Chingy
In 2003 you could not get away from "Right Thurr" — St. Louis for "right there," stretched into one of the stickiest hooks of the decade. Chingy went from opening for Nelly to a number-two single and a multi-platinum debut album, and for a moment St. Louis had two of the biggest rappers on pop radio.
Chingy was born Howard Earl Bailey Jr. on March 9, 1980, and grew up in the Walnut Park East neighborhood of St. Louis. His break came in 2002, when he toured as an opening act for the city's reigning star, Nelly. That same year Ludacris and his manager, Chaka Zulu, signed him to their Disturbing tha Peace label.
"Right Thurr," his debut single, arrived in 2003 and climbed to number two on the Billboard Hot 100, its title a St. Louis pronunciation turned into a hook. The album, Jackpot, followed on July 15, 2003. Ludacris hadn't been able to secure distribution through Def Jam, so it went out through Capitol Records instead, produced by the St. Louis crew the Trak Starz. It peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, was certified double platinum by February 2004, and kept the singles coming: "Holidae In," with Snoop Dogg and Ludacris, and "One Call Away," featuring J-Weav.
The run continued for a while. Powerballin' (November 16, 2004) reached number ten, also went platinum, and produced "Balla Baby"; Hoodstar (2006) reached number nine and gave him another top-ten single in "Pullin' Me Back," featuring Tyrese. Along the way the hometown relationship frayed. Chingy had been unhappy with the lack of promotion he got on the 2002 tour, and reports at the time had Nelly irritated that Chingy signed with Ludacris so soon after it ended.
The fourth album, Hate It or Love It (2007), marked a commercial decline, and the fifth, Success & Failure (2010), failed to chart. But the 2003 version of Chingy is preserved perfectly in that one word, pronounced that one way.
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