Charles Hamilton

Charles Hamilton – Pure Imagination

As anyone remotely interested in hip-hop can tell you, there has been a resurgence over the past year. Mixtape rappers are gaining increasing notoriety, and the freshman class has capitalized on this with new material as often as you can download it. By this point, most people have heard of Asher Roth, B.o.B., and Kid Cudi, but for me the artist which deserves the most respect is Charles Hamilton. He uses samples, some as fresh as Kanye’s 808s and Heartbreak, in a way different than most. Unafraid to sample anything, he uses these samples to set the tone of the song, which he tries to convey to listener. Obviously music has to sound good; otherwise, no one would listen to it. However, the similarities between Charles and other rappers’ goals stop there. He uses music as a true art form, to incite emotions in the listener. It’s not about making money, just good music. One of the hardest working musicians in the industry, he releases a mixtape of COMPLETELY NEW MATERIAL roughly once or twice a week. Seriously.

On to the track: most listeners recognize the sample in the opening from the beginning of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. He then takes over the persona of Willy Wonka, welcoming visitors to his factory. From there, there is a remixed sample of the song Pure Imagination from the movie using the high notes perfectly to fit in with the percussion. The first verse simply sets up the most relaxed and laid-back tone about his encounter with a female, nothing lewd, just about their child-like emotions. The chorus is a throwback to the original song, where his high pitched and somewhat nasally voice compliment the beat. Next, Charles goes fully into the Willy Wonka personality, describing his life in the factory while simultaneously integrating a story about his relationship in real life.

The last verse is by far my favorite in the song. He opens completely from the perspective of a lonely chocolate factory owner, forcing the listener to think about a common take on a well-known figure (Willy Wonka as a crazy candyman) in a completely different light (Willy Wonka unable to find romance in his lonely life as a hard working businessman). “Even when I got my homies in here, they only my peers, I need a girl to hold me in here”, raps Charles. The rest of the verse goes on to use wordplay to tell a story of Willy Wonka and Charles Hamilton at the same time in a truly visionary light.

Listen to more of this man. Everything he puts out has a message. To quote the artist, “When I sample, I'm not just doing it to sound good. I'm trying to tell a story. To convey an emotion. If I sampled it, there is a reason I sampled it. I believe that music is based on moments, and that there are some moments that people may have missed back in the day. They may have even missed it a year ago. When I sample, I'm giving the artist their respect, while simultaneously creating something new." A true artist.

Performing at Penn State in the Hub Friday night! Free concert! I will be going! Sorry about the length, but it's worth it.

-JR