Best Known As: Rapper of the 2003 hit "Right Thurr"
Name at birth: Howard Bailey
The 2003 summer single "Right Thurr" put Chingy on the musical map as a good-time rapper who specialized in catchy, club-friendly beats. He grew up in the Walnut Park section of St. Louis and began rapping in earnest in his late teens, with a slightly reedy tenor reminiscent of Eminem's. Chingy toured as an opening act with Nelly in the summer of 2002 and then became a protegé of Ludacris, who signed Chingy to his newly-formed Disturbing tha Peace (DTP) record label. Chingy's 2003 debut album, Jackpot, sold two million copies, thanks to the boost from "Right Thurr," a danceable homage to distaff pulchritude. (Chingy's star status was sealed when "Right Thurr" was included on the soundtrack of the video game NBA Live 2004.) A second album, Powerballin', was released in 2004 to mixed reviews, and his 2006 release Hood Star spawned the hit singles "Pullin' Me Back" and "Dem Jeans." In the midst of all that recording and performing, Chingy was making headlines for feuds with Nelly, Ludacris and more than one record label. He released Hate It or Leave It in 2007, and Success & Failure in 2010.
According to his official site, Chingy considered the stage names Thugsy and H Thugs before settling on Chingy, a slang term for money... In the same bio, Chingy reports "I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations"... According to Rap News Direct, the title of The Soul of St. Louis is a play on The Spirit of St. Louis, the airplane which Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic in 1927... Chingy adapted "Dem Jeans" to make 123 different ring tones for Sprint cell phone customers, inserting popular girls' names in the line "Damn girl, how'd you get all that in dem jeans?"
Born Howard Bailey Jr. on March 9, 1980, in St. Louis, MO.
Began writing rhymes at the age of eight, dubbed himself Chingy in his late teens; released debut album Jackpot on Disturbing Tha Peace Records/Capitol, 2003; released Powerballin' on Capitol, 2004.
Addresses:Record company—Capitol Records, 1750 N. Vine St., Hollywood, CA, 90028. Website—Chingy Official Website: http://www.chingy.com.
Rap musician
St. Louis, Missouri seems like an unlikely place to produce hip-hop stars, but when rapper Nelly and his St. Lunatics crew introduced southern slang—with the popular double R spelling and drawn out pronunciation—in the form of pop-rap in 2000, it was only a matter of time before others began to emerge. Enter Chingy, whose debut album, 2003's Jackpot, entered the charts in the number two position the day it went on sale. Its first single, "Right Thurr," had made Chingy famous before the album was even dropped, and guest vocalists like Ludacris and Snoop Dogg gave the new rapper instant credibility. A little more than a year later, came Powerballin', with a host of high-profile collaborators, including Janet Jackson and R. Kelly. With that, Chingy beat the tag of "Nelly rip-off."
On March 9, 1980, Howard Bailey Jr. was born to two struggling parents residing in an area called Walnut Park, on St. Louis' North Side. It was a street-tough neighborhood where young Howard lived in a small, two-bedroom house with nearly a dozen of his relatives. Money was almost a foreign concept to the eventual star. Chingy described his upbringing in an XXL cover story. "I don't come from any sort of money. My mama was working and my father was hustlin' ... so we had something, but nothing too much." By the time his parents divorced when he was a teenager, Chingy was writing rhymes and into music. He claimed he began writing rhymes at the age of eight. "I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations. Music made me think, and party. I wanted to express myself like those artists were. Talking on a record sounded like a good idea to me," the artist stated on his official website. Music seemed the only way to escape the strain of poverty.
Becoming an overnight celebrity in the hip-hop world isn't unfathomable, but it is a risky business that involves a lot of luck. At a young age, Chingy knew there was no other avenue but music for his soul. With his friend Justin, he started a pre-teen rap group called L.S.D., short for Lethal Substance of Dope. The duo played local talent shows, but there was little going on in St. Louis in terms of hip-hop at the time. Meanwhile, the 12-year old Howard got himself into trouble with the law when he hot-wired a car, spending three weeks in a juvenile facility for the prank. After toying with the stage name Thugsy, Howard eventually settled on calling himself Chingy, a name he and his friends called someone with money in his pocket. High school afternoons were spent with the trio Without Warning and later Three Strikes. Neither group got the response Chingy hoped for. They did, however, give him enough exposure to get noticed by fledgling production team the Trak Starz.
Once fellow southern rapper Ludacris heard what Chingy was doing, he signed the would-be star to his brand new record label, Disturbing Tha Peace Records. After Capitol heard Chingy's first offering, the rousing urban party single "Right Thurr," they signed on
to distribute his debut album, Jackpot. Upon the song's release to radio and television, Chingy quickly became part of popular music's hip-hop elite, and Jackpot entered the Billboard Top 200 album chart at number two. The instant dance club hit turned radio party was an outright rap-style ode to beautiful women, but it was the way Chingy pronounced his words that got people talking. "I know people are drawn to the terms I'm using on the chorus and the way we talk—'thurr,' 'herre,' stuff like that," Chingy told MTV.com about his southern manner. "I mean, that's just how we talk. We can't help it. You come to St. Louis, you gon' see little kids, old people talkin' like that." The blazing video for Chingy's first blockbuster single featured cameos from both Ludacris and the St. Lunatics Murphy Lee. "Holidae Inn," the follow up single, with guest vocalists Snoop Dogg and Ludacris was a successful chart-topping follow up. His penchant for good times struck a chord in music buyers. "When I made Jackpot, that was just me in the studio just coming up with music every day," Chingy said on his website. "I'm a partying, fun person. I like to go out, have a little fun and that album is basically about partying and having fun."
Wasting no time, Chingy quickly returned to the studio after a year of touring to cash in on his fame. For the November release of Powerballin' in 2004, Chingy tapped into his reservoir of flirty club-worthy songs and even tested the R&B waters. While ballads with both Janet Jackson and R. Kelly gave him respect, the remaining tracks failed to give Powerballin' the same popular attention as Jackpot and received mixed reviews. Blender magazine stated, "The lack of pretense on his second album makes him an approachable Everypimp, and he gets nothing but love from [his] guests." Other collaborations included production by David Banner and guest vocals by Lil' Wayne on "26's" —a nod to the overindulgence in the wealthy hip-hop lifestyle. Chingy confirmed on his website, "You've got a lot of people that make songs about trucks and rims, but this song is about riding and your wheels are so big that you can roll over another car." That over-sized, big-living attitude is exactly what Chingy represented on his sophomore album. "... Powerballin' ... is basically a celebration of my coming from nothing to having a little big. It's about me accomplishing my goals and celebrating that. I'm also talking about what went on after I made the Jackpot album, the success, the downsides of the business and just flossing out here and getting money."
Online Chingy Official Website, http://www.chingy.com (December 16, 2004). "Chingy Set to Hit the Jackpot with Ludacris, Murphy Lee," MTV.com, http://www.mtv.com (December 16, 2004).
Kicking off his career in 2003 with the massive hit "Right Thurr," St. Louis rapper Chingy spent two solid years in the limelight, releasing two platinum-selling albums while becoming a household name thanks to some television appearances and movie roles. Born Howard Bailey, Jr. on March 9, 1980, he began writing rhymes at the age of 10 and began rapping under the name of "H Thugs" during his teen years. Renamed Chingy after a slang term for a looking wealthy, he signed with Fo-Reel Entertainment, an artist management firm with local heroes Nelly and St. Lunatics on the roster. While on tour with Nelly in 2002, he met rapper and Disturbing Tha Peace labelhead Ludacris. He would sign to DTP in 2003 and release "Right Thurr" on the label that same year. With Chingy's slow drawl and laid-back swagger, the track became the anthem for hot summer nights, peaking at number two on Billboard's Hot 100 while topping the magazine's Hot Rap Tracks chart. Released in July, his debut album Jackpot spawned two additional Top Five hits, "Holidae In" with Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, plus "One Call Away" with J/Weav. A monetary dispute between the rapper and DTP would result in a supposed "beef" with Ludacris -- Luda issued some terse words through a press release while Chingy claimed there was no animosity -- and would end with the formation of Chingy's own Capitol imprint Slot-A-Lot. Featuring the singles "Balla Baby" and "Don't Worry," the platinum-selling Powerballin' would become his first album for the label in 2004. The year 2005 found him appearing on television's Punk'd plus The George Lopez show and a year later he would land a role in Scary Movie 4.
His 2006 single, "Pullin' Me Back," would find him back on top on the Hot Rap Tracks chart and help Hoodstar debut at number eight on the album charts, but the follow-up single "Dem Jeans" fared worse although the album did go gold. Unhappy with the way he felt Capitol was promoting their urban artists, Chingy jumped ship and went back to DTP which was by-then a part of the Def Jam family. Hate It or Love It would arrive on the label in 2007 but its debut at number 84 on the album chart would also become its highest position. In 2009 he announced he was working on a new album for release that year. ~ David Jeffries, Rovi
Howard Bailey, Jr. (March 9, 1980,[1]) better known by his stage nameChingy, is an American rapper.
Chingy grew up in the Walnut Park section of St. Louis and began rapping in earnest in his late teens. Chingy toured as an opening act with Nelly in the summer of 2002 and then became a protégé of Ludacris, who signed him to his newly formed Disturbing tha Peace (DTP) record label. The rapper's 2003 summer debut single, "Right Thurr", put him on the musical map as a good-time rapper who specialized in catchy, club-friendly beats. Chingy's 2003 debut album, Jackpot, sold two million copies, thanks to the boost from "Right Thurr." A second album, Powerballin', was released in 2004 to mixed reviews, and his 2006 release Hoodstar spawned the hit singles "Pullin' Me Back" and "Dem Jeans." He released Hate It or Love It in 2007, under DTP records. The album's lead single is "Fly Like Me", featuring Amerie. A mixtape entitled Success & Failure was released in 2010.
As of 2011 Currently Chingy has been working on his new upcoming project No Risk No Reward which will be released under his label Slot-A-Lot Records & distributed by his newly signed label Full Dekk Music Group.
Chingy grew up in the Walnut Park section of St. Louis, a neighborhood he has referred to as the "Bad Blocks."[2][3] The middle child with two older brothers and two younger sisters, Chingy became a music fan at an early age.
Chingy began writing lyrics at age 9 and was recording raps at age 10. He was originally known as H Thugz and was in the St. Louis, Missouri group Without Warning on 49 Productions with M.G.D. & Mysphit. They recorded "What's Poppin Off" together, which became a local hit. H Thugz and Augustin also recorded a music video for the song. H Thugz later chose the alias Chingy, a slang term for money.[3][4]
Chingy's debut album Jackpot was released on July 7, 2003 on Disturbing tha Peace. Unable to secure a distribution deal through Def Jam, Ludacris negotiated a deal to distribute the album through Capitol Records. Guest appearances included Ludacris, Snoop Dogg, Murphy Lee, I-20, Raindrop, Tity Boi of Playaz Circle, Trina, and Jermaine Dupri. Fueled by "Right Thurr", Jackpot produced the hit "One Call Away" featuring J-Weav and "Holidae In" featuring Snoop Dogg and Ludacris. The album was produced by St. Louis production crew The Trak Starz. The album was received well by critics. Within a year of the release of Jackpot, It was certified Platinum by the RIAA.
2004-2005: Powerballin'
Chingy released his second album, Powerballin', on November 16, 2004 through Slot-A-Lot Records and Capitol Records. The album peaked at #10 on the charts and featured the hit single "Balla Baby." The album featured guest appearances from artists R. Kelly, Bun B, Lil Wayne, Lil Flip, Janet Jackson, David Banner, Nate Dogg, and Get It Boyz. Powerballin' sold over one million copies and received a Platinum certification. He also was on one of the George Lopez episodes as himself.
2006: Hood Star
Hoodstar is Chingy's third album, released on September 19, 2006. The album featured Mr. Collipark, longtime collaborator Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland, and Mannie Fresh. His summer single, "Pullin Me Back (featuring actor-R&B singer Tyrese)," would find him back on top on the Hot Rap Tracks chart and help Hoodstar debut at number eight on the album charts, but the follow-up single "Dem Jeans", featuring Jermaine Dupri, fared worse although the album did go gold. Other singles from Hoodstar were "Brand New Kicks" and "Hands Up".
The album sold 77,000 copies in its first week.[5]
2007-2008: Hate It or Love It
Unhappy with the way he felt Capitol was promoting their urban artists, in 2007 Chingy jumped ship and returned to DTP Records, which was by-then a part of the Def Jam family. When asked upon this move, the St. Louis rapper said: "I don't think Capitol really knew how to work urban artists, They're really stuck on pop and they didn't know how to market me."[6]
Hate It or Love It is Chingy's fourth studio album. The album featured production from Scott Storch, Timbaland, and Cool and Dre. The lead single is "Fly Like Me," featuring Amerie. The album was released on December 18, 2007 and featured appearances by Ludacris, Bobby Valentino, Steph Jones, Trey Songz, Rick Ross, and Anthony Hamilton. The album debuted at #84 on the Billboard 200, selling 30,000 copies, making it Chingy's first album not to crack the Top 10. Hate It or Love It did not get released in the UK, this was Chingy's first album to not be released in the United Kingdom.
2011: No Risk No Reward
Chingy is working on his fifth studio album called No Risk No Reward, which is said to be released sometime in 2011. "Superhero", which features Full Dekk Music Group's artist Chris Woodhouse, is the first single from the album. The second single will be "Paperman". Chingy recently announced that he will be releasing a mixtape entitled Jackpot Back which will be released January third, his independent album no risk no reward will be released prior to the mixtape release
Acting career
In 2005 Chingy made his acting debut in the TV comedy series "My Wife and Kids". Also in 2005, Chingy acted in the TV comedies "One on One" & "George Lopez". In 2006 Chingy made a cameo in the comedy "Scary Movie 4". Also in 2006 Chingy made a guest appearance on "Yo Momma". In 2010 Chingy had a role in the movie "Speed-Dating" .
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