St. Louis rapper Chingy joined Audacy's Princess Stormm in his hometown at Audacy's Hot 104.1 to talk about his most recent projects, proud parenthood, and just simply being "hurr" after 20+ years in the game.
LISTEN NOW: Chingy with Princess Stormm
While STL rapper Chingy may have been "Right Thurr" for fans from his beginnings on 2003's Jackpot and all throughout his 20-year career, these days he's been, "In and out of town... shows, traveling all over the place," he tells Princess Stormm. "It's beautiful, I'm fortunate, and it's great. But I'm back here. 'I'm hurr.'"
Touching on his well known St. Louis accent, Chingy admits, "growing up hurr, I can't even say 'here.' I don't even know how to say 'here.' I can't do it, I'm used to saying 'hurr.' Some people used to think it was a gimmick, like I was trying to do that... but that's how we talk. I think this is just how we grew up speaking with our parents and relatives who spoke like that. We just endured it."
Celebrating 20 years since his debut Jackpot is special in many ways, "a beautiful thing," he says. Especially "coming from where I come from, and being six years old wanting to get in the music industry, and just praying one day that you can get in and you can sell some records, you could be successful."
It's been a "dream come true," says Chingy, "to get to this point where it's been 20 years and I'm actually celebrating the 20-year anniversary of the 'Jackpot' album with a lot of those hit records right there, 'Holidae In,' 'One Call Away,' 'Gettin' It' -- just that album period... Still to this day, those songs be trending. Every year there's something going on with those records."
He attributes the younger generation catching wind of his music to their parents who raised them on the songs and culture that they grew up with. "Some don't know," he admits, "but I've had little kids 10 years old come up to me and say to me I'm their favorite rapper. I was just thinking to myself, like, 'Damn. You weren't even thought of when I came out, at all.' They'll tell me, 'my mom plays your music, I always listen to it.' It's a cool thing."
"Waking up every day, breathing every day," and simply being 'hurr' is what keeps Chingy going on a daily basis he admits. "I got kids -- two boys, two girls -- and they give me jobs." Chingy asks proudly, "Are you familiar with a show on Netflix called 'Family Reunion'? The boy, Shaka on there, that's my son [Isaiah Russell-Bailey]. He's [also] starring in a new film on Disney called 'Crater' that just dropped."
"They keep me motivated," Chingy says of his four children. "Now I'm independent," he adds, "and I just dropped 'Chinglish' on June 16, which is Tupac's birthday." Chinglish, he says is doing exceptionally well on his own 369 Creative Mind imprint. "The people are just appreciating the music and appreciating me after these 20 years," says Chingy. "I just stay motivated with the love that I get."
Catch up with Chingy in his full interview with Princess Stormm at Hot 104.1 in St. Louis above, and stay tuned for even more conversations with your favorite artists right here on Audacy.
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