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

| More

ARTICLES BY BEN WESTHOFF

INTERVIEW: JAMIE FOXX | August 11, 2009
"Until you get a chance to define another side of your career, people will always say, 'You're doing it as a hobby.' "

INTERVIEW: JOHN LEGEND | August 05, 2009
Despite being one of the most successful R&B singers of the decade — with six Grammys and three top-selling albums — John Legend is something of an oddball.

SAY WHAT?! | September 02, 2008
Rapper Esoteric has been getting lots of death threats via e-mail recently. But he’s not too worried about them, if only because of their elementary character.

THE CALL OF THE WILD | July 28, 2008
It’s not easy being in a band whose two primary songwriters have quite different ideas about how to write an indie-rock song.

THE SILENT RAPPER | July 21, 2008
One of the most influential hip-hop MCs of all time, Rakim brought rap from its sing-songy beginnings into its late-’80s golden era with his dense lyrics and virtuoso internal rhyme structures.