automation tech company. The investment was a successful one and it was eventually sold to General Motors for $1 billion in 2016. He also has a tour bus company, which he hires to individuals and businesses.
In January 2018, Chamillionaire launched Convoz, a social media application that facilitates direct communication and interaction between influencers and their fans.
In May 2019, Chamillionaire and fellow rapper E-40 revealed their intentions to invest $25,000 in a start-up. In September 2019, they invested in Atoms, a footwear company that makes shoes in quarter sizes.
Seriki’s tech company, X Empire Incorporated released the Access Club beta application in 2022, which provided exclusive access to private members-only who were looking to connect to influential personalities.
Personal Life
On May 14, 2010, Chamillionaire announced the arrival of his son, “Xavier,” meaning ‘new house’. Despite being a Texas native, he claimed to be a Los Angeles Lakers fan.
On June 3, 2010, the rapper’s third mortgage property home was repossessed by the bank. Chamillionaire admits it was a bad investment after spending over $2 million on the property.
Chamillionaire Net Worth
Chamillionaire is a successful American musician and entrepreneur. Despite his musical success, Chamillionaire has made more money from other business ventures than from the music itself.
As a musician, he makes money from albums and mixtape sales, show and concert performances, and his company, Chamillitary Entertainment.
Chamillionaire lives a lavish lifestyle as he owns a list of expensive cars such as a Custom 1967 Plymouth Fury, a Custom Chevy Impala, and a Dodge Durango SRT AWD. Chamillionaire has a net worth of $50 million.