Just like its title states, you either Hate It Or Love It when it comes to Chingy's fourth solo album. After straightening out his "money beef" with DTP, Chingy left Capitol Records to sign, once again, with DTP and Island Def Jam Records. In reference to his latest album, Chingy said on his Myspace page that "it's not like [he was] trying to prove anything," and he goes on to say, "The one thing I wanted to do on my new disc, Hate It Or Love It, was to try and dig a little deeper. I'm older now, and I want to talk about more things than money and cars.
After the album's intro, Chingy addresses his haters on the title track "Hate It Or Love It." The lines, "Dedicate this to all my enemies / Don't like that I'm gettin' this money / Don't like that I'm back with the DTP family / ya'll can suck a d--- though" specifically displays Chingy's blunt manner. The songs "Check My Swag," "Spend Some $" and "Roll On 'Em" all boast along similar lines of women, money, status and cars, contradicting Chingy's aforementioned statement about wanting to tackle more pensive themes on the album. The song, "Gimmie Dat" featuring Ludacris and Bobby Valentino, seems as though it could have been a potential second single, but it resembles Ludacris' "Blueberry Yum Yum" song from his 2004 album, Red Light District, too closely. These featured songs could all be reasons to pass on this album.
On the other hand, "Fly Like Me" featuring Amerie, is the first single off Hate It Or Love It, and the female-friendly collaboration has made some waves on the charts. From the music video, which is shot on a yacht and beautiful beach, to the quaint chemistry between Chingy and Amerie, the song has the most appeal on the album. DTP newcomer Steph Jones appears on the song "All Aboard (Ride It)," which is a smooth blend of sensual lyrics and an accompanying regal R&B beat. To give Chingy some credit, the songs "Lovely Ladies" and "How We Feel" featuring Anthony Hamilton, do in fact hold true to his claim to "dig a little deeper." He dedicated "Lovely Ladies" to all the "real women" in his life -- his mother, grandmother and sisters -- according to his Myspace page. The addition of Anthony Hamilton on this track also allows Chingy to showcase his varied musical styles.
Like previously stated, you either feel this album or you don't. There's not really an in between when it comes to hip-pop, so let Chingy prove to you whether he has attained a more matured sound by taking a listen yourself. We wish he would just go back to "chillin' at the Holiday Inn."
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