Chingy: Jackpot : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Chingy did the math: If fellow St. Louis native Nelly can have a national party anthem with "Hot in Herre" by adding an extra r to the title, think of the windfall you could get from a record with three extra r's ("He's Herre," "Wurrs My Cash" and the catchy single "Right Thurr"), plus an unnecessary d ("Madd @ Me") and g ("Bagg Up"). Chingy's debut, Jackpot, sounds immediately familiar, thanks to a smart mix of regional influences. Chingy is a member of Ludacris' Atlanta-based Disturbing Tha Peace crew, and parts of Jackpot betray Southern-crunk tendencies: "Gettin' It," with its imposing bass-synth line, and "Holidae In," a chugging track about partying hard at one of America's finest hotel chains. There's also some West Coast flavor courtesy of Snoop Dogg (guesting on "Holidae In"), production from DJ Quik and an extraneous pimp skit.

Mostly, though, Jackpot glides on the extra-springy, hand-clap-happy beats of Chingy's hometown, with St. Louis production team the Trak Starz creating most of the grooves and Nelly providing the inspiration. Taken all together,Jackpot is short on depth, but it's a ride with some hitworthy moments and plenty of bounce.

RONI SARIG
(RS 928, August 7, 2003)