Chingy

Chingy's debut album, Jackpot, rides into record stores on the strength of "Right Thurr," an insanely catchy single full of chest-swelling keyboard melodies. It sounds like the inside of a strip club full of Neptunes-inspired snare effects and lewd drum patterns that twirl and clap like dancers spinning on a pole. Mostly produced by the Trak Starz, it's remarkably consistent in quality, and each track glitters with libidinous energy while projecting a superficial glamour. The original pussymonger, L.A. producer DJ Quik (under the pseudonym "Da Quiksta"), contributes "Bagg Up," a luscious midtempo beat that harks back to early-'90s G-funk. The Trak Starz are the true star of Jackpot; Chingy's role, then, is to contribute the occasional sure-shot hook and ride its beats with fluffy rhymes that allude to pimping and other sex games. On "Right Thurr," he succeeds magnificently, slurring out "I like the way you do it right thurr" in a faux-British accent with all the charisma of Dana Dane. Less appealing is "Chingy Jackpot," in which an anonymous female vocalist dispenses with political correctness and asks, "Chingy, why your eyes so chinky?" Otherwise, it's hip-pop as usual here. Like mentor Ludacris, who lends help with Snoop Dogg on the pounding "Holidae In," this St. Louis-based member of the Disturbing the Peace crew is unafraid of making candy-coated songs that might play on the radio if they weren't so dirty.