Chingo Bling interview
Hotsauce84
8,450 Posts
One of the best I've read so far. From Frank151.com via Nick Catchdubs:
The Ghetto Vaquero
Words J. Nicely (jnicely@frank151.com)
Chingo Bling, a.k.a. The Tamale Kingpin, is a rising star amongst the current wave of Houston based rappers making noise on the national scene. While many are probably not as familiar with Chingo Bling as they are with the likes of Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and Lil' Flip, he is from the same school of self-made hustler and entrepreneur that epitomizes the independent label spirit Houston is famous for. Because of this grassroots approach, Chingo Bling has managed to build a very loyal following amongst his fan base.
Unlike his colleagues, who at times boast of their past street exploits and fat bank rolls fueled by narcotics sales, Chingo takes a far more original and entertaining approach to Hip Hop. Bragging about his reputation as a Tamale Kingpin on songs such as ???Masa & Da Flour??? Chingo's self-made fortunes were built on the foundation of a more traditional grind associated with his Mexican heritage.
Chingo explains, ???My dad sold tamales as work, and it's very common, my family made them, and my dad sold them.??? From humble begins as a street merchant, Chingo's family taught him the recipe for success, learning early on that independent distribution of your own product is the key to building your own empire. When asked about his success he laughs ???well let's just say rap's bought me lots of things. For example, we can drop a mix-tape and over time we can do like 30,000 units. And if we do something legit and kind of promote it a little bit, we can do well over 50,000 units. Not to mention, we have a variety of products coming out, we have a whole bunch of Girls Gone Wild type DVDs, t-shirts, and not to mention the Chingo Bling Cabeza De Bobble. But I do what I love, and the bills get paid, and I'm able to create opportunities for other people. My sister and family work with me.???
From the start Chingo Bling had a plan. ???Pretty much just as a hustler first, before even entertaining and all that, I made a conscious choice, a decision, that I'm gonna do something. I refused to sit around. In other words, I made a choice to make it in something, before I made the choice ???Well, I'm a rapper.' It just so happened that it was easier to be a rapper first, to get in the game as a rapper, given my competition,??? Chingo says.
When he started his company he decided it was going to becoming a major venture. ???Even though it was just me at first, you know something small, I knew it was gonna be big so I just loved it from the get go. Like Big Chile, it's already raw. I just saw it as Big Chile Enterprises, something bigger than records. We've outgrown our offices so we're looking for a spot that's nice and big and that should hold us for a couple of months ???cause at this rate man things are going so well. Can't stop. This room isn't big enough, the mountains ain't tall enough, the river ain't deep enough!??? Chingo declares.
With a contagious spirit and mucho charisma it would be hard to doubt him. While many MCs these days seem to favor the gangster persona, Chingo Bling embraces his role as a performer and entertainer. Bringing a level of showmanship reminiscent of Old School Hip Hop, Chingo cites early influences explaining, ???I really liked guys that came up with their own style like Slick Rick and Biz Markie, all the visuals and personality and swagger, back when rap was fun.???
To the uninitiated it would be easy to look at Chingo Bling and dismiss him as some sort of novelty act. The hyperbole of his persona ??? the Stetson hat, the iced-out grill in diamonds, rubies, and emeralds to match the Mexican flag, and the custom made ostrich skin boots with the Nike swoosh on the side, are really just a combination of Hip Hop bravado mixed with a celebration of his cultural heritage. Sitting down to speak with him quickly casts aside any notion that this man is not in control of his image and destiny. Add that with the respect of his fellow Houston MCs and it would be hard to write him off as a novelty; he has already released mixtapes with current hitmakers Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and Slim Thug.
According to Chingo, ???There's that certain respect where, you know, like we say ???Real recognize real.' If they see you workin' hard, if they see you grindin', if they see you sacrificing and hacking it up and plowing forward then you can't do nothin' but respect that; whether you agree with everything or if you have different styles, that doesn't matter. ???Cause to us, it's about having a business first.???
Rather than play it down or acknowledge it in passing, Chingo respresents for his Mexican culture and his fans have embraced him for it. Recognizing in Chingo Bling's persona, elements and features that they can readily identify with, it's Brown Pride at its best. Seeing the savvy businessman that Chingo is it's apparent that he is quite aware and eager to fill the profitable void left by the major labels.
???Yeah, there are millions of us,??? Chingo exclaims, ???you know, Mexican-Americans. Your dad might be from Mexico , your grandparents; you might be in Houston for five generations. You might not know much about Mexico , you may speak Spanish or you may not; but, you're still part of this group. On a larger scale, vaqueros are everywhere. For example, I listened to both UGK and Tigres de Norte growing up. Right there, those two examples, like my dad used to listen to Tigres de Norte a lot, and to me I really liked it, but I also like UGK. In other words they were talkin' about the same kind of stuff, they would tell stories, they all had subject matter that could be about drugs, it could be about somebody killed somebody over a girl or like real shit, you know? It wasn't sugar-coated; it wasn't tryin' to make life not how it seems. You know, rose-colored shades or whatever.???
He's also quite aware of the untapped power in the millions of Mexican-Americans, and actively encourages fans to assert themselves, recruiting them in his own promotions in the process, urging them to ???call your local radio station because these motherfuckers will target you as a young Latin person because of the demographics, whether you live in Phoenix, San Diego, L.A., Seattle, or Houston, they want your marketing dollars so they want to track you; but, when you call to request a song, they don't necessarily count it. So you're targeted but you don't have a voice. It's very powerful to be able to share things with people that you know and influence them to be like, ???Oh lets get together, there are a lot of us. Hold up. Hey man they really are playing the shit we're requesting.'??? Chingo Bling recognizes the power he yields, and unlike many of his peers in Hip Hop, he entertains and balances it with a responsibility to inform.
And if you're not down? Chingo says, ???You know, I could care less about those people. They don't get it, hey that's cool. But a lot of times, it gives you more to appreciate. Like you might have to do a little investigating like, ???What is that he's saying?'???
Ultimately Chingo's presence is bringing more diversity to the marketplace, he recognizes this stating, ???on a larger scale I think the problem with lot of shit these days, it's really homogenous, a lot of cities have lost their character and personality. There's a Chili's on this exit, and an Olive Garden there, and you have your Foot Locker and your Wal-Mart, you're not gonna have that mom n' pop that's gonna give Chingo a chance to put his records in stores, you know? Luckily there are still hundreds where I can make my living and no
t have to be in Wal-Mart. I mean I sure wish I was in Wal-Mart but what I'm sayin' is like the concentration of power, it limits the little guy a lot.???
???Plus some competition, I'm sure there's laws about that where the government is gonna come in and regulate, shit like that. But it all goes with the shit that I'm against, like, commercial radio, all that kind of shit. But anyways, that's some of the things that I want to cover in my music, besides making you have a good time and have fun and all that. Once in a while, there might be some shit that makes you wanna think, there might be some shit that'll make you wanna take action, do something like, ???Man Chingo's right, man. That shit's fucked up.' You know I try not to be super fuckin' political; I still keep it how I do it, but just me as a person though, there's a lot I do care about. When I have the chance in my music to let people know about it, as an artist it really gives me a lot of satisfaction to have a forum to say what you want to say and have people either agree, disagree, or just at least hear you out.???
As for the future, expect to hear more from Chingo Bling and his Tamale Cartel ??? you couldn't stop it if you tried. With aspirations only to increase his presence, he might just end up with his own show on Telemundo, or something more. When speaking about his song, ???Chingo Bling for President???, he says, ???Just the overall concept of what if there was a Mexican running for president, would I support him? I joke about it, like you know this is The Adventures of Chingo , like Ernest Goes to School , you know? Chingo as president, the thought crosses your mind real quick like ???ha ha ha, silly rabbit you could never be president.' And it's like, but why not????
He's got my vote, por favor believe it.
Check out ChingoBling.com
The Ghetto Vaquero
Words J. Nicely (jnicely@frank151.com)
Chingo Bling, a.k.a. The Tamale Kingpin, is a rising star amongst the current wave of Houston based rappers making noise on the national scene. While many are probably not as familiar with Chingo Bling as they are with the likes of Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and Lil' Flip, he is from the same school of self-made hustler and entrepreneur that epitomizes the independent label spirit Houston is famous for. Because of this grassroots approach, Chingo Bling has managed to build a very loyal following amongst his fan base.
Unlike his colleagues, who at times boast of their past street exploits and fat bank rolls fueled by narcotics sales, Chingo takes a far more original and entertaining approach to Hip Hop. Bragging about his reputation as a Tamale Kingpin on songs such as ???Masa & Da Flour??? Chingo's self-made fortunes were built on the foundation of a more traditional grind associated with his Mexican heritage.
Chingo explains, ???My dad sold tamales as work, and it's very common, my family made them, and my dad sold them.??? From humble begins as a street merchant, Chingo's family taught him the recipe for success, learning early on that independent distribution of your own product is the key to building your own empire. When asked about his success he laughs ???well let's just say rap's bought me lots of things. For example, we can drop a mix-tape and over time we can do like 30,000 units. And if we do something legit and kind of promote it a little bit, we can do well over 50,000 units. Not to mention, we have a variety of products coming out, we have a whole bunch of Girls Gone Wild type DVDs, t-shirts, and not to mention the Chingo Bling Cabeza De Bobble. But I do what I love, and the bills get paid, and I'm able to create opportunities for other people. My sister and family work with me.???
From the start Chingo Bling had a plan. ???Pretty much just as a hustler first, before even entertaining and all that, I made a conscious choice, a decision, that I'm gonna do something. I refused to sit around. In other words, I made a choice to make it in something, before I made the choice ???Well, I'm a rapper.' It just so happened that it was easier to be a rapper first, to get in the game as a rapper, given my competition,??? Chingo says.
When he started his company he decided it was going to becoming a major venture. ???Even though it was just me at first, you know something small, I knew it was gonna be big so I just loved it from the get go. Like Big Chile, it's already raw. I just saw it as Big Chile Enterprises, something bigger than records. We've outgrown our offices so we're looking for a spot that's nice and big and that should hold us for a couple of months ???cause at this rate man things are going so well. Can't stop. This room isn't big enough, the mountains ain't tall enough, the river ain't deep enough!??? Chingo declares.
With a contagious spirit and mucho charisma it would be hard to doubt him. While many MCs these days seem to favor the gangster persona, Chingo Bling embraces his role as a performer and entertainer. Bringing a level of showmanship reminiscent of Old School Hip Hop, Chingo cites early influences explaining, ???I really liked guys that came up with their own style like Slick Rick and Biz Markie, all the visuals and personality and swagger, back when rap was fun.???
To the uninitiated it would be easy to look at Chingo Bling and dismiss him as some sort of novelty act. The hyperbole of his persona ??? the Stetson hat, the iced-out grill in diamonds, rubies, and emeralds to match the Mexican flag, and the custom made ostrich skin boots with the Nike swoosh on the side, are really just a combination of Hip Hop bravado mixed with a celebration of his cultural heritage. Sitting down to speak with him quickly casts aside any notion that this man is not in control of his image and destiny. Add that with the respect of his fellow Houston MCs and it would be hard to write him off as a novelty; he has already released mixtapes with current hitmakers Paul Wall, Mike Jones, and Slim Thug.
According to Chingo, ???There's that certain respect where, you know, like we say ???Real recognize real.' If they see you workin' hard, if they see you grindin', if they see you sacrificing and hacking it up and plowing forward then you can't do nothin' but respect that; whether you agree with everything or if you have different styles, that doesn't matter. ???Cause to us, it's about having a business first.???
Rather than play it down or acknowledge it in passing, Chingo respresents for his Mexican culture and his fans have embraced him for it. Recognizing in Chingo Bling's persona, elements and features that they can readily identify with, it's Brown Pride at its best. Seeing the savvy businessman that Chingo is it's apparent that he is quite aware and eager to fill the profitable void left by the major labels.
???Yeah, there are millions of us,??? Chingo exclaims, ???you know, Mexican-Americans. Your dad might be from Mexico , your grandparents; you might be in Houston for five generations. You might not know much about Mexico , you may speak Spanish or you may not; but, you're still part of this group. On a larger scale, vaqueros are everywhere. For example, I listened to both UGK and Tigres de Norte growing up. Right there, those two examples, like my dad used to listen to Tigres de Norte a lot, and to me I really liked it, but I also like UGK. In other words they were talkin' about the same kind of stuff, they would tell stories, they all had subject matter that could be about drugs, it could be about somebody killed somebody over a girl or like real shit, you know? It wasn't sugar-coated; it wasn't tryin' to make life not how it seems. You know, rose-colored shades or whatever.???
He's also quite aware of the untapped power in the millions of Mexican-Americans, and actively encourages fans to assert themselves, recruiting them in his own promotions in the process, urging them to ???call your local radio station because these motherfuckers will target you as a young Latin person because of the demographics, whether you live in Phoenix, San Diego, L.A., Seattle, or Houston, they want your marketing dollars so they want to track you; but, when you call to request a song, they don't necessarily count it. So you're targeted but you don't have a voice. It's very powerful to be able to share things with people that you know and influence them to be like, ???Oh lets get together, there are a lot of us. Hold up. Hey man they really are playing the shit we're requesting.'??? Chingo Bling recognizes the power he yields, and unlike many of his peers in Hip Hop, he entertains and balances it with a responsibility to inform.
And if you're not down? Chingo says, ???You know, I could care less about those people. They don't get it, hey that's cool. But a lot of times, it gives you more to appreciate. Like you might have to do a little investigating like, ???What is that he's saying?'???
Ultimately Chingo's presence is bringing more diversity to the marketplace, he recognizes this stating, ???on a larger scale I think the problem with lot of shit these days, it's really homogenous, a lot of cities have lost their character and personality. There's a Chili's on this exit, and an Olive Garden there, and you have your Foot Locker and your Wal-Mart, you're not gonna have that mom n' pop that's gonna give Chingo a chance to put his records in stores, you know? Luckily there are still hundreds where I can make my living and no
t have to be in Wal-Mart. I mean I sure wish I was in Wal-Mart but what I'm sayin' is like the concentration of power, it limits the little guy a lot.???
???Plus some competition, I'm sure there's laws about that where the government is gonna come in and regulate, shit like that. But it all goes with the shit that I'm against, like, commercial radio, all that kind of shit. But anyways, that's some of the things that I want to cover in my music, besides making you have a good time and have fun and all that. Once in a while, there might be some shit that makes you wanna think, there might be some shit that'll make you wanna take action, do something like, ???Man Chingo's right, man. That shit's fucked up.' You know I try not to be super fuckin' political; I still keep it how I do it, but just me as a person though, there's a lot I do care about. When I have the chance in my music to let people know about it, as an artist it really gives me a lot of satisfaction to have a forum to say what you want to say and have people either agree, disagree, or just at least hear you out.???
As for the future, expect to hear more from Chingo Bling and his Tamale Cartel ??? you couldn't stop it if you tried. With aspirations only to increase his presence, he might just end up with his own show on Telemundo, or something more. When speaking about his song, ???Chingo Bling for President???, he says, ???Just the overall concept of what if there was a Mexican running for president, would I support him? I joke about it, like you know this is The Adventures of Chingo , like Ernest Goes to School , you know? Chingo as president, the thought crosses your mind real quick like ???ha ha ha, silly rabbit you could never be president.' And it's like, but why not????
He's got my vote, por favor believe it.
Check out ChingoBling.com
Comments
yeah, me too...
PLEEEEEEEEASE???????
Herm
I ain't trippin' on who's jumping on what bandwagon, if that's what you're insinuating. As long as dude's name is out there and he picks up a new fan or two, then shit, I'm happy. Why would anybody be mad at that?
Besides, I've been a Chingo cheerleader for years now. The very first day I picked up his first CD I ran home to post a thread about it here. REAL HEADZ KNOWZ THE DEAL.
Herm
JUST SAYIN'.....................................................
He had a little special interview with sway. Hes definitely close to being large. Mexicans will support.
Reggaeton was just the beggining. I predict a mexican regional rap takeover that will have rappers screaming for la migra and tightening the borders just to hang on to their audience.