Ludacris is a household name in hip hop and has a multitude of rap anthems under his belt. From ‘Number One Spot’ off his album, Red Light District, to his underground hit ‘Stand Up’, Ludacris most definitely has some jams.
Ludacris created some fantastic music during his career with his debut album Back For The First Time, giving an authentic voice to the city of Atlanta for the first time. As a southern artist on the Def Jam South label, Ludacris, along with his cohort, Disturbing Tha Peace, was integral in bringing the ‘Dirty South’ experience to the world. With tracks such as ‘Southern Hospitality’ adding to the regional melting-pot of hip hop, Ludacris brought the slang and the vibes of the ATL to the masses.
Before fame, Ludacris was a personality on local Atlanta radio under the moniker Chris Lova Lova. The rapper brushed shoulders with super producer Timbaland while pursuing radio and would go on to feature on the producer’s track ‘Phat Rabbit’. With his debut mixtape, Incognegro circulating the Atlanta streets, Def Jam South would sign Ludacris and shop his debut album Back For The First Time. With good marketing and the city of Atlanta behind him, the album subsequently entered the charts at number four.
Between 2001 and 2003, Ludacris would go on to have great success through features. The rapper appeared on several successful tracks in this period, including ‘Gossip Folks’ by Missy Elliott and Jermaine Dupri’s ‘Welcome to Atlanta’.
Ludacris’ albums, Word of Mouf’ and Chicken-n-Beer, would have astronomical success, with his single ‘Stand Up’ (produced by Kanye West) reaching number one on the Billboard charts, receiving commercial airplay on all major US radio stations. The rapper’s success would continue throughout the mid-noughties, with his music featured on multiple film soundtracks, including Fast-n-Furious and Step Up 2: The Streets.
However, during the 2010s, the rapper would slowly lose steam as new Southern rappers such as 2 Chainz appeared with a unique sound known as Trap. The rapper would not maintain his relevance in the Trap era. However, regardless of Ludacris’ current relevancy, the rapper undoubtedly contributed great amounts to hip hop and created some extraordinary moments. One of those moments was his epic freestyle on BBC 1Xtra’s Tim Westwood show. Over the beat for Nothin’ by NORE, check out Ludacris and 2 Chainz’s legendary UK radio freestyle in the video below.
