And so he had a way with words. At age 8, he wrote his first rhyme. Four years later, he was a regular at local talent shows and battle rap sessions that would later evolve into Nelly's St. Lunatics posse.

chingy's musical influences

His flair for music and rhymes is understandable. He grew up with music, adoring such artists as Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, and the Temptations. "Music made me think and party," recalls Bailey. "I wanted to express myself like those artists were. Talking on a record sounded like a good idea to me."

He christened himself H. Thugs and later Thugsy. Not wanting to be associated to thugs, however, he settled on "Chingy" as his artist moniker, because it "had a nice ring to it."

chingy goes on tour with nelly

And so did he, as rapper Ludacris thought, signing Chingy to his Disturbing Tha Peace label. Soon he went on tour with Nelly, where he learned, first-hand, the life of a hip-hop star and the mechanics of self-promotion.

In the summer of 2003, Chingy released his first single. "Right Thurr" became an overnight club anthem with beats and lyrics that were on everyone's lips. What does "Right Thurr" signify? It's that instinctive fire that lights up in every man at the sight of a beautiful woman.

In Chingy's own words: "It's the man's addiction to that woman, when he sees her walk past, how he wants that woman and wishes he could have that woman, just get to know her name at least."

The song was crowned Billboard's No. 1 Top Hot Rhythmic Top 40 Track of 2003.

chingy goes platinum

"Right Thurr" was a steady Top 40 hit that helped his debut album Jackpot shoot to double platinum status. A collaboration with Snoop Dogg and Ludacris made his second single, "Holidae In," another chart topper. "One Call Away," a song showing his more sensitive side to the ladies, became a Top 10 hit in February 2004.

It was then that his established success took him on tour with Dirty South star Ludacris. With a Soul Train Music Award for R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist in March, Chingy helped establish St. Louis as a true hip-hop powerhouse.

His second album, which he titled Power Ballin', is due out in October 2004. By then, he'll already have teased us with "Baller Baby."

What else do you need to know?

Going on the road with Nelly in 2002 paid tremendous dividends for Chingy, the newest member of Ludacris' Disturbing Tha Peace family. The St. Louis rapper studied Nelly's every move and learned the ins and outs of artist promotion. "I watched how everything goes," Chingy says. "From meet and greets, tour buses and backstage, I was new to all that."

Influenced by LL Cool J, Run DMC, DJ Quik, Snoop Dogg, Nelly, Ludacris and others, Chingy quickly built a solid reputation in St. Louis and earned himself a slot opening for Nelly in 2002.

Now, Chingy is ready to put his experience to work with his explosive debut album entitled Jackpot. A sizzling collection of celebratory selections that focus on having fun and beautiful women, Chingy is sure to get the party started.

Already enjoying radio and club play in Atlanta and St. Louis, single "Right Thurr" features Chingy rapping over a thick, percolating beat about the type of woman that will always catch a man's eye, even if he isn't looking. "Say you're riding, doing well and then you see a girl that blows your mind," he says. "You've got to have that ÔRight Thurr.' You want to follow her."

Odds are, women will want to follow Chingy after hearing this addictive cut. "She threw it at me like a shortstop," Chingy boasts on the song, and with this type of hit to his credit, there's no reason why women wouldn't.

Chingy then teams with Murphy Lee of the St. Lunatics on "Sample Dat Ass," an irresistible club track with blips and stutter scratches that will have every dancefloor in a frenzy. The heavy bass and stuttery beat of "Hit the Club" works well with Chingy's festive lyrics about dancing and parties.

If Chingy sounds like a natural rhyming on these types of club cuts, it's because he enjoys being out and about, having fun. "I be clubbing and kicking it and that part of my personality just comes out when I'm making my music," he explains. "I'm a fun person. I try not to get down about things. That's why the club songs, you're going to get them a lot from me."

But Chingy knows that there's more to life than partying. To this end, he delivers "Let's Get Ends." Here, he retraces his steps as an aspiring rapper. Hip-hop fans will notice that the "Let's Get Ends" chorus plays off the chorus of Whodini's classic "Friends" singles, one of Chingy's favorite songs.

Elsewhere, Chingy teams up with Disturbing Tha Peace members I-20 and Titty Boy on the boast-heavy "Where You From" and shouts out virtually every major city in America on "Chingy Jackpot."

Regardless of topic, Chingy makes a point to keep his lyrics lively and relevant since he knows that good writing helps strong songs become hits. "I try to write clever," he says. "You've got to write clever in order to make sure everything flows from one sentence to the next."

As Chingy flows, it's the production work of Trak Starz that makes his music magical. Also from St. Louis, the Trak Starz were discovered by Disturbing Tha Peace executive Chaka Zulu. Even though Chingy and Trak Starz knew each other from the St. Louis hip-hop circuit, Zulu put them together officially and the results, as evidenced throughout Jackpot, are masterful.

"They're the best producers right now," Chingy says. "They're steaming hot and they've got a different sound. It's an edgy, rough, street calligraphy sound."

Growing up in St. Louis, Chingy saw plenty of edgy and rough situations. But, he chose not to dwell on the negative that sometimes greeted him in his native Walnut Park section of the North Side of St. Louis. Instead, Chingy maintained a deft balance of the streets and school before deciding to dedicate himself to rapping.

By the time he was 8, Chingy was a mainstay in St. Louis recording studios. Recording came naturally to Chingy, a life-long music fan. "I love the sound of music," he says. "I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, the Temptations. Music made me think, and party. I wanted to express myself like those artists were. Talking on a record sounded like a good idea to me."

Even though Chingy knew he wanted to be a rapper, he had a hard time deciding on his stage name. Thugsy and H Thugs were his original choices, but he had second thoughts. "I didn't want to be known as a thug," he says. "My friends would say that Chingy had a nice ring to it."

So does his music.