The St. Louis rapper Chingy has stated he's ready to battle other competitors before him. Making his first recording at age 10, Chingy has shaken hip-hop fanatics with his single "Right Thurr" released in 2003.

Before picked out the name 'Chingy', the rapper who born on March 9, 1980, went for several names, like 'Thugsy' and 'H. Thugs'. He decided to rename into 'Chingy', which is a slang for 'money', because he doesn't want to be labeled as gangster.

Chingy avoided trouble in streets and school and decided to do rap since he was aware of the rough neighborhood where he grew up. His decision to blend into rap was not a surprise as Chingy is keen on music. Chingy, whose real name is Howard Bailey Jr., is also familiar to recording as he spent hours in the studio. "I love the sound of music," he says. "I grew up listening to Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, the Tempations. 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."

Chingy recorded his words and as a result, his single "Right Thurr" (2003) soon became a happening one. The single has earned him a 2004 Source Award for Remix of the Year and Solo Artist Single of the Year. Moreover, the single also appeared in several soundtracks, such as on the video game "NBA Live 2004" and on Pixar CGI-animation movie "Robots" (2005).

Overwhelmed by the success of "Right Thurr," Chingy distributed his debut album "Jackpot" in 2003. "When I made Jackpot, that was just me in the studio just coming up with music every day," Chingy recalls. "I'm a partying, fun person. I like to go out, have a little fun and that album is basically about partying and having fun."

The artist later on continued to amaze the hip-hoppers as his second album "Powerballin" featuring the single "Balla Baby" was offered for sale in 2004. Regrettably, since the fame, Chingy felt that he doesn't have to be under his former mentor Ludacris' wings anymore. So he left the Disturbing Tha Peace Records, where he and his group GIB (Git It Boyz) recorded albums, and found his own label called Slot-O-Lot Records. As a result, forerunner Nelly heard Chingy's disrespect behavior and called a feud by throwing lyrics at him. Chingy in return also had his own version: "I'm tired of these guys - I'm talking about Ludacris and Nelly - I'm tired of these guys taking shots at me in all these interviews and songs [with] subliminal shots. Business is business. I'm the one who sold three million records, and I'm still getting money back that [Disturbing Tha Peace] had in their possession. Ludacris knows what I'm talking about�.

In 2006 the feud was ended and Chingy revealed that there was no hard feelings between him and Ludacris. Not long after that his third effort came out under the title �Hoodstar�. The album saw the rapper's alter ego that was projected in second style music. One side called �Hood� featured his signature style while the other one �Star� had music ready to be played in clubs. Still, Chingy gained triumph through this album by selling 77,000 copies in the first week of release. Two surprises came in 2007 as Chingy announced his return to Disturbing Tha Peace and a fourth album that spanned less than a year to the previous one. Titling the record �Love It or Hate It�, Chingy reached a point in his music career where he won't care whether people will accept him or not.