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Rapper, 5150

Long before Hurricane Katrina wreaked immeasurable havoc in Louisiana, Shreveport native Chris Dooley was making a name for himself as one of the fiercest freestyle rappers in his city. Due to the fact that he often destroyed his opposition lyrically, his comrades nicknamed him Hurricane Chris. Now equipped with a hit single and a record deal from Polo Grounds/J Records, Hurricane Chris is preparing to storm on the industry. His single produced by Mr. Collipark, "A Bay Bay," has become one of the hottest songs of the summer and the video was recently named the "Jam of the Week" on MTV. "The first single started down here in Shreveport," Hurricane Chris says. " 'Bay Bay' is a saying that comes from DJ Bay Bay. He goes so hard in the club [when he spins his records] that we chant his name the entire night. So I took that club vibe and made a song."

The undeniably infectious song has created a buzz around his debut album, which features Rich Boy, Pit Bull, DJ Drama, E-40, Dip Set, Big Kuntry King and Teddy Wayne. "The album will be very versatile," he says. "A lot of players in the game came to rock with me, so that feels real good." As for continuing to produce hits after one of the most disastrous storms in U.S. history, Hurricane Chris believes that the rappers in his state didn't allow the catastrophe to take away their desire to make music. "If this is what you love, you're going to do this no matter what," he says. "We all stuck with it. We didn't let a storm stop us." - amir shaw

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