In 2002, Chamillionaire and his partner Paul Wall released “Get Ya Mind Correct,” an underground rap album that combined Houston hip-hop’s traditional obsessions (cars, women, money) with upbeat and amusing wordplay. Cham could brag about his wealth (“pockets green like a pool table”) and his prowess with the ladies (“more numbers than a pool table in my corner pocket”) in the same breath without missing a beat. Though Wall’s major label solo debut, “The People’s Champ,” continued in this vein, on “The Sound of Revenge,” Cham sounds conflicted; he lashes out at “haters” and veers between supreme self-confidence and bouts of insecurity. The emcee has also left behind the familiar syrupy Houston production style, and the results can be frustrating. But when his beats don’t slip into cliche, his talents and persona remain fascinating.
