The St. Louis rapper has opened up about his close relationship with CiCi, claiming the two would nearly miss flights just to stay together.
ByMark Elibert
September 4, 2026
Key Takeaways
- Chingy said he and Ciara “liked each other a lot” before the success of “Goodies,” recalling long talks outside his Atlanta hotel and nearly missed flights because neither wanted to leave.
- He said their connection began when Ciara was 17 or 18 and recording with Jazze Pha, but described her as a close friend who always wanted a committed relationship.
- Chingy stressed that he respects Ciara’s marriage to Russell Wilson and said he held no resentment when she later dated Bow Wow.
Chingy has claimed that he and Ciara used to have a close relationship before the singer became a superstar.
During a recent appearance on The Jason Lee Show, the “Right Thurr” rapper reflected on knowing CiCi when they were young and said there were feelings between the two of them.
“I’m gonna tell you who a beautiful young lady is. That’s Ciara,” Chingy said. “Ciara, I used to talk to Ciara when she was 17, 18, before ‘Goodies.'”
According to Chingy, he met Ciara while she was recording with Jazze Pha, and she and her aunt would pick him up from the airport whenever he came to Atlanta.
Chingy made it clear he wasn’t trying to disrespect Ciara’s marriage to Russell Wilson by sharing the story. He added that, even back then, Ciara was someone who wanted the type of committed relationship she has today.
“I respect Ciara’s marriage,” he said. “And matter of fact, Ciara was always that type of girl that wanted that.”
The 46-year-old explained that Ciara would come to his hotel, but the two initially kept things outside. “She never came in my hotel, ever,” he said. “I sat out there with her in that car and we used to talk. We used to sit outside my hotel and I used to sit out there with her until she was ready to go. She was a close friend of mine.”
Their connection apparently continued as “Goodies” began taking off. Chingy claimed they would spend so much time together that they nearly missed flights because neither wanted to leave.
Jason Lee then suggested Chingy sounded like he had been in love with Ciara. While Chingy didn’t go that far, he acknowledged the feelings between them. “We liked each other a lot,” he said.
Chingy also recalled flying to Atlanta after “Goodies” came out and going to one of Ciara’s shows. Before the show, he said Ciara came into his hotel room and later confronted him about his behavior toward her while they were inside.
“She didn’t like that, and she decided to tell me she didn’t like that that day on the way to her show,” he said, adding that he told her, “‘Okay, I won’t do that again.'”
When Lee asked if he was bothered once Ciara moved on and began dating Bow Wow, Chingy insisted there were no hard feelings.
