CD Review

Artist: Chingy

Title: Hate It Or Love It

Label: Geffen Records

Released: December 11^th 2007 

3 ½ Stars 

Reviewed By: Kindah Mardam Bey 

Hate Or Love It, Chingy’s fourth album, will be the collection that catapults Chingy from genre specific to strong presence on the music scene. Songs like the title track ‘Hate Or Love It,’ ‘Blockstar,’ and ‘Roll On ‘Em’ are forceful and memorable songs; if not just for the stereotypically cliché sexist egomaniacal lyrics, but more so for the energy that emanates from Chingy’s songs that will get anyone out on the dance floor…no matter what he’s singing.  

This collection is easily categorized as rap but has strong hints of R&B and Hip Hop at times, but mostly bass belting rap that would ‘shake the house down.’ Sometimes a little music that would have the neighbours complaining about ‘teenagers today’ can be as playful and robust as some songs on Hate Or Love It. 

The track ‘Kick Drum’ sounds like it was based a little on ‘right hand is connected to the elbow and the elbow is connected to the…’ nursery rhyme, but this heralding back to the nursery didn’t work as well as Gwen Stefani’s flashback to Band Drills in her hit ‘Hollaback Girl.’ 

Unfortunately (or fortunately) Kanye West ruined rap forever; drawing attention to important issues like Ice-T and his band of brothers used to. Now much of rap is reduced to 50 Cent ‘Candy Shop’ logic. Where does Chingy stand on this spectrum with his newest album? Mostly the album leans towards mindless macho prattle but ‘How We Feel,’ was the most complex song with political surgence, dynamic beats and balance that makes this song a glimpse of what Chingy should be singing about and making relevant. Hate Or Love It, Chingy’s back and the man’s got presence! 

1.Intro

2.Hate Or Love It

3.Check My Swag

4.Fly Like Me (featuring Amerie)

5.Kick Drum

6.Gimmie Dat (featuring Ludacris & Bobby Valentino)

7.All Aborad (Ride It) (featuring Steph Jones)

8.Trickin' Off Skit

9.Spend Some $ (featuring Trey Songz)

10.2 Kool 2 Dance

11.Lovely Ladies

12.How We Feel (featuring Anthony Hamilton)

13.Roll On 'Em (featuring Rick Ross)

14.Blockstar