Chingy
| Chingy | |
|---|---|
| Birth name | Howard Bailey, Jr. |
| Born | March 9, 1980 |
| Origin | St. Louis, Missouri, United States |
| Genres | Hip hop |
| Occupations | Rapper, entrepreneur, actor |
| Years active | 1997 – present |
| Labels | Disturbing Tha Peace, Capitol, Def Jam, Slot-A-Lot, Full Dekk |
| Associated acts | Lil' Flip, DTP, Steph Jones, Soulja Boy |
| Website | www.fulldekk.com |
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. 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 and simplistic lyrics delivered in a sing-song, nursery rhyme style. 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 studio album entitled Success & Failure was released in 2010.
As of 2011, Chingy has been working on his new upcoming project No Risk No Reward which will be released under his label Slot-A-Lot Records and distributed by his newly signed label Full Dekk Music Group.
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Early life [edit]
Chingy grew up in the Walnut Park section of St. Louis, a neighborhood he has referred to as the "Bad Blocks."[2][3] He was the middle child with two older brothers and two younger sisters, along with other family. 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.
Chingy attended high school at Mccluer North in Florissant, MO which is a suburb of St.Louis. During high school he was known to his friends as "Howie" and he continues to prefer this name amongst close friends and family. [3][4]
Music career [edit]
Early career [edit]
Ludacris and his manager, Chaka Zulu, 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 [edit]
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' [edit]
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 [edit]
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".
2007-2008: Hate It or Love It [edit]
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."[5]
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 [edit]
Chingy is working on his fifth studio album called No Risk No Reward, which was said to be released sometime in 2012. "Superhero", which features Full Dekk Music Group's artist Chris Woodhouse, is the first single from the album. Chingy recently announced that he will be releasing a mixtape entitled Jackpot Back which will be released March 3rd.
Acting career [edit]
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" .
Discography [edit]
- Studio albums
- 2003: Jackpot
- 2004: Powerballin'
- 2006: Hoodstar
- 2007: Hate It or Love It
- 2010: Success & Failure
- 2013: No Risk No Reward
- Studio mixtape
- 2012 Jackpot Back[6]
- 2012 Chances Make Champions
Film [edit]
| Year | Name | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | The System Within | Nick | |
| 2006 | Scary Movie 4 | Himself (Credited as CHINGY) | |
| 2008 | Psycho | Pizza man | |
| 2010 | Speed-Dating | Kenneth | |
| 2010 | Polish Bar | Fat Moe |
Television [edit]
| Year | Name | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | My Wife and Kids | Himself | |
| 2005 | George Lopez | Himself | |
| 2005 | One on One | Taz | |
| 2005 | Punk'd | Himself | |
| 2006 | Yo Mamma | Himself | |
| 2009 | Caramel | Kyle |
References [edit]
- ^ "Chingy Biography". Jason Birchmeier. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ^ "Chingy official website". defjam.com. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ^ a b Shapiro, Peter (2005) The Rough Guide to Hip-Hop, Rough Guides, ISBN 1-84353-263-8, p. 60
- ^ "Chingy Biography". FactMonster.com. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
- ^ "Chingy returns to old label for new album". PrefixMag.com. October 21, 2007. Retrieved 2010-08-05.
- ^ "Chingy - Jackpot Back Hosted by DJ Noize // Free Mixtape @". Datpiff.com. Retrieved 2012-03-30.
External links [edit]
- Official website
- Chingy experiences rebirth on new label and album
- CHINGY BELIEVES IN HIS “SUPER” SINGLES
- RapReviews.com Featured Interview with Chingy
- CHINGY REVEALS WHAT KEPT PULLIN' HIM BACK FROM HIATUS
- CHINGY EXPLAINS WHY HE TOOK A 3-YEAR MUSIC HIATUS
- Chingy at the Internet Movie Database
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