Album pushbacks won’t stop Chamillionaire’s grind. In addition to announcing a national tour with former partner-in-rhyme Paul Wall, the Houston MC released a new mixtape today (February 3).

The 18-track project, titled Major Pain, is available now on chamillionaire.com. "I felt it was time to take it back to the original grind that made these major companies pay attention in the first place,” he said in a statement. “I don't think there is any reason why any artist with real knowledge of independent hustle, should sit and wait for any major system to work for them, But, because I am signed to a major recording label, there are still a lot of things that I would like to be able to do, that I'm not really allowed to do. Politics in this business often stand between a creative mind and the grind but I'm gonna try my best to feed my fans without getting into too much trouble."

Cham plans to kick off a tour with Wall shortly thereafter, starting at Austin, Texas’ annual SXSW festival on March 17. The duo are scheduled to hit stages in such cities as Las Vegas, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, Denver, Albuquerque, and Boise, Ohio among others.

"The lack of marketing and promo budgets in a weak economy isn't gonna keep me from touring to different cities and releasing music to fans that still demand it,” he added. “That’s why I decided to start the Major Pain series and tour with Paul. It's what the fans want."

Cham’s third solo album for Universal, Venom, has suffered numerous setbacks since last year. As of press time the disc has yet to receive a store date. —Max G

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