Chingy is adamant that he does not care how he may be perceived by others. He’s just focused on the music. In conversation, it’s clear he doesn’t feed into negativity. In fact, he’d like to distance himself from it as much as he can. He only prioritizes his own opinions, and that mindset inspires him to continue making music for those who both like and dislike him.
It’s a sentiment that can be heard throughout his new single, “Can’t Blame Me,” which will be released on August 26. The three-minute single shines with Chingy’s signature southern, hard-hitting flow that pairs seamlessly with a Fresco Kane-produced beat that sounds like something out of the early aughts instead of the current moment. “Can’t Blame Me” is the rapper’s proclamation that he won’t be hindered by previous missteps (which include industry beefs and a tumultuous exit from Ludacris’ Disturbing tha Peace record label). He’s focused on the future.
Get a guide to the region’s booming music scene
Subscribe to the St. Louis Music newsletter to discover upcoming concerts, local artists to watch, and more across an eclectic playlist of genres.
The track is the lead single for his forthcoming album, Chinglish, which is due early next year. “Dat Good,” another single on the album that features Fresco Kane, is an R&B-tinged track that Chingy says will remind listeners of his 2006 single “Pullin’ Me Back.” On another forthcoming track, “Ballin,” he raps about the importance of being spiritually fulfilled.
“It’s for all walks of life,” says the artist about the new music. “I don’t want people to think they’re just going to hear trap. This isn’t that. They’re going to get a real experience listening to this project. It’s a great album.”
Chingy skyrocketed to the top of the charts in 2003 with the release of his classic hit “Right Thurr.” The trap-infused song was foundational for the St. Louis version of southern snap music that was popularized in the early 2000s. (Other notable examples include Huey’s “Pop, Lock & Drop It,” J-Kwon’s “Tipsy,” and Jibbs’ “Chain Hang Low.”) It was the lead single for the rapper’s debut studio album, Jackpot, which boasted other fan favorites such as “Holidae In” and “One Call Away.” The album debuted at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and went on to sell more than two million copies.
Next year marks the 20th anniversary of the album and single, but Chingy doesn’t get too caught up in nostalgia. He just wants to continue making new music with the same fervor that he did 20 years ago. The 42-year-old rapper says his new album features a fresh mix of motivational records and club tracks reminiscent of those that made him famous in 2003.
With the new single out soon and a full album on the horizon, the rapper talked to St. Louis Magazine about his legacy, moving on from past mistakes, and what else people can expect from his upcoming music.
What was the inspiration behind “Can’t Blame Me?”
The inspiration behind that was just a lot of trials and tribulations, dealing with a lot of sabotaging situations throughout my career, dealing with a lot of false rumors and a lot of false individuals who appear to be friendly in your face but really behind your back, they’re backstabbers and jealous. [It was about] just a lot of pitfalls going through these obstacles with accumulating a certain [level of] fame and money. That was really the driving force in this song, “Can’t Blame Me.” When I stopped dealing with those types of people, those types of situations, removed myself from those types of environments—you can’t blame me. Because it’s for the betterment of me, and that’s where that comes from.
“Can’t Blame Me” is produced by Fresco Kane. What was it like partnering with him for this song?
Fresco Kane is an associate of mine. He’s from the east side of St. Louis. He started off with the stage name Gena. In 2004, he had a locally played song called “Dope Boy Fresh.” I didn’t know who Fresco Kane was, I just knew he was from the area and had a nice record on the radio, so I took it upon myself to get on it just because I liked it. He didn’t ask me to. I just got on the record, and that was just me being me and wanting to help people. From that day forward, me and Fresco have always been cordial and became associates and friends. I’ve been over at his house working with him. We’ve worked everywhere together. As far as this song, though, this was one of the records where he sent me a beat and I finished the song in my studio.
What can people expect from the album?
I don’t want people to expect to hear what they hear on the radio all the time. I don’t want them to think they’re going to hear that. I don’t want them to think they’re going to hear something different from me as far as following the trends of trap music and all of that. I want people to know that the Chingy from “Right Thurr” and all of the other hit records, that’s what’s going on here. But you’re going to hear the growth and the wisdom from that individual coming of age as a grown man. You’re still going to get the party records here and there, but you’re going to get some empowering songs as well.
What does Chinglish mean to you?
Actually, this album, Chinglish, is multiple songs and records that have been worked on and come back to over many years. I hadn’t been comfortable with where I was musically. I’m not the type of artist who’s going to replicate or copy trends, so what you’re hearing today, all of this music now, I was struggling on the inside. Do I do the music like this, or do I continue to be me and be different this way? Well, I just chose to continue to be me and do it my way. I may sprinkle a little bit of modern sound into it, but that’s been a struggle I’ve been dealing with for a long time. I’ve put out music here and there over the years, but as far as an album, I wasn’t comfortable enough to say, “Okay, I’m pleased with this album. Let me put this out.”
Now I’m comfortable enough to put it out, and so Chinglish is just basically my language. It’s the language of me, myself, and I—my terminology and my truth. If you’ve paid attention, I’ve always had my own way of saying things like “thurr,” “hurr.” That’s how I talk. How people learn English in school, that’s why I just put it as “Chinglish,” because that’s what you’re learning—English from me.
Next year will be 20 years since the release of your debut album. How would you like Jackpot to be remembered, and were you surprised by how successful it became?
[“Right Thurr”] continues to become a [dance] challenge every year. It’s already remembered. They’ve been doing it since it came out. Those records are classic. People remind me of that all the time. Next year is just going to be another year, and it’ll be appreciated more. It’s not that the 20th anniversary is going to make a huge difference, because every year makes a huge difference for those records
I wasn’t surprised by the success. What people saw as an overnight hit or something in their eyes, it had already been literally almost 15 years in the making. That wasn’t no overnight stuff….I just didn’t know when it was going to happen. All the background unseen essence of the spiritual world saw the good in me and saw that I worked really hard…It was only a matter of time.
Do you feel like your legacy is underrated?
I don’t feel anything about it. I feel that I’ll just be me. I’ll just make music. I’m going to continue to do what I love to do. This has never been about money or anything like that for me. I love what I do. I’ve been loving what I do since I was a kid. Does it have its ups and downs, business-wise? Yes. The business side will make you dislike it, but if I wasn’t getting paid or anything, I’d still be doing this, because I love it. I don’t care how people view me, because they’re not what wakes me up in the morning to get me moving. I couldn’t care less about how people view me. Do I feel like I’m owed more from people in this industry? No, I don’t. I don’t feel less of anything. I just do what I love to do, do it how I know to do it, and just keep on moving.
