Christopher Brian Bridges, known professionally as Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age nine, where he first began rapping. Starting out with a brief stint as a DJ, he formed his own record label, Disturbing tha Peace in the late 1990s to independently release his debut studio album Incognegro (1999). The album was re-released by Def Jam Recordings as his major label debut, Back for the First Time (2000) after its single, "What's Your Fantasy", became a top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. The latter album peaked at number four on the Billboard 200 and spawned his second top 40 single, "Southern Hospitality".
Cornell Iral Haynes Jr., better known by his stage name Nelly, is an American rapper, singer, and actor. He grew up in St. Louis, Missouri, and embarked on his musical career in 1993 as a member of the Midwest hip hop group St. Lunatics. He signed with Universal Records in 1999 as a solo act to release his debut studio album, Country Grammar (2000) in June of the following year. Its namesake lead single and follow-up, "Ride wit Me" both entered the top ten of the Billboard Hot 100, while the album peaked atop the Billboard 200 and received diamond certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His second album, Nellyville (2002) spawned two consecutive Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, "Hot in Herre" and "Dilemma", along with the top-five single, "Air Force Ones".
Jermaine Dupri Mauldin is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, record producer, record executive, entrepreneur, and DJ. Raised in Atlanta as the son of Columbia Records executive Michael Mauldin, he began his career in music production at the age of nine. In 1991, he discovered the teen hip hop duo Kris Kross. Dupri wrote and produced their breakout 1992 single "Jump," which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was named the 23rd most successful song of that decade. He established his own record label, So So Def Recordings in a joint venture with Columbia the following year.
"Right Thurr" is the debut single of American rapper Chingy. Written alongside The Trak Starz. It was released on April 14, 2003, by Capitol Records, Priority Records, and Disturbing tha Peace as the lead single from his debut album, Jackpot (2003). The song received positive reviews from critics, who praised the production and Chingy's addictive delivery.
Torhi Harper better known by his stage name Murphy Lee, is an American rapper who is best known as a member of the St. Louis, Missouri-based hip hop group, St. Lunatics. Following the commercial success of group cohort Nelly in the early 2000s, Lee signed with his label Derrty Entertainment, an imprint of Universal Records to release his debut studio album, Murphy's Law (2003). It peaked at number eight on the Billboard 200 and was supported by the single "Shake Your Tailfeather", which peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 and was shared with the accompanying soundtrack to the 2003 film Bad Boys II.
Disturbing Tha Peace Records is an American record label founded by Jeff Dixon, Chaka Zulu, and Ludacris.
Powerballin' is the second studio album by the rapper Chingy, released on November 16, 2004, through Capitol Records and Chingy's Slot-A-Lot label. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 172 with first week sales of 7,000 copies in the US, but then climbed to number 10 with another 120,000 copies sold in the following week. It has since been certified Platinum by the RIAA for shipping over a million copies in the US. The song "I Do" was used in the video game Need for Speed: Underground 2.
Jackpot is the debut studio album by American rapper Chingy. It was released on July 15, 2003, by Capitol Records, The Trak Starz's Trak Starz imprint, and Ludacris's Disturbing Tha Peace. Anchored by the smash single "Right Thurr", this album also had two other hits, "Holidae In" featuring Ludacris and Snoop Dogg, and "One Call Away" featuring J-Weav. The album was produced by the Trak Starz except for "Bagg Up", which was produced by Da Quiksta. The enhanced version of the album features the uncut video of "Right Thurr".
"One Call Away" is a song by American rapper Chingy, featuring actor Jason Weaver singing the chorus, credited as J-Weav. It was released as the third and final single off his debut album, Jackpot (2003), on January 12, 2004. It was released through Capitol Records and Ludacris's Disturbing tha Peace label. The song peaked at number two on the US Billboard Hot 100, became a number-one hit on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart for three weeks, and peaked at numbers three and six on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs and Mainstream Top 40 charts, respectively. It also reached the top 40 in Australia, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. A video for the single was released that featured actress Keisha Knight-Pulliam and streetball player Philip "Hot Sauce" Champion.
"Welcome to Atlanta" is a 2002 hip hop song by Jermaine Dupri featuring Ludacris. It was released in 2002 as the second single released from Dupri's 2001 album Instructions and also appeared as a hidden track on Ludacris' second album, Word of Mouf. The song praises Dupri and Ludacris's hometown of Atlanta, Georgia. It samples "Five Minutes Of Funk" by Whodini, as well as "Do It Baby" by The Miracles.
"Holidae In" is a song by American rapper Chingy featuring Ludacris and Snoop Dogg. It was released on August 25, 2003, by Capitol Records and Ludacris's Disturbing tha Peace record label as the second single off his debut album Jackpot (2003). Produced by the duo the Trak Starz, the release garnered positive reviews from critics who praised the performances. In 2020, Entertainment Weekly wrote that the legacy of the song was that increased the "coolness factor" of Holiday Inn, hotel chain based in Atlanta, and owned by the hospitality company, Intercontinental Hotels Group.
Hoodstar is the third studio album by the hip hop artist Chingy, following the release of Powerballin'. Released on September 19, 2006, the disc is split into two sides with different musical styles. While the "Hood" segment has the tracks "Hands Up" and "Cadillac Door", "Star" has more uptempo and club-oriented tracks like "Brand New Kicks" and "Dem Jeans". The guest features are by Three 6 Mafia, Chopper and Chingy's cousin Young Spiffy. The album was produced by Jermaine Dupri, Timbaland, the Trak Starz, Mannie Fresh, Mr. Collipark and the dance group Hoodstarz, among others. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number 9 with first week sales of 77,000 copies in the US. It was certified Gold by RIAA for shipping over 500,000 copies in the US.
Lawrence Franks Jr., better known by his stage name Huey, was an American rapper from St. Louis, Missouri. Originally signed to Jive Records, Huey was best known for his 2006 single, "Pop, Lock & Drop It".
"Pullin' Me Back" is a song by American rapper Chingy, released as the first single from his third album Hoodstar. The song features actor/R&B singer Tyrese singing the chorus with production by Jermaine Dupri. The track employs a synthesized sample of SWV's 1998 single " Rain" The video was retired on 106 & Park after being on the countdown for 65 days. The song peaked at number nine on the Billboard Hot 100, making it his fourth and final top ten single. It peaked at number one on the R&B chart, where it was his first number-one single.
"Dem Jeans" is a song by American rapper Chingy. It's the second and final single off his third album Hoodstar (2006). The song is produced by and features rapper Jermaine Dupri. The song peaked at number 59 on the Billboard Hot 100, his first single to not reach the top 40 on that chart. It did better on the Hot Rap Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts respectively. Bun B & David Banner made cameo appearances in the promotional video. "Dem Jeans" was heard on the 100th episode of "CSI: Miami," the fourth episode of the fourth season of "The O.C." and in the 2007 film Norbit.
"Don't Worry" is a song by American rapper Chingy with guest vocals from singer Janet Jackson, released as the second promotional single from his second album Powerballin', which sold over two million copies worldwide and served as the follow-up to his debut album Jackpot. A music video was not filmed.
"Balla Baby" is a song by American rapper Chingy. It was released as the lead single from his second album, Powerballin' (2004). It garnered a mixed reception from critics, was the only single from the album to be released worldwide, and reached number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100 and number 34 on the UK Singles Chart. A music video by Jeremy Rall was made to promote the single that features Chingy inside a pinball machine that's named after the album's title. The remix features Lil Flip and Boozie of G.I.B. and a music video was made for the remix.
The Trak Starz are an American hip hop songwriting and record production duo from St. Louis, composed of Alonzo "Zo" Lee Jr. and Shamar "Sham" Daugherty.
American record producer Jermaine Dupri has released several music videos, working with various directors. He has also been featured in several music videos, making cameo appearances for other prominent recording artists. Dupri also presented the Lifetime talent show, The Rap Game making it his television production.
St. Louis ("Blues") Bounce is a hip-hop music sound made popular in the first decade of the 2000s by hip-hop artists and musical production teams in St. Louis, Missouri.
