Howard Bailey Jr.

(born March 9, 1980),[1][2] known professionally as Chingy, is an

American hip hop recording artist, record producer and actor. Chingy grew up in St.
Louis, Missouri and began rapping in his late teens. He 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, Success &
Failure, was released in 2010. In 2018, he made his official debut as a record
producer which he produced his own latest single “Sparks Fly” which debuted on July
4, 2018.

Contents
1 Early life
2 Music career
2.1 Early career
2.2 2003: Jackpot
2.3 2004–2005: Powerballin
2.4 2006: Hood Star
2.5 2007–2008: Hate It or Love It
2.6 2010–2013 No Risk, No Reward
2.7 2013–2014: "King Judah" and "Watch The World"
2.8 2017-present: Signing To Bungalo Records
3 Other ventures
3.1 Full Dekk Music Group
4 Discography
5 Filmography
5.1 Acting career
5.2 Film
5.3 Television
6 References
7 External links
Early life
Chingy grew up in Walnut Park, St. Louis, Missouri, a neighborhood he has referred
to as the "Bad Blocks."[3][4]

He began writing lyrics when he was 9 and was recording raps at 10. He was
originally known as H Thugz and was in the St. Louis 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.[5]

Chingy attended McCluer North High School in Florissant, Missouri, 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.[4]

Music career
Early career
Ludacris and his manager, Chaka Zulu, were quick to sign Chingy to their fledgling
Disturbing Tha Peace label. The up-tempo Southern hip hop track "Right Thurr"
gained popularity, peaking at number two on the Billboard Hot 100.
2003: Jackpot
Chingy's debut album Jackpot was released on July 15, 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 by the RIAA on March 21, 2005. He also was on one of the
George Lopez episodes as himself. The 8th song from his album "I Do" is featured on
the soundtrack for the 2004 video game Need for Speed: Underground 2.

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 chart, 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

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
was not released in the UK, marking Chingy's first album not to be released in the
country.