Chingy
| Chingy | |
|---|---|
Chingy performing at the Western Illinois University in 2007 |
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Howard Bailey, Jr. |
| Born | March 9, 1980 |
| Origin | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, entrepreneur |
| Years active | 2001-present |
| Labels | Disturbing tha Peace (2003-2004, 2007-2008) Capitol Records (2004-2006) Slot-A-Lot Records (2004-present) Def Jam Recordings (2007-2008) Real Talk Entertainment (2010-present) |
| Associated acts | Jermaine Dupri, Ludacris, Basement Beats |
| Website | www.myspace.com/chingy |
Howard Bailey, Jr. (born March 9, 1980),[1] better known by his stage name Chingy, is an American rapper.
Chingy 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 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 danceable homage to distaff pulchritude. 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 Love It in 2007, under DTP records. The album's lead single is "Fly Like Me," featuring Amerie. However, because of disappointing album sales, Chingy was dropped from Disturbing Tha Peace label. The rapper is set to release his fifth studio album, titled Success & Failure, on September 7, 2010.
Contents |
Biography
Chingy grew up in the Walnut Park section of St. Louis, a neighborhood he's 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 originally considered the stage names H. Thugzy and H Thugs before settling on Chingy, a slang term for money.[3][4]
Early career
Ludacris and his manager, Romeo, were quick to sign Chingy to their fledgling Disturbing tha Peace label. The Party Rap track "Right Thurr" gained popularity, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
2003: Jackpot and dispute with DTP Records
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 Double Platinum by the RIAA.
A monetary dispute between Chingy and Disturbing the Peace resulted in a separation of the rapper from the label. The partnership between Ludacris & Chingy turned sour after Chingy accused Ludacris and DTP of cheating him out of cash. In 2004, Chingy left DTP to start his own Slot-A-Lot Records imprint through Capitol Records.
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: lawsuit and Hood Star
In June 2006, St. Louis record producer Ronald R. Gavin filed a lawsuit against Chingy and The Trak Starz for more than $250,000, alleging that the rap star broke a record deal in 2002 so he could join DTP.[5] claimed that in June 1999, Chingy signed an contract his label, 49 Productions Inc., spending more $100,000 Chingy's image and career as a rap over the course of three years. According to court records, it was in 2002, that the Trak Starz Chingy to sign a separate contract, with the promise to connect him with Ludacris.[5]
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.[6]
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."[7]
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.
Because of disappointing album sales, Chingy was dropped from Disturbing Tha Peace label.
2009-2010: Success & Failure
In 2009, Chingy announced he had began working on Success & Failure and at the time, expected it to be released sometime that year.
Chingy is set to release his fifth studio album, titled Success & Failure, on September 7, 2010.[8] The first single is "Iced Out", which features 8Ball and was released on May 11, 2010.[9] The second single is "Anythang", which features Lil' Flip and was released on June 1, 2010.[10]
The single "Down Thru Durr"produced by Swift, which was released on May 18, 2010,[11] was thought to be on Chingy's Success & Failure album, but it wasn't included on the final track listing.
Discography
Albums
- 2003: Jackpot
- 2004: Powerballin'
- 2006: Hoodstar
- 2007: Hate It or Love It
- 2010: Success & Failure
EPs
- 2005: Pick 3
Acting Credits
- My Wife and Kids (2005)
- The George Lopez Show as himself (2005)
- One on One (2005)
- Punk'd as himself (2005)
- System Within as Nick (2006)
- Yo Momma as himself (2006)
- Scary Movie 4 as himself (2006)
- Caramel as Kyle (2009)
- Speed-Dating as Kenneth (2009)
References
- ↑ "Chingy Biography". Jason Birchmeier. http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:wcfoxqy0ldhe~T1. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ↑ "Chingy official website". defjam.com. http://www.defjam.com/site/artist_bio.php?artist_id=671. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Shapiro, Peter (2005) The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop, Rough Guides, ISBN 1-84353-263-8, p. 60
- ↑ "Chingy Biography". FactMonster.com. http://www.factmonster.com/biography/var/chingy.html. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 St. Louis man sues Chingy over recording deal USATODAY.com
- ↑ RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) - Gold & Platinum
- ↑ "Chingy returns to old label for new album". PrefixMag.com. October 21, 2007. http://www.prefixmag.com/news/new-chingy-album-on-dtp/11981/. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ↑ http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.11693/title.tuesday-rap-release-dates-fabolous-ras-kass-usher
- ↑ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/iced-out-single/id368734550
- ↑ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/anythang-single/id369909547
- ↑ http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/down-thru-durr/id370626986?i=370626991
External links
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