CD Reviews

Chingy

Hate It or Love It | Disturbing tha Peace

By BEN WESTHOFF | February 5, 2008

1.5 Stars

Chingy is the second-most-famous rapper from St. Louis, but he lacks Nelly’s je ne sais quoi and has never been much of an MC. He succeeded on his 2003 debut, Jackpot, through his charming Midwestern accent (“right thuuuuur”) and the nimble production from the Trak Starz. But the Trak Starz are nowhere to be seen on his fourth CD, and neither is the charm. “2 Kool 2 Dance” rips off “Lean Back”; “Roll on Em” is a poor man’s “Throw Some D’s.” Perhaps it’s his declining fortunes (his previous CD, Hoodstar, flopped) that have Chingy sounding defensive and irritable throughout, particularly on the title track, which he dedicates to “all the motherfuckers who don’t like me.” The rest of the time he brags about how rich he is, which won’t be true for much longer, if it’s even true now.

Related: On the racks: September 19, 2006, Healing power, All together now, More

Topics: CD Reviews , Hip-Hop and Rap, Music, Dirty South, More

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