Fresh off the heels of his sold out show at Houston's House of Blues, Chingo Bling was booked to perform at Hollywood's world-famous Key Club.

The Tamale Kingpin invited Rocks Off to tag along and document the concert and his surrounding media blitz.

THURSDAY, MAY 5

LATV Studios, Los Angeles, 4 p.m.

Chingo Bling needs a moment to collect himself. This fun little interview has suddenly turned into a full-blown Barbara Walters tearjerker. He recalls how he lost most of the proceeds from his album The Tamale Kingpin, due to his being either overeager or over-trusting.

It's not losing the money that hurts the most, he says, but rather the time and effort he and his family devoted to the project, only to be robbed of the glory in the end. An expensive lesson, but a mistake that will not be repeated.

Loteria Grill, Hollywood, 7 p.m.

After a quick rest at the hotel, Chingo meets with his manager Kevin Benson for dinner. Conversation topics include tomorrow's TV and radio interviews, and the finalization of the guest list for the show. A gentleman named John, who works with APA Talent & Literary Agency, is working on booking Chingo as an opener on a major tour scheduled for September.

A last-minute interview request is sent by text message to Chingo's phone. It's gonna be a long night.

Busby's East, Hollywood, 11 p.m.

The Cinco de Mayo celebration is in full swing thanks to radio personality and VJ Chuey Martinez. He leads Chingo down to the basement of the club, and interviews him for his MTV Tr3s show Musica y Mas. It's impressive to see Chingo turn on his character as soon as the video starts recording - he seems to be having fun, but he's been awake for almost 24 hours at this point, and is desperate to go back to the hotel for a few hours of sleep before his early-morning interviews.

FRIDAY, MAY 6

Pann's Restaurant, Los Angeles, 8 a.m.

Much to his relief, Chingo's first interview of the day was pushed back to 9:30 a.m. He is sitting in the diner where the movie Pulp Fiction was filmed, and is furiously scrawling lyrics onto a napkin. Food writer John T. Edge is grilling Chingo with food-related questions for an upcoming feature, but the rapper seems distracted and nervous.

He orders coffee and the day's special, chorizo and eggs. He will need both to get through the hectic day.

Univision Studios, Los Angeles, 9:30 a.m.

Chingo is set to perform two songs for the show Lanzate, a music/variety show hosted by Stephanie Bradford. He enlists the help of his old friends E-Dub Rios and Khoolaid, who together make up the syndicated radio show Pocos Pero Locos. E-Dub will serve as the DJ for this performance; according to Chingo, Pocos was the first radio show to play his music outside of Texas.

APA Talent & Literary Agency, Beverly Hills, 12 p.m.

Another lunch meeting with Kevin Benson and John. The offer sheet for the tour is received, but the numbers are not quite to John's liking. He picks up the phone and demands changes be made ASAP. He assures Kevin and Chingo that the deal will soon be finalized.

Rocks Off will post the conclusion of our Chingo tour diary tomorrow.