Charles Hamilton is back after a three-year absence from music. The Harlem rapper has just signed a record deal with Republic Records. “Charles is back and the excitement for his return is immeasurable. The enthusiasm in the marketplace is overwhelming,” Monte Lipman of Republic Records said. Lipman added, “We are thrilled to participate in the evolution of his career.” Hamilton’s new song “New York Raining” with Rita Ora will be featured on Fox’s hit drama Empire, which will air on March 18th. Yesterday, the rapper tweeted the message, “There are such things called other chances #starchasersneverstop.”
The rapper made a name for himself in 2008 by dropping several mixtapes, most notably his street-acclaimed Sonic the Hamilton project. The rapper was a young lyricist and storyteller, which was the complete opposite of rapper Soulja Boy. In the media, Hamilton was often compared to Soulja Boy, mainly because both young rappers used online marketing to enhance their popularity. Hamilton took great offense to being compared to Soulja Boy, because he felt the rapper used gimmicks in order to sell records. “Don’t compare me to somebody who made a great marketing ploy when I’m just living my life regular,” Hamilton once said about the Soulja Boy comparisons. Hamilton was featured on the cover of XXL magazine’s 2009 Freshmen cover, which showcases new rappers who are expected to make a big impact in the music business. On the surface, it seemed Hamilton was going to be the next bright star in hip hop music.
While controversy can sometimes help boost a rapper’s popularity, Hamilton’s controversy destroyed his career. In 2009, Hamilton released the artwork for his debut album online, which listed the late J. Dilla as an executive producer. Dilla’s family and friends took great offense to the rapper’s antics, because the producer did not contribute to Hamilton’s album. Dilla’s family also believed Hamilton was just trying to capitalize off of J. Dilla’s name. Hamilton and J. Dilla never knew each other, but the rapper claimed he wanted to give Dilla’s mom a percentage of his album sales.
Before This Perfect Life was released, the rapper was dropped by Interscope Records. After being dropped from the label, the rapper tried to continue his music career. Unfortunately, several incidents landed him in jail and in a psychiatric ward. Hamilton’s career pretty much went radio silent, until now. This time around, the rapper promises things will be different, and Hamilton is expected to release an album this year.