Hoodstar [PA] (CD - 2006)

With two smash singles in his pocket, midwestern rapper Chingy returns with his third LP, HOODSTAR. Sticking to the formula of his earlier success, the St. Louis native and former Ludacris protege comes with more than a few possible club anthems, delivering a slew of aggressive gangsta scenarios, sex rhymes, and catchy hooks dedicated to booty shakin' and his superior fashion sense. Stylistically, Ching-a-Ling owes a lot to Nelly, as both share the same melodic rise-and-fall flow, the same penchant for bouncy club beats, and the same St. Louis twang. But with heavy help from beatmakers Mannie Fresh, Jermaine Dupri, and Timbaland, as well as cameos from Three 6 Mafia, Spiffy, and the ultimate hypeman in Fatman Scoop, Chingy manages to keep things interesting.

Only two singles came from Chingy's second album, 2004's Powerballin', neither of which matched the successes or strengths of Jackpot's "Right Thurr" and "One Call Away." Hoodstar only makes it all the more apparent that the St. Louis MC's overnight popularity was like lightning in a bottle. Like a number of rap albums from the distant and recent past (Cassidy's Split Personality, for instance), Hoodstar is broken into sections with themes, but the themes in this case -- the "hood" side and the "star" side -- aren't all that distinct. The hood side has songs titled "Hands Up" and "Nike Aurr's & Crispy Tee's," while the star side has songs titled "Ass N da Aurr" and "Brand New Kicks," so we're not exactly dealing with a modern-day Death Certificate. Once again, Chingy does his best to balance his softer side (which he still does best, as in the Tyrese feature "Pullin' Me Back") with unconvincing menace (as in "Club Gettin' Crowded," where the presence of Three 6 Mafia only makes him seem all the more out of his league). The club tracks fall flat and pale in comparison to "Right Thurr." Timbaland, Jermaine Dupri, Mr. Collipark, Mannie Fresh, Kwamé, and longtime collaborators Trak Starz make for an impressive lineup of producers, but it's obvious that few of them gave Chingy the first, second, or even third pick of their beats. ~ Andy Kellman

Only two singles came from Chingy's second album, 2004's Powerballin', neither of which matched the successes or strengths of Jackpot's "Right Thurr" and "One Call Away." Hoodstar makes it more apparent that the St. Louis MC's overnight popularity was like lightning in a bottle. Like a number of rap albums from the distant and recent past (Cassidy's Split Personality, for instance), Hoodstar is broken into sections with themes, but the themes in this case -- the "hood" side and the "star" side -- aren't all that distinct. The hood side has songs titled "Hands Up" and "Nike Aurr's & Crispy Tee's," while the star side has songs titled "Ass N da Aurr" and "Brand New Kicks," so we're not exactly dealing with a modern-day Death Certificate. Once again, Chingy does his best to balance his softer side (which he still does best, as in the Tyrese feature "Pullin' Me Back") with some menace (as in the Three 6 Mafia feature "Club Gettin' Crowded"). Timbaland, Jermaine Dupri, Mr. Collipark, Mannie Fresh, Kwamé, and longtime collaborators Trak Starz make for an impressive lineup of producers. ~ Andy Kellman minimize