Howard Bailey, Jr. (born March 9, 1980 in St. Louis, Missouri), better known by his stage name Chingy, is an American rapper, actor and entrepreneur. Following in the footsteps of his heroes Ice Cube and RUN-DMC, he began writing lyrics at age nine and was recording at ten. He originally considered the stage name H.Thugzy before settling on Chingy, a slang term for money. With the release of the track "Right Thurr" Chingy became an overnight sensation, with the track peaking at number four on the Billboard 100.