Videos: Chingy
Howard Bailey, Jr. (born March 9, 1980), 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. 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. An album entitled Success & Failure was released in 2010 and was Chingy's first Independent album ever released. Currently Chingy has been working on his new upcoming project No Risk No Reward a digital release on 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. At the age of 23, Chingy began dating a Euro-Indian model by the name of Aposia. The two have been seen multiple times together in his hometown of St.Louis.
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 local st. louis, MO.
group Without Warning on 49 Productions with M.G.D. & Mysphit. They
had a pretty big local hit, What's Poppin Off & even had a video
for it. Their self-titled album ft. Spice-1 on the track 49 to the Yay.
H Thugz later chose the alias Chingy, a slang term for money.[3][4]
[edit] Music career
[edit] Early career
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.
[edit] 2003: Jackpot
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.
[edit] 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.
[edit] 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]
[edit] 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.
[edit] 2011-present: No Risk No Reward
Chingy is working on his 6th studio album called "No Risk No Reward" which
is said to be released sometime in 2011. "Superhero" featuring
Full Dekk artist Chris Woodhouse is the first single from the album.
[edit] 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" & "The George Lopez Show". 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" .
[edit] Discography
Main article: Chingy discography
Studio albums
* 2003: Jackpot
* 2004: Powerballin'
* 2006: Hoodstar
* 2007: Hate It or Love It
* 2010: Success & Failure
* 2011: No Risk No Reward
[edit] Filmography
Chingy at the Internet Movie Database
Films
* The System Within (2006) as Nick
* Scary Movie 4 (2006) as himself
* Psycho Sleepover (2008) as Pizza Man
* Speed-Dating (2010) as Kenneth
* Polish Bar (2010) as Fat Moe
Television
* My Wife and Kids (2005)
* The George Lopez Show (2005) as himself
* One on One (2005) as Taz
* Punk'd (2005) as himself
* Yo Momma (2006) as himself
* Caramel (2009) as Kyle