Chingy

Similar in style to fellow St. Louis pop-rapper Nelly, Chingy enjoyed a lot of success initially in his career, beginning with the summer 2003 smash hit "Right Thurr," yet he struggled to rival that success in subsequent years. Born Howard Bailey, Jr., on March 9, 1980, in St. Louis, MO, Chingy was signed by Atlanta rapper Ludacris, whose Disturbing the Peace label released "Right Thurr" as the lead single to Jackpot (2003). "Right Thurr" became a quick hit, getting a lot of airplay and breaking into the Top Five of Billboard's Hot 100. Jackpot spawned two additional Top Five hits, "Holidae In" and "One Call Away," but an ensuing dispute between Chingy and Disturbing the Peace resulted in a seperation of the rapper from the label. Powerballin' (2004), Chingy's second album, was released by Capitol and failed to rival the success of its predecessor; its lead single, "Balla Baby," stalled at number 20 and its follow-up single, "Don't Worry," failed to even crack the Hot 100. Hoodstar (2006) was relatively more successful, led by the Top Ten hit "Pullin' Me Back," though the album itself fell well short of platinum sales status (in comparison, Jackpot had gone triple platinum). Chingy resolved his differences with Disturbing the Peace thereafter and returned to the label for his next album, Hate It Or Love It (2007). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide