Ludacris - The Interview

[DudeAsInCool]

Ludacris Interview

Adam Bernard 10.05.2003 • ReactMag.com

  

 

Ludacris  

This fall Ludacris is going to be all about "Chicken and Beer." "We're going to sell a million copies just based off the title alone," the southern rapper exclaimed when talking about his upcoming album. He continued "I feel that as the older I get, the more I rap, the better I get, practice makes perfect, so I'm just basically sayin' every album I come up with, as long as it's the latest album, it's gonna be the best album from me. It just keeps getting better and better so 'Chicken and Beer' will be the best LP I've ever put out." Luda describes the album, saying "it's the same Ludacris that the core audience loves but then always tryina take things to the next level and do some different stuff that no one would expect me to do, just to take it to the next level. Versatility is important."

Versatility isn't the only thing important to the Atlanta native, Ludacris is also serious when it comes to charity. Launched two years ago, The Ludacris Foundation is an Atlanta based charity that Luda puts his whole heart into. "My foundation is geared towards helping kids help themselves doing a number of projects, not necessarily just one thing, but like feeding the homeless, going to rehabilitation centers for kids and visitin them, givin out free stuff, sponsoring boys and girls clubs, sponsoring trophies and uniforms, givin out turkeys at Thanksgiving, sponsoring families at Christmas."

The Ludacris Foundation was supposed to receive a hefty gift from Pepsi after the whole ad situation, but apparently no check has been made out yet. According to Luda, "we still never came to an agreement with the foundation when people and Russell Simmons stepped in and people thought that we did, we never did." When asked to play a little word association with the words "Pepsi," and "Bill O'Reilly," the normally humorous MC takes on a very serious tone. "Hypocrite, Racist. Both are hypocrites and you can say they're both racists. Pepsi doesn't value the black dollar, I feel, and that all comes from, using me as an example, it wasn't just about Ludacris it's bigger than me, but they insulted Hip-Hop music as a whole by saying that, by putting the Osbournes on that basically makes me believe that they're saying that I am worse than the Osbournes. Who can say I'm worse than the Osbournes? Man that's crazy." Despite this situation Ludacris still has a positive attitude toward the ad world, saying "like I tell people I'm glad that happened, it was a big learnin experience for me, as a matter of fact we're in negotiations to do a lot more endorsements so it didn't hurt me in that aspect."

After that incident Luda can add corporate to the other forms of shadiness he already knows about. When it comes to the music industry, Luda laughs at the concept of trying to put into words how shady the game can get. "There's no way to measure it, it gets ridiculously corrupt and shady, man. Everybody's always lookin out for their own ass, especially in record companies. No one wants to get fired. They'll do or say anything not to get themselves in trouble. Egos play a big part when it comes to artists, and when it comes to producers. It's a political game, man, it's almost like the music industry is it's own separate kind of government and you gotta try and play the game the right way." Paying that game is something Luda's done as a radio station DJ, an independent artist, and now as a superstar.

Of course, there's one other kind of shadiness Luda's familiar with, Slim Shady. Luda and his DTP click were on last year's Anger Management tour along with Eminem, Xzibit, and Papa Roach. Luda loved the experience, saying "me bein in front of Eminem's audience, he has a like a 10 million and over audience, so just bein in front of him was great because, of course, that made awareness for myself, and some people that maybe necessarily didn't listen to my music were listenin then, especially since we had Papa Roach on there."

There were also groupies there, and when groupies get crazy they turn into stalkers. Luda had one stalker story from the Anger Management Tour, and it happened when they were in the NC/VA area. "One time, you always have your general stalkers, but it was like a whole family that was stalkin me man and I was scared to death because it was the mother the father and like two kids. It was ridiculous man."

 

 Ludacris  The reaction that Ludacris got when he hit the stage in Atlanta was ridiculous, too, ridiculously huge. "Home is like the best place to perform," he explains, continuing "there's other records that not necessarily everyone else across the country knows but (in) Atlanta they know even more records than what is national, so I do a show in Atlanta and I have even three or four more songs than the world knows." Always showing support for his home state, Luda recently bought a new house there, in College Park. He jokingly says he'll answer the door if MTV Cribs comes knocking on one condition, "maybe, eventually, if they give me the whole half an hour."

When it comes to how many women will be getting in those doors, the man who once said he had hoes in different area codes says he's calming down a bit, but no he's not married. "I'm not married. There's always this rumor flyin around that I'm married. I used to have a lot of different pros in different area codes but now I've kinda narrowed it down, let's just say that."

While the number of "pros" he has may be shrinking, the number of remixes he's featured on is growing by leaps and bounds. Luda is the unofficial king of the remix, appearing with everyone from Cam'Ron to Usher, and expect to hear him keep popping up on other people's songs as he explains "a lotta people just say they wanna work with me and I think that's great man." He continued, "I feel like working with different artists, it keeps me balanced, it keeps me working with different styles and I learn from every artist I work with, so it's almost like I think that's the greatest thing in the world." Though he doesn't like to play favorites, Ludacris did say who he felt he's learned the most from, "out of all the collaborations I would have to say R. Kelly, to be real with you, just because dude is like a studio junkie man he's like a lab rat and he's so focused when it comes to his music." He also cited Kelly, and Missy Elliott as two of his favorite people to work with. In the end the learning experience is always a good thing, but Luda adds that there is another reason to continue to do remixes, "(I'm) lettin different people's audiences hear me on different records. It's all about doin the unexpected, man."

There are some things that fall into the category of "expected" for Luda, however, including a few release dates. The soundtrack to The Fast and the Furious 2 is set to drop May 27th, the movie, which Luda has a role in, is due out June 6th, and Luda's third solo effort, "Chicken and Beer" will be dropping in early fall. Luda calls his role in The Fast and the Furious 2, "like a medium role, it's not too big, it's not too small, it's a pretty good role. I'll see where it takes me." Fans of his music need not worry, Luda's not about to become a full time actor. He is quick to say "music will always be (my) number one love," and that's news that should keep plenty of people happy, and plenty of remixes hot.