Chingy gets the party started with the next single, “U A Freak,” a Hindi/Hip Hop nod to the Janet Jackson classic “Nasty.” “This is a club record,” he says. “Every woman and man says they’re not a freak, but then they hit the dance floor and everybody is bumping and grinding. Everyone’s got some freak in them.”
He continues getting his freak on with the dance-floor anthem “Ass N Da Aurr,” featuring Chingy’s cousin Young Spiffy with beats by Sanchez. Says Chingy, “That’s a grown up sexy song. You can play it at the 18 and older club and the 35 and older club. It appeals to everybody.”
Next, Chingy turns his attention to his favorite accessory—kicks. He claims to own over 4,000 pairs of sneakers, so when Poli Paul sent him a sample of Jay-Z rhyming “Nike Airs and Crispy Ts”, the lyrics resonated with him. Putting his own St. Louis twist on it (Airs became Aurrs), he captures a day in the life of a Hoodstar to a T.
The album takes a harder turn with the bass-thumping “Club Getting Crowded,” a 100% crunk-proof record that Chingy says was inspired by hanging out at clubs in Memphis with Three 6 Mafia. “You know how you can be at a club and a certain song comes on and everybody just goes haywire?” he asks. “That’s what this record is.”
On the romantic tip, Chingy serves up the smart and sexy “Let Me Luv You.” Timbaland provides the stuttering, bass-heavy sonics, while Chingy waxes poetic about lust at first sight. He sets the scene for us: “You’re at a lounge,
chilling, and you see a young lady that just catches your attention. And you would do anything for her right there on the spot.”
Perhaps the album’s most important cut is “Cadillac Door”, which details the struggles in the ghetto. When Chingy first heard the chorus, he was deeply moved. “It meant a lot to me personally,” he says. “With all I’ve gone through— rapping when no one was showing me love and watching people close to me pass away—that’s a real serious song for me.” He says the overall message of the song is the same one he uses to navigate his own life: “Keep it positive and don’t let negativity get you down.”
In fact, it’s this spirit of positivity and his desire to give back to the community that caused Chingy to launch the Chingy for Change Foundation with his mother. The foundation gives college scholarships to disadvantaged youth, feeds the homeless, and sponsors toy drives. “It’s all about helping folks with their dreams and enabling them to do things they normally wouldn’t have the chance to do,” Chingy says.
Protection - we do a lot of it these days. Sun cream for our skin, sunglasses for our eyes, condoms for you know where - but do you remember to protect your hearing?
Click to find all the information you need to look after your hearing now so you can enjoy music for years to come
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