Chingo Bling
Encyclopedia
Pedro Herrera III in Houston, Texas
of Mexican
parents, better known by his stage name Chingo Bling, is a well known underground rapper and producer.
As one Texas’ premier underground rappers/entrepreneurs, Chingo Bling has achieved a level of independent success that only a few in his generation have accomplished. Dubbed the Latin Russell Simmons because of his ability to skillfully parley himself into a remarkably successful brand, selling thousands of CDs, bobble-head dolls, coloring books, DVDs, t-shirts, hot sauce and tamales.
His father set the example by working several jobs to ensure that his family had all they needed. He even worked a side gig selling tamales made by Chingo’s mother to his fellow workers at lunch time. Like many emigrant families, times were tough but the Herrera family made do. “ We always lived real simple,” recalls Chingo. “We just had everything we needed and we were happy. We had the basics: beans, rice . . . the staples. We were happy with the simple things in life.”
Another one of the simple things in Chingo’s life was music. His parents played a little bit of everything, especially Spanish versions of classic 50 rock. When Chingo was ten, his father traded his box of expensive tools to a fellow worker who was a professional musician on the weekend in exchange for a used keyboard. It was a gift bestowed on Chingo that would later have a profound impact on his life. “ I would just listen to the different Spanish music that would play at the house and play along, trying to find the melody. Eventually [somebody] broke in the house and one of the things that they took was that little keyboard.”
Aside from Spanish music, Chingo was also exposed to rap music via his two older sisters. Thanks to them, he heard acts like the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Uncle Luke, Cypress Hill, and other groups that would later influence him as a rapper. He also paid close attention to the people behind the artists like J. Prince, the founder and CEO of Rap-A-Lot, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs founder and CEO of Bad Boy Entertainment and Sean Jean Clothing, Tony Draper founder and CEO of Suave House Records and Russell Simmons founder of Def Jam Recordings & Phat Farm Clothings, all of whom would serve as the inspiration for his future endeavors as an entertainment entrepreneur.
Chingo earned a scholarship to attend the Peddie School
in Hightstown, New Jersey
, part of an effort by his parents to keep him away from the corrupting influences of the urban environment.
“ It was a typical frat party,” recalls Chingo. “People just walking around drinking but there was no music. So I told the frat dudes, man I got some CDs in my car if you want I can play some stuff right here in the living room. I started spinning, just playing and switching out CDs and just playing different stuff, crunk mixes from different mix tapes and songs that wasn’t out yet and getting the little flows together. The next thing you know people were coming into the living room and dancing.”
From there, Chingo, his college roommate and a mutual friend formed a DJ crew that spun at parties around campus and soon became the toast of San Antonio’s party scene. Their popularity landed a Sunday evening mix show on the college radio station, 91.7 KRTU. His affiliation with the mix show gave him instant access to San Antonio’s hottest underground rappers who would invite Chingo into their studio for recording sessions. Chingo would serve as an unofficial A&R to many of these local artists, offering feedback and criticism on their music as well as cracking jokes and doing funny little skits to keep the atmosphere light. His jokes and skits were so good, many San Antonio rappers would invite him to record his comedic monologues for their albums.
“I would just start rapping, saying silly shit while they were rapping,” says Chingo. “And they were like hey, why don’t you do one for my album. I would also put little freestyles and some funny skits on my mix tapes and they started selling good.”
By 2006, Houston had become one of the major hubs for hip hop and Chingo Bling was in the forefront of it all. He was featured twice on MTV, once on MTV’s My Block segment and on MTV News.
His incredible independent buzz led to an unprecedented deal with Warner/Asylum.
In May 2007, Chingo Bling released his national debut They Can’t Deport Us All to rave reviews and much controversy. The album dealt with issues affecting Mexican emigrants and thrust Chingo Bling into the national spotlight as an advocate for social justice.
“I understand that it is a touchy subject and there’s different points of views but more than anything I believe that what I was trying to put out there was just respect the emigrant a little bit more. It was very satisfying ’cause the message behind [They Can't Deport Us All] means so much to me. And to be able to have marketing dollars to push a concept, an ideal that to me is like a human rights issue.”
Chingo Bling continues to lend his celebrity to charitable causes, doing things like speaking on college campuses and conferences such as the Russell Simmons’ Hip Hop Summit. He also continues to be a viable force with the Southern and Latino hip hop community. He is currently delving into acting and working on new music that he promises will be a return to the humorous and witty music that his fans have come to know and love. “ I’m just gonna continue having fun and making art,” says Chingo. “I’m just talking shit and keeping it fresh and funny.” Por favor, believe it!
, Thizz Latin Records, Universal Records
, Asylum
(owned by Warner Music Group
), Capitol Records
, and Atlantic Records
. On April 1, 2006, he made the announcement on Chicano Radio Network that he has signed a distribution deal with Asylum Records. While he still maintains his independent status from the label, his distribution deal will manage to give him major financial backing for his up coming projects.
. He was interviewed on CW39 News and said his family tamale truck has been shot at, vandalized and eventually on one occasion stolen. He also stated he has been receiving extreme racist threats from many Latinos, but still does not wish to change his album's title.
Chingo also alleges that he was refused the opportunity to appear at a scheduled in-store album signing at a Dallas shopping mall as a direct result of the controversy surrounding his clothing and album name. He also asserts that he is the target of numerous Conservative journalists and right wing bloggers who criticize him because of his music and marketing concepts related to immigration.
documentary about Houston rap
. He has been featured on several episodes of BET
Series Beef
. Chingo Bling was also featured with Nelly
and Paul Wall
on a remix of Nelly's "Grillz
" song. He has made cameos in Chamillionaire's videos "Turn It Up
" and "Ridin'
". He was also featured in Pepsi
's Yahoo!
Houston Mic Pass with Lil' Flip
, Chamillionaire
, Trae
, Bun B
, Short Dawg, H.A.W.K
, Magno and Mike D.http://music.yahoo.com/promo-18684304-74-20060321- He is featured in the N.O.R.E.
video "Más Maíz" along with Fat Joe
, Lil Rob
, Nina Sky
, Lumidee
, JT, LiL Fish, Big Mato & Negra of LDA
. lil $pike$ a.k.a el e-4
Chingo Bling appeared in a short video entitled Chingo Bling: Fruit Picker on mun2
. This video was later nominated for a Webby
.http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?media_id=97#film_viral
Houston, Texas
Houston is the fourth-largest city in the United States, and the largest city in the state of Texas. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the city had a population of 2.1 million people within an area of . Houston is the seat of Harris County and the economic center of , which is the ...
of Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
parents, better known by his stage name Chingo Bling, is a well known underground rapper and producer.
As one Texas’ premier underground rappers/entrepreneurs, Chingo Bling has achieved a level of independent success that only a few in his generation have accomplished. Dubbed the Latin Russell Simmons because of his ability to skillfully parley himself into a remarkably successful brand, selling thousands of CDs, bobble-head dolls, coloring books, DVDs, t-shirts, hot sauce and tamales.
Early life
Chingo Bling was born Pedro Herrera III in Houston to Mexican American immigrants who came to the United States with dreams of achieving the American dream for themselves and their children.His father set the example by working several jobs to ensure that his family had all they needed. He even worked a side gig selling tamales made by Chingo’s mother to his fellow workers at lunch time. Like many emigrant families, times were tough but the Herrera family made do. “ We always lived real simple,” recalls Chingo. “We just had everything we needed and we were happy. We had the basics: beans, rice . . . the staples. We were happy with the simple things in life.”
Another one of the simple things in Chingo’s life was music. His parents played a little bit of everything, especially Spanish versions of classic 50 rock. When Chingo was ten, his father traded his box of expensive tools to a fellow worker who was a professional musician on the weekend in exchange for a used keyboard. It was a gift bestowed on Chingo that would later have a profound impact on his life. “ I would just listen to the different Spanish music that would play at the house and play along, trying to find the melody. Eventually [somebody] broke in the house and one of the things that they took was that little keyboard.”
Aside from Spanish music, Chingo was also exposed to rap music via his two older sisters. Thanks to them, he heard acts like the Beastie Boys, Public Enemy, Slick Rick, LL Cool J, Uncle Luke, Cypress Hill, and other groups that would later influence him as a rapper. He also paid close attention to the people behind the artists like J. Prince, the founder and CEO of Rap-A-Lot, Sean “P. Diddy” Combs founder and CEO of Bad Boy Entertainment and Sean Jean Clothing, Tony Draper founder and CEO of Suave House Records and Russell Simmons founder of Def Jam Recordings & Phat Farm Clothings, all of whom would serve as the inspiration for his future endeavors as an entertainment entrepreneur.
Chingo earned a scholarship to attend the Peddie School
Peddie School
The Peddie School is a college preparatory school in Hightstown, New Jersey, United States. It is a nondenominational, coeducational boarding school located on a 280‑acre campus, and serves students in the ninth through twelfth grades, plus a small post-graduate class...
in Hightstown, New Jersey
Hightstown, New Jersey
Hightstown is a Borough in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, the borough population was 5,494.Hightstown was incorporated as a borough by an Act of the New Jersey Legislature on March 5, 1853, within portions of East Windsor Township. The borough became...
, part of an effort by his parents to keep him away from the corrupting influences of the urban environment.
College period
Upon graduation from The Peddie School, Chingo enrolled in Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, majoring in Business Administration and Marketing. It was there at a frat party that Chingo made his first foray into the music business as a DJ.“ It was a typical frat party,” recalls Chingo. “People just walking around drinking but there was no music. So I told the frat dudes, man I got some CDs in my car if you want I can play some stuff right here in the living room. I started spinning, just playing and switching out CDs and just playing different stuff, crunk mixes from different mix tapes and songs that wasn’t out yet and getting the little flows together. The next thing you know people were coming into the living room and dancing.”
From there, Chingo, his college roommate and a mutual friend formed a DJ crew that spun at parties around campus and soon became the toast of San Antonio’s party scene. Their popularity landed a Sunday evening mix show on the college radio station, 91.7 KRTU. His affiliation with the mix show gave him instant access to San Antonio’s hottest underground rappers who would invite Chingo into their studio for recording sessions. Chingo would serve as an unofficial A&R to many of these local artists, offering feedback and criticism on their music as well as cracking jokes and doing funny little skits to keep the atmosphere light. His jokes and skits were so good, many San Antonio rappers would invite him to record his comedic monologues for their albums.
“I would just start rapping, saying silly shit while they were rapping,” says Chingo. “And they were like hey, why don’t you do one for my album. I would also put little freestyles and some funny skits on my mix tapes and they started selling good.”
Professional career
In 2002, Chingo Bling formed Big Chile Records and released his first mix tape as a solo artist called Duro en la Pintura, which means Hard in the Paint. The tape became an underground success, selling thousands of units and still considered a cult classic by fans of Texas rap. Chingo continued to expand his fan base by releasing a series of all flows mix tape that ultimately created the buzz for his independently released debut LP The Tamale Kingpin. Released in the year 2005, The Tamale Kingpin sold a whopping 10,000 units within the first few weeks. Unfortunately, the momentum of the record was marred because it had to be pulled due to his distributor ’s unscrupulous payment practices. But Chingo remained undaunted and continued to drop mix tapes. Big Chile Records expanded its merchandising to include t-shirts, DVDs and bobble-head dolls. It even sold children’s coloring books, hot sauce and tamales.By 2006, Houston had become one of the major hubs for hip hop and Chingo Bling was in the forefront of it all. He was featured twice on MTV, once on MTV’s My Block segment and on MTV News.
His incredible independent buzz led to an unprecedented deal with Warner/Asylum.
In May 2007, Chingo Bling released his national debut They Can’t Deport Us All to rave reviews and much controversy. The album dealt with issues affecting Mexican emigrants and thrust Chingo Bling into the national spotlight as an advocate for social justice.
“I understand that it is a touchy subject and there’s different points of views but more than anything I believe that what I was trying to put out there was just respect the emigrant a little bit more. It was very satisfying ’cause the message behind [They Can't Deport Us All] means so much to me. And to be able to have marketing dollars to push a concept, an ideal that to me is like a human rights issue.”
Chingo Bling continues to lend his celebrity to charitable causes, doing things like speaking on college campuses and conferences such as the Russell Simmons’ Hip Hop Summit. He also continues to be a viable force with the Southern and Latino hip hop community. He is currently delving into acting and working on new music that he promises will be a return to the humorous and witty music that his fans have come to know and love. “ I’m just gonna continue having fun and making art,” says Chingo. “I’m just talking shit and keeping it fresh and funny.” Por favor, believe it!
Label bidding war
In early 2006, Chingo Bling made headlines when he drew the attention of major record labels eager to sign him because of his unique lyrical abilities, notably Bad Boy LatinoBad Boy Latino
Bad Boy Latino is a Latin hip hop record label founded in 2005 by Sean Combs and Pitbull.-History:In 2004, Sean Combs made the decision to expand his fledgling Bad Boy Records imprint to new territories. His first expansion was southern imprint, Bad Boy South, and his second was to be a Latino...
, Thizz Latin Records, Universal Records
Universal Records
Universal Records was a record label owned by Universal Music Group, and it is now owned by Manny Patino and Michael Jackson, and operated as part of the Universal Motown Republic Group.-History:...
, Asylum
Asylum Records
Asylum Records is an American record label founded in 1971 by David Geffen, and partner Elliot Roberts, who had previously worked as agents at the William Morris Agency. Founded specifically to provide a record contract for Jackson Browne, the label signed Tom Waits, Linda Ronstadt, Joni Mitchell...
(owned by Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group
Warner Music Group is the third largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry, making it one of the big four record companies...
), Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, and Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
. On April 1, 2006, he made the announcement on Chicano Radio Network that he has signed a distribution deal with Asylum Records. While he still maintains his independent status from the label, his distribution deal will manage to give him major financial backing for his up coming projects.
Controversy
Chingo Bling had been criticized for the title of his second album They Can't Deport Us AllThey Can't Deport Us All
They Can't Deport Us All was Chingo Bling's debut album with Asylum Records released on August 14, 2007. The lead singles are "Do The Lasso" and "Like This and Like That". Production comes mostly come from Carnival Beats and Shadow Ramirez. Also Scott Storch produced a track on the album...
. He was interviewed on CW39 News and said his family tamale truck has been shot at, vandalized and eventually on one occasion stolen. He also stated he has been receiving extreme racist threats from many Latinos, but still does not wish to change his album's title.
Chingo also alleges that he was refused the opportunity to appear at a scheduled in-store album signing at a Dallas shopping mall as a direct result of the controversy surrounding his clothing and album name. He also asserts that he is the target of numerous Conservative journalists and right wing bloggers who criticize him because of his music and marketing concepts related to immigration.
Media
He has been featured in an MTVMTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
documentary about Houston rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
. He has been featured on several episodes of BET
Bet
Bet or BET may refer to:* A wager in gambling* Basic Economics Test * Bet , the second letter in many Semitic alphabets, including Aramaic, Hebrew, Phoenician and Syriac* Brunauer-Emmett-Teller isotherm. See BET_theory...
Series Beef
Beef (documentary)
Beef is a 2003 film that documents the history of hip-hop feuds. The film's producers were Casey Suchan and Denis Henry Hennelly and the executive producer was Quincy Jones III...
. Chingo Bling was also featured with Nelly
Nelly
Cornell Iral Haynes, Jr. , better known by his stage name Nelly, is an Grammy Award winning American rapper and actor. He has performed with the rap group St. Lunatics since 1993 and signed to Universal Records in 1999. Under Universal, Nelly began his solo career in 2000 with his debut album...
and Paul Wall
Paul Wall
Paul Michael Slayton , better known by his stage name Paul Wall, is an American rapper. He is currently affiliated with Swishahouse Records, having released several albums under the label as well as...
on a remix of Nelly's "Grillz
Grillz
"Grillz" is a song by American rapper Nelly from his compilation album Sweatsuit. The song features Paul Wall and Ali & Gipp. Brandi Williams also does back-up vocals on the song, but is not officially credited as a featured artist . The song was produced by Jermaine Dupri. The song is about...
" song. He has made cameos in Chamillionaire's videos "Turn It Up
Turn It Up (Chamillionaire song)
"Turn It Up" is the 2005 debut single of Chamillionaire, featuring Lil Flip. It was produced by Scott Storch. "Turn It Up" was the first single from Chamillionaire's major label debut album, The Sound of Revenge. It peaked at number 41 on the Billboard Hot 100.-Remixes:A remix of the song which...
" and "Ridin'
Ridin'
"Ridin" is the second single from Chamillionaire's album, The Sound of Revenge, and features a guest rap by Krayzie Bone. Its title is often incorrectly assumed to be "Ridin' Dirty" due to the chorus...
". He was also featured in Pepsi
Pepsi
Pepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
's Yahoo!
Yahoo!
Yahoo! Inc. is an American multinational internet corporation headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, United States. The company is perhaps best known for its web portal, search engine , Yahoo! Directory, Yahoo! Mail, Yahoo! News, Yahoo! Groups, Yahoo! Answers, advertising, online mapping ,...
Houston Mic Pass with Lil' Flip
Lil' Flip
Wesley Eric Weston, Jr. , better known by his stage name Lil' Flip, is a American multi-platinum hiphop artist best known for his singles Sunshine, "Game Over" and Rollin on 20's from the 2 Fast 2 Furious Soundtrack....
, Chamillionaire
Chamillionaire
Hakeem Seriki , better known by his stage name Chamillionaire, is an American rapper, record producer, and entrepreneur. He is the CEO of Chamillitary Entertainment. Chamillionaire is also the founder and an original member of The Color Changin' Click...
, Trae
Trae
Frazier Thompson III, better known by his stage name Trae, is an American rapper from Houston, Texas. He is a part of the underground rap collective Screwed Up Click. Trae and Z-RO, along with Dougie D, are the founding members of the group Guerilla Maab...
, Bun B
Bun B
Bernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...
, Short Dawg, H.A.W.K
Big Hawk
John Edward Hawkins , better known as H.A.W.K. or Big Hawk was an American rapper from Houston, Texas and a founding member of the late DJ Screw's rap group the Screwed Up Click.-Biography:...
, Magno and Mike D.http://music.yahoo.com/promo-18684304-74-20060321- He is featured in the N.O.R.E.
N.O.R.E.
Victor Santiago, Jr., best known by his stage name N.O.R.E. or Noreaga , is an American rapper of Puerto Rican descent...
video "Más Maíz" along with Fat Joe
Fat Joe
Joseph Antonio Cartagena , better known by his stage name Fat Joe, is an American rapper, CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, and member of musical groups D.I.T.C. and Terror Squad....
, Lil Rob
Lil Rob
Roberto Flores , best known by his stage name Lil Rob, is a Mexican American rapper, producer, and actor-Biography:...
, Nina Sky
Nina Sky
Nina Sky is an American musical duo composed of identical twins Nicole and Natalie Albino .-Early life and career:Albino's parents moved to New York from Puerto Rico and were divorced when the girls were younger...
, Lumidee
Lumidee
Lumidee Cedeño is an American singer-songwriter and rapper. Cedeño was born in Spanish Harlem where she was raised by her grandparents...
, JT, LiL Fish, Big Mato & Negra of LDA
LDA
LDA may refer to:In aviation:*Localizer Type Directional Aid*Landing distance available, see Runway#Declared distancesIn law:*Legal drinking age*Legal document assistantIn medicine:*Left displaced abomasum*Living donor allograft...
. lil $pike$ a.k.a el e-4
Chingo Bling appeared in a short video entitled Chingo Bling: Fruit Picker on mun2
Mun2
mun2 is a national cable television broadcast network in the United States owned by NBC Universal and aimed at young Latinos. It is the sister network of Telemundo and was mostly digital television subchannels launched in 2001. The programming of mun2 is primarily music videos and shows designed...
. This video was later nominated for a Webby
Webby Awards
A Webby Award is an international award presented annually by The International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences for excellence on the Internet with categories in websites, interactive advertising, online film and video, and mobile....
.http://www.webbyawards.com/webbys/current.php?media_id=97#film_viral
Albums
| Year | Album | Chart Positions | RIAA | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| US 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
US R&B/Hip-Hop Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
US Heatseekers Albums |
US Rap Albums |
|||
| 2004 | Chingo Bling 4 President | - | - | - | ||
| 2004 | The Tamale Kingpin | 66 | - | 25 | ||
| 2007 | They Can't Deport Us All They Can't Deport Us All They Can't Deport Us All was Chingo Bling's debut album with Asylum Records released on August 14, 2007. The lead singles are "Do The Lasso" and "Like This and Like That". Production comes mostly come from Carnival Beats and Shadow Ramirez. Also Scott Storch produced a track on the album... |
123 | 28 | 2 | 11 | |
| 2009 | Me Vale Madre | - | - | - | - | |