Hurricane Chris

Hurricane Chris, born Chris Dooley Jr. in 1989, blew onto the national hip-hop scene with gale-force intensity in the summer of 2007. But the young rapper, born and bred in the inner-city neighborhood of Cedar Grove in Shreveport, Louisiana -- a part of the country all too familiar with Chris' namesake weather condition -- is no rap newcomer. The Southern-drawlin' MC's been making music since he was just a kid, acquiring local success with mix tapes that made their way through the Gulf Coast area. But it's his club-bangin', foot-stompin', hook-happy hit "A Bay Bay" that's putting Shreveport and Hurricane Chris on the musical map. The song's named for a popular Shreveport DJ, though Chris refers to "A Bay Bay" as an affirmative catchphrase, which he likens to "fa' sho." Chris transformed the popular colloquialism into a hand-clapping, booty-bouncin' chant set to synthesizers in a style typical of his hometown's "Ratchet" movement. And in just about a month, the song reached mainstream success and chart-topping status atop the Billboard Hot 100. And with a debut album produced by Michael "Mr. Collipark" Crooms, set for release on Polo Grounds Music in November 2007, he's certainly equipped to continue riding the wave of mainstream success well into the future.