XXL Freshmen flop all of the time. They're sort of like first round draft picks in that sense. But what happened to Charles Hamilton after he graced the 2009 cover was a different story entirely: the man all but dropped off the face of the earth. While his classmates Wale, Kid Cudi, Curren$y and B.o.B were out making hits and gaining fans, Hamilton stopped releasing music altogether, suffering from undiagnosed bipolar disorder and hitting rock bottom. Not even Cory Gunz and Mickey Factz (also included on that cover) fell off that hard.
Then, last May, Hamilton reappeared briefly to share two unreleased mixtapes (which have since been deleted) and reignite a rumor mill that was long dormant. Thankfully, that instance would soon be followed by more concrete evidence that Hamilton was ready to get back in the game. Last month, we learned that he'd signed with Republic Records, and since then, he's explained his absence from hip-hop and even delivered some new music.
With new projects on the way (hopefully), we figured now was a better time than ever to revisit the days when Hamilton was putting out projects at a ridiculous pace. Most of you were around during his '07-'09 heyday, so this may be more of a refresher for you, but if you weren't hip to Hamilton's blend of wacky taste and relatable, skillful lyricism back in the day, get familiar before he begins making major moves once again.
Here are the ten tracks that best convey his unique qualities.
"Don't Touch Me"
Because he exited the game right after entering the public eye, Hamilton never got the chance to work with many big-name producers, but "Don't Touch Me" is an exception. Here, 9th Wonder gets the rare chance to flip Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" into mixtape gold, and Hamilton shines with one of his best hooks: "Fuck outta here / NES flow, shoot a duck out the air."
"Re-Anna"
Though the title might lead to believe that he samples Rihanna on the track, "Re-Anna" actually has Hamilton sampling Fleetwood Mac's "Rihannon." It's one of his best beats, as he chops up the '70s track perfectly, and gives us several verses of real talk.
"Conversations With God"
Always one for ambitious concepts, Hamilton tackled a big one on "Conversations With God." He asks a higher power about his misgivings with his music, relationship problems and much more, making for a powerful track.
"Choices"
This one's especially heartbreaking in the wake of Charles Hamilton's battle with depression. With a chorus consisting of, "you don't know the sadness of a joker," "Choices" has him riffing off The Miracles' "Tears Of A Clown" in order to let us inside his head and see the world through his eyes. Even at the height of his success, it seems he was constantly battling his own mind.
"Come Back To You"
There was a time when no one did relationship rap like Hamilton, and "Come Back To You" was one of the best examples of that. Here, he flips an Isley Brothers track and proceeds to tell a tale of a romantic falling-out.
"In Case I Actually Get Her"
As a naturally depressed dude, Charles was often at his best when he was getting melancholy on the track. A shining example of this is "In Case I Actually Get Her," a flip of Rihanna's "P.S. (I'm Still Not Over You)" that finds him telling a breakup tale that anyone can relate to. His singing on the chorus is a little pitchy, but the rest is dope.
"Stutter"
Over the course of his career, Charles Hamilton sampled a wide variety of surprising, recognizable songs, but "Stutter" might be the wildest. Sampling the piano from the Peanuts theme, he adds in an early Cash Money-style bounce and proceeds to spazz over the unlikely banger.
"November 10th"
A video that finally matched Hamilton's Sonic obsession with visuals, "November 10th" was probably his second-biggest hit, thanks most to the clip that premiered on SkeeTV. Musically, Hamilton flows over an upbeat instrumental ornamented with video game effects galore, but contrasts the happy sounds with some gut-wrenching honesty about his alcoholic father. Even when he was at his happiest, Hamilton was still a conflicted man, which probably wreaked havoc on him, but made for some intriguing music.
"Change Gonna Come" (also features Asher Roth & B.o.B)
This one was recorded specially for the XXL cover shoot, and between that and the iconic Sam Cooke song flipped within, it somewhat surprisingly lives up to expectations. Holding his own alongside Roth and Bobby Ray, Hamilton spits first, lacing the boisterous cut with deep lines like "Our fear of a free mind is hearing your spirit can die anytime." This one bumps harder than most of Hamilton's music, and has aged well.
"Brooklyn Girls"
This is, by any measure of success, the biggest song Charles Hamilton ever made. With subject matter that's a little more appealing to the masses than Sonic The Hedgehog references, "Brooklyn Girls" was as close as you could get to a crossover hit without a major label attached in 2009. Carrying on the long-standing tradition of listing off NYC boroughs, the song was boosted by a beat that sounds like the work of a pre-College Dropout Kanye West and Hamilton's charmingly humble lyrics about chasing girls. It's hard to imagine Hamilton returning from his harrowing experiences and wanting to make songs this affable and fun, but if he does, we're here for it.