For nearly two decades rap star Chingy has been a part of an exclusive fraternity of St. Louis rappers that represent the city’s hip-hop community on a global scale.
“You can see people like Nelly, Huey, Murph, J-Kwon – everybody who came out from St. Louis – they had their own thing,” Chingy said. “Nobody was trying to be like anybody else. We all understood that we had to be different to rise.”
Since the days when he was known as Howard Bailey Jr., Chingy decided that he would live life on stage like his biggest influence, Michael Jackson. He started performing at the tender age of 10. Thirty years later, the exchange that happens between him and an audience delivers the same indescribable feeling. Listening to Eazy-E helped him find his voice as a hip-hop artist. Several years later, he exploded on the scene under the mentorship of Atlanta rapper Ludacris in the early 2000s. Ludacris signed Chingy to his newly formed Disturbing Tha Peace label, which paid off for them both with the release of Chingy’s double-platinum debut album “Jackpot.” The record was spearheaded by the smash hit “Right Thurr.”
“It’s been a long ride and I appreciate everyone who has stuck with me through the ups and the downs,” Chingy said.
Next week he will be releasing his latest studio album “Crown Jewels,” and if his single “Invincible” is any indicator of what he will be bringing with his latest project – fans can ready themselves for a bop.
In the video for “Invincible,” Chingy is giving vintage LL Cool J vibes – both in the aesthetic and with his flow.
“I went back to a lot of the hip-hop from the early days,” Chingy said.
He paid homage to LL in the cadence, and the message in the song’s lyrical content pays further tribute to the birthplace of hip-hop.
For “Crown Jewels,” he looked to the likes of conscious rappers such as Poor Righteous Teachers, Africa Bambaataa and Boogie Down Productions for inspiration.
“A lot of those artists had music that was conscious, with messages about knowing yourself,” Chingy said. “This project has a lot to do with that. It’s called ‘Crown Jewels’ because of the pineal gland – what they call the third eye, and what I call the first eye – it’s the gland gave birth to these two physical eyes. They say it is like the seat of the soul and a spiritual guide.”
Attaining a certain level of consciousness has helped Chingy through the obstacle courses on his journey as a hip-hop star. From falsehoods about his personal life and unwarranted mass hateration from others within the industry, he has made rising above the drama others attempt to insert into his life look easy over the years.
“My response to all of that is what happens when know yourself on the inside,” Chingy said. “We are all writing this book of life. And somebody might be jotting you down in their book as a character that you don’t represent. You know that’s not you, so there’s really no reason to entertain that. While they are over there telling lies, just keep it moving.”
Part of it is par for the course for celebrities. He’s seen other successful people try to bring him down. He was a target of Charlamagne Tha God back when the media personality was a sidekick for Wendy Williams’ syndicated radio show.
“I’m human, so I will have my moments where stuff will affect me, but I don’t let that get me down,” Chingy said. “People need something to talk about – they are going to keep your name in their mouth. But I know who I am. So, I’m not going to bicker back and forth with somebody who doesn’t’ know me, and is saying this, this and that. The truth eventually comes out. I don’t pay attention to ignorance. Ignorance to me is like a drug. I take the pathway of knowledge and wisdom.”
He can’t wait to share the wisdom of “Crown Jewels” and considers the opportunities that have come his way through music a blessing – especially the opportunity to show a generation that representing rap music and St. Louis in the mainstream was possible.
“I recall being from St. Louis and thinking that it wouldn’t happen for us, thinking ‘ain’t nobody checking for us here [in hip hop],” Chingy said. “But I kept on and kept grinding and eventually it happened. I’m living proof that dreams do come true.
I’m living proof that your goals can come true. I’m living proof that whatever it is in life you want to do, if you just work at it and strive for it that it can happen.”
Chingy’s “Crown Jewels” will be available on all music platforms on Friday, July 31. He can be found on social media at @ChingyFulldekk on Twitter and https://www.facebook.com/ChingyFulldekk/ and @Chingy on Instagram.
