Chingy and Trak Stars Sued Over Record Deal

St. Louis rapper Chingy is being sued by a former business associate who claims that the artist did not honor an existing contract when he signed his deal with the Trak Starz production duo in 2002. The lawsuit filed by Ronald R. Gavin, who owns the 40 Productions record label, alleges that The Trak Starz arranged a deal for Chingy with Ludacris' Disturbing the Peace label even though they knew he was already signed to Gavin's label under the rap name R.Thugzy. According to the Associated Press, Gavin claims he invested over $100,000 developing Chingy's image and nurturing his career only to see him leave and sign with another label. Gavin's lawyer, Mark Goodman, called the move "flagrant interference" and insists that the Trak Starz were well aware of the contract at the time of the signing. Chingy then went on to score a huge hit with the single “Right Thurr,” which helped move nearly 3 million copies of his debut album Jackpot.