Some critics of Chingy would’ve never believed that the former St. Louis teen-star would be one day delivering a third album on a major label. Perhaps like Cassidy, Chingy has evolved from a rapper birthed in a bubblegum fanbase, driven to the battle, then returning to his Pop sensibilities. As “Pulling Me Back” became a hit single of the star, Hoodstar may pull Chingy back to the forefront of mainstream rap.

Since he burst onto the scene in 2004 and 2005, Chingy has suffered some internal questions. His entourage-turned supporting rappers, Ghetto Boyz, claimed that the rapper had taken their publishing. Meanwhile, as the Nelly conflict resolved, others have whispered that many of Luda’s nameless jabs may be directed at the Disturbing Tha Peace defector. Chingy gets a chance to comment on these issues, as well as speak his peace about a widely discussed stage scene at the Adult Video News Awards. While Chingy’s music has often been kid-friendly, this feature’s for grown folks. Peep.

AllHipHop.com: Between Powerballin’ and Hoodstar, there’s a two-year gap. What was going on with you within that time?

Chingy: I still was working, man, I still was on the road and we just had to get some business straight like between the label and management. But I still was on the road working. I did a [Scary Movie 4] and I was setting up my record company Slot-A-Lot Records and getting business straight. I still was workin’ I was never just off doin’ nothin’.

AllHipHop.com: Would you consider making a transition into acting?

Chingy: I like the acting, but my thing is that I’d be trying to put together movies of my own. Like with the experience I had auditioning and not getting the part, I hate that. I would continue to do that if it’s a role I liked, but like right now, I’m in the development of writing scripts with my people and putting together scripts of my own.

AllHipHop.com: For you first two albums you focused on being at the forefront but do you wish that you had known more when you had put out your first two albums? Because then maybe you wouldn’t have felt the way you did when that situation happened with DTP…

Chingy: I wish I knew more about the business side then but I was just getting in it. I was more [about] enjoying having fun [and] living my dream. I didn’t understand [for the first album, but around my second album that’s when it became me being more involved and wanting to understand the business, because I didn’t want to get jerked around. If something [were to] go wrong then I didn’t want it to go to somebody else who is making me do wrong, I want them to blame me. I would rather be blamed for my mistakes rather than somebody else be blamed for my mistakes.

AllHipHop.com: When it came to your personal mission statement, did it change with every album that you made?

Chingy: Jackpot was really about makin’ some money and sellin’ some records ‘cause that was my goal, and it was one on them “introducing me” albums. Powerballin’ was more “okay, now that I’ve had a little success, lets have a lil’ fun and splurge a lil’ bit, and just enjoy the success I’ve been havin’.” And with this album, the third album, Hoodstar, [it’s] really about “okay, I come from the hood and dealing with my trials and tribulations with comin’ from the hood, and jugglin’ success.” It’s just basically all about not forgettin’ where I come from. I don’t try to compare each album I do, I don’t go to the studio and try to be like, “Well, I need to make this album better than the last album.” I just try to work hard and try to come up with good music and put out a good album you know? ‘Cause if I focus on trying to make this album better than the last one, I might not make it better than the last one because I’m focusing on that too much. I just go in there and do what I do and pretty much try to come out with some hits.

AllHipHop.com: Besides the business, is there something else that you would have done differently?

Chingy: I didn’t really have a lawyer. So that’s one thing I would have changed, I would have had an entertainment lawyer. And I would have been more involved in my career from the start. That’s the only thing I would have changed at that point because everything was going fine but I wasn’t more involved in my career to know what’s goin’ on, so that was basically the problem.

AllHipHop.com: In the entertainment business, there’s the highest peak and then there’s the lowest of the low. Would you say that you’ve seen both sides of the music industry so far?

Chingy: I can say I’ve seen both sides because the highest is you enjoying your success and trying to reach your high point. The lowest is someone trying to bring you down and try to take advantage of you, and not want to see you get to the top. So I can say I’ve seen the highest and the lowest as far as my mind is concerned.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s talk about the feud between you and Ghetto Boyz. What happened?

Chingy: They weren’t the real Ghetto Boyz. They were some friends of mine that I been known, and basically they were talking to somebody… I don’t know what they told em. Some guy they didn’t even know had put in their heads that they [were] supposed to be gettin [a certain] amount of money. But they didn’t have a record deal or nothin’. I was trying to get ’em a record deal and I was payin’ them a fee. The thing is like, with ASCAP and your publishing [as an artist], that’s something they didn’t talk care of in the beginning. I told them to take care of that because I don’t take care of that for them. Just like I took care of my ASCAP and everything before I got a deal so it was already there. And that’s the same thing they supposed to did. And they thought I owed them money. It’s not my fault that if a song played on the radio that they’re featured on they don’t get their publishing or ASCAP or whatever because they didn’t register they names with the company. So somebody got into their heads and they tried to do a lawsuit and it didn’t go through for ’em ’cause they was in the wrong. You know what I mean? They messed up a good situation all over that and [they] was friends of mine. So that’s basically what happened right there.

AllHipHop.com: They did say that when you were making x amount of dollars per show, that you paying them below minimum wage…

Chingy: You on the road and there’s five people on stage. I’m paying them like $500 a piece, a show. Now for one, I had the record deal and you shouldn’t even be in my pocket. It’s average people that don’t see $500 a day, they don’t even see $500 a week. So that was all bull crap ’cause they was doing fine. I’m the one that brought you in this. You can’t try to be like me and you don’t even have a deal yet! You can’t be in my pocket. I surprise you with a job, keeping you off the street you know what I’m saying?

AllHipHop.com: Basically, you were making them apart of your expense when you didn’t even need to…

Chingy: When we go out, everything they do is paid for and not even counting the money I was giving them for not even doing shows. You know what I’m saying? So they was just real ungrateful and they just messed a good situation up and I believe they know that because they doin’ nothin’ now.

AllHipHop.com: One last question. Do you remember a chick named Vanity at the Adult Video News Awards?

Chingy: [That was] just some bull crap. I performed at them awards, and the director had told me before I went on stage to just call all them p#### stars on stage while we performing. ‘Cause that’s the thing they always did at them award shows. That’s what I did while I was performing. And for them other things they said while I was performing, that was some [other] bull crap. I don’t know what they talkin’. They was talkin’ about some transvestite and all this bull crap… it’s a gang of women on stage, I wasn’t paying no attention to them, for real. I was just performing. All that other stuff, I don’t know what they talking about.

Hate or it or love it, snap music has consumed this country. When the percussion finger-snap sounds and the bassline drops, anyone who is near the dance floor is moved to join into the crowd’s cycle of leaning, rocking, and snapping their fingers. Although this sound was born in the impoverished community of Bankhead in West Atlanta, its influence can be seen nationwide, especially in the recent production of Top 10 billboard hits. Many consider the movement of snap music to be the death of Hip-Hop, but in actuality, it rejuvenated nightclubs all over the country with one of the biggest dance floor revolutions in recent years making it okay again to go out and have a good time…Now, let AllHipHop.com introduce you to the founders of this movement: Yung J, Hard Head, Skeet and K-Rab better known as BHI (Born Husslers, Incorporated).

AllHipHop.com: Now I know it’s not really called the snap dance. That sounds more like something the media came up with. What’s the real name of the snap dance seen in videos like your own “Do It Do It” and Lil’ Jon’s “Snap Ya Fingers” ?

Yung J: The dance…is really called “doin’ it”, nahmean? Everything that’s going on [in our videos] no matter what, it’s really called is “doin’ it”. So that’s how the saying “do it, do it, do it, do it” came about. No matter if you leanin’ and rockin’, “Westside walking it” out or whatever you doing, you’re “doin’ it.”

AllHipHop.com: What’s the background on the dance called “doin’ it”?

Yung J: First off, it was originally started in Westside Atlanta, Southwest Atlanta. It was like five…six different communities at one club vibin’ all together and of course, it was at the club, you know what I’m saying, where everybody showed what they did in their own communities and presented that to the people. So it pretty much started out that way…It all happened off Bankhead, at the Pool Palace.

AllHipHop.com: So the Pool Palace is where the whole movement began?

K-Rab: Yeah, it was the Pool Palace, bruh.

Yung J: That’s where it all started. That’s where the dance started. That’s where everyone was doing the dance at. Didn’t nobody just bring the dance to the club. Everybody started it right there in the club. The Pool Palace is where all that dancing and snap music started at.

AllHipHop.com: What’s the significance of the Pool Palace to y’all and Atlanta as a whole?

K-Rab: It’s like home man. It’s like where everybody start off doin’ their shows at. It’s where everybody you used to hang out with at. It’s just like that live spot.

Yung J: You got everybody coming out from across the world from city to city like it’s Freaknic or something, nahmean. But everybody come to ATL to come to the Pool Palace. It’s crazy…Worldwide, people come to Bankhead, you know like the straight hood, to come to this one club just to see what’s it’s like and go right back home.

Hardhead: You know, coming from the N.O. to Atlanta, I had to adapt but if I can jump right into it that let’s you know what’s going on.

AllHipHop.com: How long has the Pool Palace been open?

Yung J: The Pool Palace used to be the Silver Fox still doing the same thang for the older cats. It was something that you know what I’m saying that our parents might have went [when they were young]. Generations have did it at the Pool Palace, bruh.

AllHipHop.com: Isn’t there a dance called the Pool Palace too?

Skeet: Yeah, It’s a whole lot to it. Right now, in the A, chicks really dig when the n***as do it [laughs]…

Yung J: It really just started off as a beginning to a song that BHI put out called “Do it Do it”. And the song got real big and it started spreading worldwide. And everybody so quick to point fingers and say they the creators of this and they the creators of that, but Atlanta is our city and the city created this with no point to prove. We was just doing us trying to make it. If you wanna see what’s up, come to Bankhead. Come to the Pool Palace, and we’ll let you know what it is, and you ain’t gotta ask.

AllHipHop.com: Now that snap music is catching on, do you think that Crunk music will die out?

Yung J: I know for a fact that Crunk music not gon’ die out. A lot of people say a lot of things. Crunk is not dying, it’s here to stay…forever. Crunk music ain’t goin nowhere. Everybody can do Crunk, but who can do it like [Lil’] Jon. Everybody can do snap, but who can do it like us.

AllHipHop.com: Did you ever think this movement that started off at the Pool Palace in Bankhead would make it worldwide?

Yung J: Yeah, mane…If you get the opportunity for the whole world to hear it, you already know it’s gon’ do its thing. It’s just getting the opportunity. Once you get that, it’s not a surprise. It’s what people like. It’s that shine, that flavor, and that swag that people come to Atlanta for. It is what it is.

AllHipHop.com: What dances came before “doin’ it” and “doing the pool palace”?

Skeet: Eastside stompin’ and that crunk s**t…

Yung J: Really people still was “doin’ it.” It’s just getting out there. We been “doin’ it.” We been “doin’ it” since like ‘94, ‘95, ‘96. But you know we just wasn’t snapping. We was doing the same type of dancing you know and if you wanted to see it, you couldn’t go nowhere but Bankhead on the Westside [of Atlanta] and the Pool Palace. Like the motorcycle dance that Yung Joc got [in his video], it’s really a dance called “Westside walk it out,” and we started that dance too. It’s like everybody stealin’ our dances. Nobody in the music industry from ATL ain’t came to the Westside [of Atlanta] and use something that we got going on over here. That’s why we always shout out our side of town because everything jump off here from the snap to D4L to the [Dem] Franchize [Boyz]…everybody come right from the Westside [of Atlanta] and even T.I…It all started in Bankhead, in that same community. That’s just how we do.

AllHipHop.com: How does it feel to be apart of a movement that is putting Bankhead on the map?

K-Rab: It feels amazing, bruh. It’s something so bad turning into something so good. It’s turning a negative thing into a positive thing.

It reads like a rags-to-riches adventure loaded with hilarious rap

beef, custom Lamborghinis, and international “pizzle.” G-Unit is all

about the global and financial elevation of Hip-Hop culture. And DJ Whoo

kid knows the key to success.

The Queens-bred entrepreneur with Haitian roots has traveled the world with one of the most successful rap crews in history, in the streets and in the private jets. Oh yes! Mr. Sadapop is an original

stalwart of the Guerrilla dynasty. With a nonchalant demeanor and

personality parallel to Dave Chappelle, Whoo Kid dishes on Hollywood, the

early days of G-Unit and his relationship with The Game. Follow the

leader, as he takes you back and shows you how to move from a disc-jockey to the gettin’ celebrities on your jock.

AllHipHop.com: Where was Whoo Kid before G-Unit?

Whoo Kid: I was in the streets doing my thing. I always had hot CDs out because I was getting music very early. A lot of rappers hated me. So I had to get out of that. We were DJs on the come up. I found ways of getting to the labels, A&Rs, and magazines. Any writer can get an album in advance, so we would go pay them to get the albums early. We were great at maneuvering. I’d pay one industry cat like $1,000 a month and he would rob the whole industry. Dude is in the studio with rappers, recording everything. That’s why I’d have a lot of songs that never came out.

AllHipHop.com: Everyone knows you as a successful mixtape DJ. How’d you link up with 50 Cent?

Whoo Kid: During the early stages, I never knew that my cousin, Sha Money XL [president of G-Unit], was managing 50 at the time until I met them in the studio. I was playing 50 before I met him and he had heard of me. That was when he was Boo Boo. When I met him it was cool. Even after he got shot, I still promoted him. That time was the lowest of the low. He got c###-blocked and a lot of s**t was going on. The thing that’s crazy is after he got shot, he came back with another diss record. I never saw anything like that before, so I just made the decision to create my own circle like, “If the whole industry hates one person, then this person must be a problem.”

We all stick together. That’s why if you see us; there are usually just six of us always together, nobody else. If it’s anybody else, it’s probably a childhood friend. Me, Fif’, Banks, Yayo; we were all together in that one basement doing the first G-Unit CD [Beg For Mercy]. We did like 400 baby clubs, shoot outs, beat downs, arrests, 100 n***as on one tour bus, 50 people on the floor, we did it all. I learned from Fif’ how to hustle. Working hard don’t mean nothing. All I need is five hours of sleep. He told me, “Keep working hard everyday, keep promoting yourself, keep hustling and you can’t go wrong.” Right now I got over six, seven situations making me money. I always think about plan A, B, C and D. You can’t be on top forever. I just wanna keep flowing.

AllHipHop.com: Supposedly, DJ Jazzy Jeff is a huge inspiration for you…

Whoo Kid: Hell yeah! As far as skills and the way he’d perform in front of a crowd… I actually had the opportunity to DJ with him in front of 25,000 people — MTV Spain; me, Shaggy, DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Black Eyed Peas. I rocked it from the center like it was a club. Jazzy Jeff gave me mad love, that’s one of my highlights. I used to be cool with Jam Master Jay. Our last show before he was murdered was in Ohio with Run-DMC. I DJ’d on stage with him. Those are the dudes that I looked up to.

As far as mixtapes, Clue of course was the influence for me. He always had the ill cars from just talking s**t on a mic. I told myself that I could do the same s**t. But I didn’t want to be the same, so back in the day, I had Hype Williams host my CDs, I would go for important political cats in the industry. Busta hosted my first CD. I’m so fortunate for these relationships that I don’t need a drop machine. We’re in the studio, I go to their crib, hang with their kids — I get unlimited records.

AllHipHop.com: Your success is an inspiration.

Whoo Kid: To me, it’s more than Hip-Hop. I get training from Russell Simmons, I know Donald Trump. I ask questions. When you meet someone, you’re either a fan or a customer. I want to learn, so I try to get as much information as possible. With 50 Cent, we’re touring all over the world. I didn’t just chase hoes and take it back to the hotel; I would meet DJs in every country. Now I have a worldwide coalition of the best international DJs: Shadyville DJs. This has been going on for the last four or five years. I have a network to where I send out any exclusive material or original records that I get, as a favor, everyone gets paid and now they’re up-to-date quicker. You can rock a club with a freestyle in Germany, it’s a wrap! I’ve done more than the average rapper. I’ve hung out with Michael Jackson, DJ’d for mad Arabian Kings, the Prince of Monaco, I’m in Hong Kong chilling with Jackie Chan’s son copping Red Monkey jeans. This is my everyday life. It’s crazy.

AllHipHop.com: You’re supposed to be the star… The DJ is like the drummer in a Rock band.

Whoo Kid: Not really, a lot of DJs are not famous when it comes to the artist. I’m an all around famous dude; I’m on TV, people know my CDs, I’m a comedian, and in magazines. It took me awhile to get here. Every time 50 had press, I would piggy back off of the Interscope press. “You gotta interview Whoo Kid, that’s my DJ.” It’s cool, ‘cause when I do the concerts, I structure it like the mixtapes, so watching a G-Unit show is like listening to the CD. The day that I was most happy was when we had Ma$e, Mobb Deep, MOP, Banks, Buck, Olivia… It was back to back hits with the gunshots, skits and intermissions, and I’m all the way on top controlling everything, looking at 30,000 people and I can press one button and the whole s**t can stop.

AllHipHop.com: Was your show on HOT97 something you aspired to do?

Whoo Kid: It just happened. We’re acting normal. I don’t like hearing regular radio where people have radio voices. I’m on some real s**t. If I don’t like the record, the station is not going to make me say it’s hot. I hate [DJ Webstar and Young B’s] “Chicken Noodle Soup,” but my kids like it. That’s how I would say it, I’m a f***ing adult.

AllHipHop.com: Let’s break down some of your most recent projects. What’s behind the Young Buck mixtape “Chronic 2006”?

Whoo Kid: It’s like an album, B. Buck has original cuts and the freestyles are crazy. I promise you will not be disappointed. Young Buck O.D’d on this one. He MP3’d me like 20-30 joints and I just put it together. I know he smokes incredible weed, so I called it “The Chronic 2006.” I know he had a good time at the VIBE Awards with Dr. Dre, so we connected that with the skits. He’s improved a lot lyrically and he’s starting to do beats as well. Buck did a lot of joints off this album. He freestyles about the reality of where he comes from and what n***as are going through. Violence, drugs, and how society is dealing with it. It’s not like he’s teaching n***as… He’s just telling the reality. It’s a story from beginning to end.

The CD with Samuel L. Jackson, “Mixtapes on a Plane” is a parody of the Snakes on a Plane movie. He did skits for me. Sam was really involved in the creative process. He’s also a fan of mixtapes and gets them from his manager, who’s a fan, and would blast it from his hotel room. One day he happened to walk by and heard his manager blasting one of the Snoop Dogg CDs and just went crazy. A lot of the older actors, their kids all have my CDs. So they don’t only come on my show to holler at Fif’, it makes them look cool to their kids. Dan Aykroyd came on my show with his whole family.

AllHipHop.com: On a side note, I’m aware that you’re involved in every aspect of your projects. Are you responsible for morphing Game’s head onto a male stripper’s body for the “Hate it or Love it” mixtape?

Whoo Kid: Nah, that was already online. Game’s a funny guy. They tried to play us on that Village People s**t. They had all of us dressed up. I think I had leather on with a s###. Everybody knows I blew Game up, I’m the reason he got signed to G-Unit. I brought him into the mixtape circuit on the East Coast. They didn’t know who he was on the West Coast. He was more known here.

AllHipHop.com: How did you find him?

Whoo Kid: Dr. Dre’s assistant had me come to the studio to hear three artists. I didn’t like any of them. I happened to go into the next room where Game was and nobody’s working with him. He’s already signed and his album’s on the wall collecting dust. He hollered at me, said he was a fan. I heard him spit and was like “Yo, let me work with you.” In those days, N.W.A. was the s**t that everyone wanted to come back. Snoop was doing the pimp thing. There really wasn’t a hardcore rapper that could be respected. It was easy for me because he had the Dr. Dre background, he sounded hardcore like he was an East Coast cat. I started playing him as a hidden artist on G-Unit CDs. Pretty soon, everyone started wondering who he was. Then I started spazzing and did the Game and Eazy-E record. He said he was down and I had a verse no one had ever heard before. I put it together, put it out and it was huge. I combined him with everyone; Snoop, Prodigy, Fif’, Banks and made it easier for him to fast-forward into the mixtape market.

The problem came up where he thought he was too big. In the beginning, I understood, because we aren’t all the same, he didn’t grow up with us. We came up as a family and lived together for the past five years. We lived outta hotels, on the road, shopped with each other, ate and made music; Game was never there. He never understood or would want to come with us anywhere. We would do tours and he’d always have an excuse not to come which 50 never understood; “Oh, my passport’s f**ked up.” But he’d make sure he was at an MTV show or Summer Jam. He didn’t even have a record out, he was just a hype n***a running around. He wouldn’t grind, but would make sure to be at a big star-studded event. 50 started seeing that Game wouldn’t do the hard work. Who wouldn’t want to tour 40 cities? So when he actually first started touring, he’d perform horribly because he didn’t have the proper training. He had no experience. And in the beginning, everybody saw that. Even then I understood he wanted to do his own thing. He’s a West Coast n***a and he didn’t always want to be there… but come on, there’s gotta be some form of loyalty. 50 gave him five joints for his album that helped him sell five million records, so where’s the loyalty? Even if you hate this n***a, you have to have some form of loyalty because without him, you wouldn’t be here. That’s the only thing I couldn’t understand. He wanted his own sneaker, telephone s**t [Boost Mobile], modeling… It’s like, 50 blew you up, but you’re not telling him what you’re doing? You open a magazine and he’s modeling for Sean John. The problems escalated so bad, especially with the HOT97 s**t, to now it’s like no turning back because Fif’ really hates that kid.

AllHipHop.com: There has to be some form of respect to this game.

Whoo Kid: Just like how he has respect for Dr. Dre, it’s 50 that really blew him up, not Dre. Dr. Dre didn’t do anything for Game. Maybe a couple of beats, but without our energy and movement, he wouldn’t be who he is today. Those joints were supposed to be on The Massacre and he gave those joints to Game. “This is How We Do” was three verses. That was a hit record, off the bat. Even I was bugging out. But 50 respected him so much and wanted him to succeed. That’s crazy, that’s like one of those ill stories that you read in the Bible. You got an ill n***a that comes in your camp and ends up betraying you, trying to do his own sh*t. Fifty was really p##### off; it was foul. And the f***ed up thing off that was Interscope was still trying to push it. The money aint worth it. It’s not like dude is dissing other artists… something has to happen. I mean, we sold like 30 million records with all of G-Unit, and this dude’s main goal in his campaign is dissing G-Unit in order to put his album out. You can only imagine how furious 50 was.

AllHipHop.com: How has beef on wax hurt or helped G-Unit?

Whoo Kid: It helps G-Unit keep in tone. Banks loves that s**t. He’s the punch line king, he’d love to cremate Nas. Fifty will drop one line and cremate someone’s career. Hip-Hop needs beef on wax, not shooting beef. It always proves who’s the illest and keeps everyone on their toes, shows who’s the best. Back in the day it was corny raps. Now you see how it’s developing, and we need that. Where’s it going? As long as n***as ain’t getting killed, ‘cause that’s just stupid. Someone getting killed means that there’s a p#### n***a on the other side, he can’t rap, and a gun is the only way he can get any kind of respect.