Chingy: Jackpot
In the grand typographical tradition of Nelly's "Hot in Herre," Chingy's "Right Thurr" -- that's "Right There," if you aren't from St. Louis -- is already one of the party anthems of summer 2003. It's kinda dumb (OK, really dumb), but it's hard to resist, which pretty much sums up the secret to Nelly's multiplatinum success. Chingy, who also hails from St. Louis, has got Nelly's lightweight hip-hop act down, right to those drawled-out "rr"s. In fact, Chingy goes so overboard with this, you wanna tell the guy to buy a vowel on "He's Herre" and "Wurrs My Cash," which is more fun to say than it is to listen to. Chingy's not one to trouble himself with originality, and his debut -- 13 tracks, three unnecessary skits, and a "Right Thurr" remix featuring Jermaine Dupri and Trina -- pretty much plagiarizes every hip-hop gimmick of recent years. A member of Ludacris's Disturbing tha Peace crew, Chingy has lots of Dirty South bass and bounce to mask the fact that he doesn't have a lot to say. From the pimp poses of "Wurrs My Cash" to the booty-obsessed "Sample Dat Ass," it's all been said before, and in far more interesting ways. The only song to break formula is "One Call Away," in which Chingy almost sounds sincere about letting a new relationship develop slowly. Production by the Trak Starz has its moments, but they've got to expand their collection of hooks before they can give the Neptunes or Missy Elliott and Timbaland a run for their money.
