Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977 in Champaign, Illinois),… Read Full Bio ↴Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977 in Champaign, Illinois), better known by his stage name Ludacris, is a Grammy award winning American rapper, SAG award winning actor and co-founder of the label Disturbing Tha Peace. He is the highest selling Southern hip hop solo artist of all time with over 15 million units sold in the United States and around 20 million records sold worldwide. He released his debut album Incognegro in 1999 and has since released a further seven albums. His ninth studio album, Ludaversal, will be released sometime in 2012.
Early years
Bridges began his music career as a radio personality and DJ as Chris Lova Lova on Hot 97, an urban radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. He made his recorded debut on "Phat Rabbit," a track from Timbaland's 1998 album Tim's Bio: Life from the Basement. Although both Timbaland and Jermaine Dupri showed interest in signing Ludacris, he decided to release the album "Incognegro" independently in 1999. The album sold over 50,000 copies through the Atlanta based independent music distributor, Southern Music Distribution. The same year, he recorded the theme to the video game Madden NFL 2000. Scarface, an original member of the Geto Boys, signed Ludacris in 2000 to Def Jam Recordings, and created a new imprint, Def Jam South, around him.
Back for the First Time
Ludacris released his major label debut, Back for the First Time, in October 2000. The album reached as high as #4 on the charts, and was a major success. Ludacris made his mark on the industry with singles such as "Southern Hospitality" and "What's Your Fantasy", along with his first ever single "Phat Rabbit", from 2 years prior. Back for the First Time was the beginning of Ludacris's explosion to the top of the rap world.
Word of Mouf
Ludacris promptly completed his next album, Word Of Mouf and released it at the end of 2001. Its lead single, "Rollout (My Business)" was boycotted in many American video stations. Despite the controversy, the video was nominated for a 2003 VMA, and Luda performed it live at the awards' pre-show. Ludacris also toured with Papa Roach in 2002 after the release of their sophomore album lovehatetragedy. Ludacris reached a new level of notoriety when TV's Bill O'Reilly expressed outrage that Pepsi had hired Ludacris as a spokesman. O'Reilly repeatedly attacked Ludacris's foul language and called for a nation-wide boycott of Pepsi, who then fired Ludacris and hired Ozzy Osbourne's family instead.
Chicken-N-Beer
During the spring of 2003, Ludacris returned to the music scene after a brief hiatus with a new single, "Act A Fool" from the 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack. At around the same time, he released the lead single from his upcoming album, Chicken & Beer, called "P-Poppin" (short for "Pussy Poppin'"). Neither of his new singles were as well-received by either the urban or pop audiences as his previous songs had been, and both music videos received only limited airplay. Chicken & Beer opened strongly, but without a popular single, the album fell quickly.
However, in the fall of 2003, Ludacris rebounded with his next single, "Stand Up", which appeared on both Chicken & Beer as well as the soundtrack for the teen hip-hop/dance movie, Honey. Produced by Kanye West, "Stand Up" went on to become Ludacris' biggest mainstream hit to date, hitting the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnering heavy airplay on mainstream pop, rhythmic, and urban radio stations, as well as on MTV, MTV2, and BET.
The album's next single, "Splash Waterfalls", was released in early 2004. Though not a pop hit, it became a success at urban radio and BET. It was Ludacris' most sexual video yet and an R&B remix that featured Raphael Saadiq and sampled Tony! Toni! Tone!'s "Whatever You Want". Luda next released "Blow It Out", a gritty song that had a heavily low-budget, gritty, and urban-looking music video, which was a huge departure from the colorful, sensual, R&B leanings depicted in "Splash Waterfalls". "Blow It Out" acted both as a scathing response to the aforementioned criticism levied by Bill O'Reilly and an expression of disgust at Pepsi's cowardice in the affair:
Shout out to Bill O'Reilly, I'm'a throw you a curve
You mad cause I'm a thief and got away with words
I'm'a start my own beverage, it'll calm your nerves
Pepsi's the New Generation?—Blow it out cha ass!
* On 1 June 2006, a federal jury found that "Stand Up" did not infringe on the copyright of a song called "Straight Like That" by a New Jersey group known as I.O.F. "I hope the plaintiffs enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame," Ludacris said after the verdict. "This whole experience is proof to me of why I will always fight for what I believe in."
The Red Light District
The fourth studio album from Ludacris. Although entirely different from the usual antics of the previous albums, Ludacris had taken a more mature approach to his album. Ludacris openly boasted that he may be the only rapper able to keep the Def Jam label afloat. Ludacris had recently filmed and recorded the single "Get Back" in which he was featured a muscle-bounded hulk who was being annoyed by the media and warned his critics to leave him alone. He also was featured on Saturday Night Live playing his song Get Back with Sum 41. The follow-up single was the Austin Powers-inspired "The Number One Spot". It was produced by New York City's Hot 97 personality DJ Green Lantern. It used the Quincy Jones sample of "Soul Bossa Nova" and sped it up to the tempo of Ludacris' rap flow. Ludacris also filmed the video in which he pokes fun at O'Reilly's problems with Andrea Mackris (Hi Mr. O'Reilly / Hope all is well kiss the plaintiff and the wifey). Production credits come also from veteran producers Timbaland, Lil' Jon, The Medicine Men and legendary rapper Doug E. Fresh. Featured artists on the album include Nas, DJ Quik, DMX, Trick Daddy, and Disturbing Tha Peace newcomers Bobby Valentino (of Mista fame) and Dolla Boi and Small World. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. And most recently the rapper had used his opportunity to start his own foundation. The Ludacris Foundation started by Ludacris and Chaka Zulu is an organization that helps young middle and high school students motivate themselves in creative arts. Ludacris also has a daughter by the name of Karma. Ludacris had also participated at the Super Bowl and is the spokesman for the Boost Mobile Phone ad-campaign. Ludacris also received his first Grammy Award with Usher and Lil Jon for their hit single "Yeah"
Release Therapy
In a recent issue of XXL, a hip-hop based magazine, Ludacris was placed in the number nine spot for the most anticipated albums of 2006, for Release Therapy. The album Release Therapy was released on September 26, 2006. Ludacris is going to format the cd to have two sides, a Release side and a Therapy side. With the Release side having songs that allow him to get everything off his chest and the Therapy side being just feel-good music. A song titled "War With God" is one of the confirmed tracks from the upcoming album. The first single, "Money Maker", which features Pharrell, was released to U.S. radio outlets on July 17. Others songs will be : "Tell It Like It Is" (Produced by Elaborate Musik Workshop), "Runaway Love" (Feat. Mary J. Blige) and Woozy (Feat. R. Kelly)[1] "Money Maker" reached number one on the BET 106 & Park Countdown for the first time on September 15, 2006. The album recently reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 album charts with sales of more than 300,000 in its first week.
To promote the album, Ludacris will be hosting and performing on Saturday Night Live 18 November. Ludacris is the second and only rapper to host and perform on the same episode (MC Hammer hosted and performed in 1991, on different episodes ).
Theater of the Mind
Ludacris's 6th album, Theater of the Mind was released on November 24, 2008 it includes the singles "What them Girls Like" Co-Starring Chris Brown and Sean Garrett , "One More Drink" Co-Starring T-Pain, and "Nasty Girl" Co-Starring Piles. The New album peaked at 1 on U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums and peaked at 5 on U.S. Billboard 200.
Acting career
Ludacris has been acting in film since The Wash in 2001, but his big break came in 2005, where he received critical praise for his roles in the Oscar-winning films Hustle & Flow and Crash. Crash includes an ironic sequence where Ludacris's character is dismissive of hip-hop music. Interestingly, in both films, he is physically beaten by characters played by Terrence Howard. He is occasionally credited as "Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges".
On January 29, 2006 he was awarded with a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast in a Motion Picture for his work in the film Crash. Ludacris also starred in 2 Fast 2 Furious.Ludacris narrated the 2006 Ward Serrill basketball documentary "Heart of the Game." Ludacris recently cut his trademark braids off to project a new image for his upcoming album, Release Therapy.
He recently appeared in the 28 March 2006 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Ludacris portrayed Darius Randall, the nephew of Detective Fin Tutuola, portrayed by Ice T.
Disputes
Furthering the controversy, in response to the signing of the Osbourne family, popular music hip-hop mogul, Russell Simmons, organized a boycott against the company. Simmons demanded an apology from Pepsi to Ludacris and a 5 million dollar donation to one of Ludacris' charities. Eventually Simmons and Pepsi settled on an agreement to stop the boycott, right before it was to officially begin-- while Pepsi did not formally apologize to Ludacris, they did agree to donate millions of dollars over years to Russel Simmon Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.
Ludacris' song "Blow It Out" (from the Chicken & Beer album), acted as a scathing response to his critics, namely O'Reilly.
In another song, "Hoes in My Room", he tells a story about anonymous prostitutes being left in his room, and at the end of the last verse he says:
Then it got to my head and Somethin' remind me
I know who let 'em in, it was Bill O'Reilly.
Then, in 2004, in "Number 1 Spot"
Respected highly, Hi Mr. O'Reilly.
Hope all is well, kiss the plaintiff and the wifey.
In a 2006 interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris criticized Oprah Winfrey about his appearance on her show with the cast of the film Crash. During the interview, the conversation veered from the movie and Winfrey chose to speak on Ludacris' lyrical content, which he felt was unfair as he was visiting her show in the capacity of an actor and not a rapper. Also, Ludacris was upset that some of his responses were later edited from the show's airing. He was later joined by other rappers such as 50 Cent, Ice Cube and Killer Mike who argued that Winfrey had an anti-hip hop bias.
Winfrey responded by saying that she's opposed to rap lyrics that "marginalize women," but enjoys some artists, including Kanye West, who appeared on her show. She said she spoke with Ludacris backstage after his appearance to explain her position and said she understood that his music was for entertainment purposes, but that some of his listeners might take it literally. Ludacris later said the media had blown his comments out of proportion and said he respects Winfrey and considers her "a great individual."
In 2004, before the release of his debut album Straight Outta Ca$hville, Nashville, Tennessee native and G-Unit member Young Buck would enlist the services of fellow Atlanta emcee T.I., also known as T.I.P. in his native Bankhead neighborhood of westside Atlanta. They would create a track entitled "Stomp" amid growing tension between Buck's good friend Ludacris and T.I. On the track, T.I. takes subliminal shots at Ludacris including the line "me gettin' beat down, that's ludicrous." Buck, immediately sensing the tension, decided before releasing the track to notify Ludacris that T.I. had mentioned him since he didn't want to position himself as encouraging T.I.'s actions. Ludacris hears the track and asks Buck if he can add his own verse to which Buck agrees. The results end up being costly for T.I. as he is berated throughout Ludacris' verse and called out by name in his last line. Representatives from T.I. notify Buck that T.I.'s vocals will not be cleared for the album unless T.I. is allowed to change his verse, and also have Ludacris change his. Buck refuses this offer and T.I. prohibits his vocals from being used. Buck has hypeman and fellow rapper D-Tay replace T.I. on the song and D-Tay himself is eventually replaced by The Game on the official release.
Although T.I. was removed, the street cut featuring him and Ludacris had already been leaked to DJs in Atlanta and New York. T.I. was unable to stop the track's distribution throughout the streets of the nation at this point. It is widely accepted that T.I. "lost" this battle with Ludacris easily being the victor. The beef between Ludacris and T.I. was then put to an end behind closed doors as T.I. said that the problems between them have ceased.
In 2006 however, T.I. would release his highly anticipated fourth solo album entitled KING. In his Just Blaze produced track titled "I'm Talkin To You," T.I. lyrically attacks one or more unknown targets who have widely been speculated to be either Ludacris, New Orleans emcee Lil Wayne, or Houston rapper Lil' Flip (whom T.I. also had beef with but has since ended their animosity behind closed doors) or a combination of all three. It is still unknown whether or not T.I. was in fact battling Ludacris again or anyone else for that matter at all. A closer listen to the song, however proves that T.I. isnt dissing Ludacris. In one of T.I.s lines he quotes "had it out with 'Cris, but he still my nigga...sat down civilized talked about it like niggas", alluding to the sit down that he and Ludacris had to end their beef. As a matter of fact during the taping of MTV's My Block 'Atlanta', T.I. and Ludacris are shown greeting each other respectfully.
In July of 2006, a track entitled "War with God" would see Ludacris return after some time off in movies. In the track, Ludacris goes on the offensive against an unknown rapper who has sold drugs, and makes repeated references to shooting guns in his songs, isn't as rich as he (Ludacris) and likes to give himself titles - all very well known characteristics and facts directly relating to T.I and Young Jeezy (or countless other less popular rappers) or the newcoming rappers Yung Joc and Young Dro. In this instance it also unknown whether or not Ludacris is indeed aiming his disses at Young Jeezy, T.I. or if the track is even a song recorded recently. Ludacris recently stated that the song was deeper than just a diss, and the song is more about him than anyone else, it's showing that he isn't just the 'cartoon entertainer' type rapper that he has always been portrayed as, when asked about who specific rhymes were aimed at he said "The guilty will speak". The track has been confirmed to be a selection from Ludacris' upcoming album Release Therapy this September. The song is not aimed at Young Jeezy as he features on the latest album. "War with God" uses a beat written by Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry. Hardship took over ludacris and he was under alot of stress by the end of that album.
Early years
Bridges began his music career as a radio personality and DJ as Chris Lova Lova on Hot 97, an urban radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. He made his recorded debut on "Phat Rabbit," a track from Timbaland's 1998 album Tim's Bio: Life from the Basement. Although both Timbaland and Jermaine Dupri showed interest in signing Ludacris, he decided to release the album "Incognegro" independently in 1999. The album sold over 50,000 copies through the Atlanta based independent music distributor, Southern Music Distribution. The same year, he recorded the theme to the video game Madden NFL 2000. Scarface, an original member of the Geto Boys, signed Ludacris in 2000 to Def Jam Recordings, and created a new imprint, Def Jam South, around him.
Back for the First Time
Ludacris released his major label debut, Back for the First Time, in October 2000. The album reached as high as #4 on the charts, and was a major success. Ludacris made his mark on the industry with singles such as "Southern Hospitality" and "What's Your Fantasy", along with his first ever single "Phat Rabbit", from 2 years prior. Back for the First Time was the beginning of Ludacris's explosion to the top of the rap world.
Word of Mouf
Ludacris promptly completed his next album, Word Of Mouf and released it at the end of 2001. Its lead single, "Rollout (My Business)" was boycotted in many American video stations. Despite the controversy, the video was nominated for a 2003 VMA, and Luda performed it live at the awards' pre-show. Ludacris also toured with Papa Roach in 2002 after the release of their sophomore album lovehatetragedy. Ludacris reached a new level of notoriety when TV's Bill O'Reilly expressed outrage that Pepsi had hired Ludacris as a spokesman. O'Reilly repeatedly attacked Ludacris's foul language and called for a nation-wide boycott of Pepsi, who then fired Ludacris and hired Ozzy Osbourne's family instead.
Chicken-N-Beer
During the spring of 2003, Ludacris returned to the music scene after a brief hiatus with a new single, "Act A Fool" from the 2 Fast 2 Furious soundtrack. At around the same time, he released the lead single from his upcoming album, Chicken & Beer, called "P-Poppin" (short for "Pussy Poppin'"). Neither of his new singles were as well-received by either the urban or pop audiences as his previous songs had been, and both music videos received only limited airplay. Chicken & Beer opened strongly, but without a popular single, the album fell quickly.
However, in the fall of 2003, Ludacris rebounded with his next single, "Stand Up", which appeared on both Chicken & Beer as well as the soundtrack for the teen hip-hop/dance movie, Honey. Produced by Kanye West, "Stand Up" went on to become Ludacris' biggest mainstream hit to date, hitting the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 and garnering heavy airplay on mainstream pop, rhythmic, and urban radio stations, as well as on MTV, MTV2, and BET.
The album's next single, "Splash Waterfalls", was released in early 2004. Though not a pop hit, it became a success at urban radio and BET. It was Ludacris' most sexual video yet and an R&B remix that featured Raphael Saadiq and sampled Tony! Toni! Tone!'s "Whatever You Want". Luda next released "Blow It Out", a gritty song that had a heavily low-budget, gritty, and urban-looking music video, which was a huge departure from the colorful, sensual, R&B leanings depicted in "Splash Waterfalls". "Blow It Out" acted both as a scathing response to the aforementioned criticism levied by Bill O'Reilly and an expression of disgust at Pepsi's cowardice in the affair:
Shout out to Bill O'Reilly, I'm'a throw you a curve
You mad cause I'm a thief and got away with words
I'm'a start my own beverage, it'll calm your nerves
Pepsi's the New Generation?—Blow it out cha ass!
* On 1 June 2006, a federal jury found that "Stand Up" did not infringe on the copyright of a song called "Straight Like That" by a New Jersey group known as I.O.F. "I hope the plaintiffs enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame," Ludacris said after the verdict. "This whole experience is proof to me of why I will always fight for what I believe in."
The Red Light District
The fourth studio album from Ludacris. Although entirely different from the usual antics of the previous albums, Ludacris had taken a more mature approach to his album. Ludacris openly boasted that he may be the only rapper able to keep the Def Jam label afloat. Ludacris had recently filmed and recorded the single "Get Back" in which he was featured a muscle-bounded hulk who was being annoyed by the media and warned his critics to leave him alone. He also was featured on Saturday Night Live playing his song Get Back with Sum 41. The follow-up single was the Austin Powers-inspired "The Number One Spot". It was produced by New York City's Hot 97 personality DJ Green Lantern. It used the Quincy Jones sample of "Soul Bossa Nova" and sped it up to the tempo of Ludacris' rap flow. Ludacris also filmed the video in which he pokes fun at O'Reilly's problems with Andrea Mackris (Hi Mr. O'Reilly / Hope all is well kiss the plaintiff and the wifey). Production credits come also from veteran producers Timbaland, Lil' Jon, The Medicine Men and legendary rapper Doug E. Fresh. Featured artists on the album include Nas, DJ Quik, DMX, Trick Daddy, and Disturbing Tha Peace newcomers Bobby Valentino (of Mista fame) and Dolla Boi and Small World. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. And most recently the rapper had used his opportunity to start his own foundation. The Ludacris Foundation started by Ludacris and Chaka Zulu is an organization that helps young middle and high school students motivate themselves in creative arts. Ludacris also has a daughter by the name of Karma. Ludacris had also participated at the Super Bowl and is the spokesman for the Boost Mobile Phone ad-campaign. Ludacris also received his first Grammy Award with Usher and Lil Jon for their hit single "Yeah"
Release Therapy
In a recent issue of XXL, a hip-hop based magazine, Ludacris was placed in the number nine spot for the most anticipated albums of 2006, for Release Therapy. The album Release Therapy was released on September 26, 2006. Ludacris is going to format the cd to have two sides, a Release side and a Therapy side. With the Release side having songs that allow him to get everything off his chest and the Therapy side being just feel-good music. A song titled "War With God" is one of the confirmed tracks from the upcoming album. The first single, "Money Maker", which features Pharrell, was released to U.S. radio outlets on July 17. Others songs will be : "Tell It Like It Is" (Produced by Elaborate Musik Workshop), "Runaway Love" (Feat. Mary J. Blige) and Woozy (Feat. R. Kelly)[1] "Money Maker" reached number one on the BET 106 & Park Countdown for the first time on September 15, 2006. The album recently reached number 1 on the Billboard 200 album charts with sales of more than 300,000 in its first week.
To promote the album, Ludacris will be hosting and performing on Saturday Night Live 18 November. Ludacris is the second and only rapper to host and perform on the same episode (MC Hammer hosted and performed in 1991, on different episodes ).
Theater of the Mind
Ludacris's 6th album, Theater of the Mind was released on November 24, 2008 it includes the singles "What them Girls Like" Co-Starring Chris Brown and Sean Garrett , "One More Drink" Co-Starring T-Pain, and "Nasty Girl" Co-Starring Piles. The New album peaked at 1 on U.S. Billboard Top Rap Albums and peaked at 5 on U.S. Billboard 200.
Acting career
Ludacris has been acting in film since The Wash in 2001, but his big break came in 2005, where he received critical praise for his roles in the Oscar-winning films Hustle & Flow and Crash. Crash includes an ironic sequence where Ludacris's character is dismissive of hip-hop music. Interestingly, in both films, he is physically beaten by characters played by Terrence Howard. He is occasionally credited as "Chris 'Ludacris' Bridges".
On January 29, 2006 he was awarded with a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Cast in a Motion Picture for his work in the film Crash. Ludacris also starred in 2 Fast 2 Furious.Ludacris narrated the 2006 Ward Serrill basketball documentary "Heart of the Game." Ludacris recently cut his trademark braids off to project a new image for his upcoming album, Release Therapy.
He recently appeared in the 28 March 2006 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Ludacris portrayed Darius Randall, the nephew of Detective Fin Tutuola, portrayed by Ice T.
Disputes
Furthering the controversy, in response to the signing of the Osbourne family, popular music hip-hop mogul, Russell Simmons, organized a boycott against the company. Simmons demanded an apology from Pepsi to Ludacris and a 5 million dollar donation to one of Ludacris' charities. Eventually Simmons and Pepsi settled on an agreement to stop the boycott, right before it was to officially begin-- while Pepsi did not formally apologize to Ludacris, they did agree to donate millions of dollars over years to Russel Simmon Hip-Hop Summit Action Network.
Ludacris' song "Blow It Out" (from the Chicken & Beer album), acted as a scathing response to his critics, namely O'Reilly.
In another song, "Hoes in My Room", he tells a story about anonymous prostitutes being left in his room, and at the end of the last verse he says:
Then it got to my head and Somethin' remind me
I know who let 'em in, it was Bill O'Reilly.
Then, in 2004, in "Number 1 Spot"
Respected highly, Hi Mr. O'Reilly.
Hope all is well, kiss the plaintiff and the wifey.
In a 2006 interview with GQ magazine, Ludacris criticized Oprah Winfrey about his appearance on her show with the cast of the film Crash. During the interview, the conversation veered from the movie and Winfrey chose to speak on Ludacris' lyrical content, which he felt was unfair as he was visiting her show in the capacity of an actor and not a rapper. Also, Ludacris was upset that some of his responses were later edited from the show's airing. He was later joined by other rappers such as 50 Cent, Ice Cube and Killer Mike who argued that Winfrey had an anti-hip hop bias.
Winfrey responded by saying that she's opposed to rap lyrics that "marginalize women," but enjoys some artists, including Kanye West, who appeared on her show. She said she spoke with Ludacris backstage after his appearance to explain her position and said she understood that his music was for entertainment purposes, but that some of his listeners might take it literally. Ludacris later said the media had blown his comments out of proportion and said he respects Winfrey and considers her "a great individual."
In 2004, before the release of his debut album Straight Outta Ca$hville, Nashville, Tennessee native and G-Unit member Young Buck would enlist the services of fellow Atlanta emcee T.I., also known as T.I.P. in his native Bankhead neighborhood of westside Atlanta. They would create a track entitled "Stomp" amid growing tension between Buck's good friend Ludacris and T.I. On the track, T.I. takes subliminal shots at Ludacris including the line "me gettin' beat down, that's ludicrous." Buck, immediately sensing the tension, decided before releasing the track to notify Ludacris that T.I. had mentioned him since he didn't want to position himself as encouraging T.I.'s actions. Ludacris hears the track and asks Buck if he can add his own verse to which Buck agrees. The results end up being costly for T.I. as he is berated throughout Ludacris' verse and called out by name in his last line. Representatives from T.I. notify Buck that T.I.'s vocals will not be cleared for the album unless T.I. is allowed to change his verse, and also have Ludacris change his. Buck refuses this offer and T.I. prohibits his vocals from being used. Buck has hypeman and fellow rapper D-Tay replace T.I. on the song and D-Tay himself is eventually replaced by The Game on the official release.
Although T.I. was removed, the street cut featuring him and Ludacris had already been leaked to DJs in Atlanta and New York. T.I. was unable to stop the track's distribution throughout the streets of the nation at this point. It is widely accepted that T.I. "lost" this battle with Ludacris easily being the victor. The beef between Ludacris and T.I. was then put to an end behind closed doors as T.I. said that the problems between them have ceased.
In 2006 however, T.I. would release his highly anticipated fourth solo album entitled KING. In his Just Blaze produced track titled "I'm Talkin To You," T.I. lyrically attacks one or more unknown targets who have widely been speculated to be either Ludacris, New Orleans emcee Lil Wayne, or Houston rapper Lil' Flip (whom T.I. also had beef with but has since ended their animosity behind closed doors) or a combination of all three. It is still unknown whether or not T.I. was in fact battling Ludacris again or anyone else for that matter at all. A closer listen to the song, however proves that T.I. isnt dissing Ludacris. In one of T.I.s lines he quotes "had it out with 'Cris, but he still my nigga...sat down civilized talked about it like niggas", alluding to the sit down that he and Ludacris had to end their beef. As a matter of fact during the taping of MTV's My Block 'Atlanta', T.I. and Ludacris are shown greeting each other respectfully.
In July of 2006, a track entitled "War with God" would see Ludacris return after some time off in movies. In the track, Ludacris goes on the offensive against an unknown rapper who has sold drugs, and makes repeated references to shooting guns in his songs, isn't as rich as he (Ludacris) and likes to give himself titles - all very well known characteristics and facts directly relating to T.I and Young Jeezy (or countless other less popular rappers) or the newcoming rappers Yung Joc and Young Dro. In this instance it also unknown whether or not Ludacris is indeed aiming his disses at Young Jeezy, T.I. or if the track is even a song recorded recently. Ludacris recently stated that the song was deeper than just a diss, and the song is more about him than anyone else, it's showing that he isn't just the 'cartoon entertainer' type rapper that he has always been portrayed as, when asked about who specific rhymes were aimed at he said "The guilty will speak". The track has been confirmed to be a selection from Ludacris' upcoming album Release Therapy this September. The song is not aimed at Young Jeezy as he features on the latest album. "War with God" uses a beat written by Don Cheegro and Dirty Harry. Hardship took over ludacris and he was under alot of stress by the end of that album.
Call Up The Homies
Ludacris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
(Ludacris) Verse 1
I just touched down in killa Cali,
Strapped up my boots,
Got scooped up by Game,
So I hopped up in the coupe,
Gaah, What up nigga
What the hell is goin on,
I'm tryin to ease back,
And get my head in the zone,
Where the fuck you tryin to go,
Nigga this yo city,
Anywhere, I'm just tryin to see some ass and titties,
So full mash the gas,
The night is young,
All bull shit aside,
I'm tryin to have some fun,
Hit the hop in Lakewood,
Or ride down Slawson,
Or to Casino,
they say it's just like Compton,
Really doesn't matter,
Long as shots don't ring out,
Nigga I stay strapped,
I don't wanna pull the thing out,
Well keep the heat heat,
right up under the seat,
and let's roll to Roscoe's,
And grab somethin to eat,
But check ya rear view mirror,
I swear somebody's following,
Rollin in that dark blue,
SS Impala and,
All up on tha bumpa,
Man I'm just sayin,
Tell me you know this nigga,
Naw they betta stop playin,
He sped up around,
And drove right in front of us,
Could be one time,
Just tryin to bust one of us,
Till he smashed the brakes,
And we almost hit him,
Throwin signs out the window,
like something was wrong with him,
Before we jump out,
And get ready to clown,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down
(Chorus)
Keep one eye open,
Cause the streets don't sleep,
If the streets get hungry,
Then the streets gon eat,
That's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Yeah, call up the homies,
It about to go down,
Yeah, that's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down
(The Game) Verse 2
Somebody tell Luda,
I'm on the way now,
Aight, just stepped one size 12,
Air force one in the A-town,
And you know where I'm headed,
To the Lennox Mall,
To get it done head to toe,
N.W.A. style,
Do it then, Keep it gangsta,
From the waist down,
And this chrome tre pound,
Got me feelin,
Atlanta brave now,
Right, disturbin the peace,
I'll let the lead spray,
I'm startin to love this place,
They even got red clay,
Okay, hit a different,
Strip club everyday,
And I don't make it rain,
It's a hurricane on the way,
And I got,
The A-town pump,
It'll make ya whole body,
Do the A-town stomp,
Then it's off,
To the waffle house,
And pancake mix,
Ain't the only thing,
coming out of mouth,
And the 42 D's,
Coming out her blouse,
So baby, daddy coming in,
Game get out the house
(Chorus)
Keep one eye open,
Cause the streets don't sleep,
If the streets get hungry,
Then the streets gon eat,
That's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Yeah, call up the homies,
It about to go down,
Yeah, that's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down
(Ludacris) then (Willie Northpole) Verse 3
Yeah I'm in a real life movie,
So this is take 3,
Where Luda step foot,
Out in Phoenix, AZ,
Super Bowl, super hoes,
Drivers on stroll,
So I put the call in,
To Willie Northpole,
Big homie I got ya,
Stick to ya like a cactus,
Welcome to tha bird city,
Cris take off ya jacket,
I know you kind of used to,
Big bootys in the club,
But ain't nothing wrong,
To have a little salsa in ya blood,
I see a couple thugs,
With some bitch Tennessees,
My town but,
I still got Phoenix enemies,
Haters wanna stop em,
And I really wanna pop em,
But it's hard to fight back,
When you got an album droppin,
Connect, We in south Phoenix,
Nigga Africa bang,
Matter fact Cris,
Tuck in ya Africa chain,
Cause I see some nigga staring at us,
With a lame frown,
I'm a call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
(Chorus)
Keep one eye open,
Cause the streets don't sleep,
If the streets get hungry,
Then the streets gon eat,
That's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Yeah, call up the homies,
It about to go down,
Yeah, that's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down
I just touched down in killa Cali,
Strapped up my boots,
Got scooped up by Game,
So I hopped up in the coupe,
Gaah, What up nigga
What the hell is goin on,
And get my head in the zone,
Where the fuck you tryin to go,
Nigga this yo city,
Anywhere, I'm just tryin to see some ass and titties,
So full mash the gas,
The night is young,
All bull shit aside,
I'm tryin to have some fun,
Hit the hop in Lakewood,
Or ride down Slawson,
Or to Casino,
they say it's just like Compton,
Really doesn't matter,
Long as shots don't ring out,
Nigga I stay strapped,
I don't wanna pull the thing out,
Well keep the heat heat,
right up under the seat,
and let's roll to Roscoe's,
And grab somethin to eat,
But check ya rear view mirror,
I swear somebody's following,
Rollin in that dark blue,
SS Impala and,
All up on tha bumpa,
Man I'm just sayin,
Tell me you know this nigga,
Naw they betta stop playin,
He sped up around,
And drove right in front of us,
Could be one time,
Just tryin to bust one of us,
Till he smashed the brakes,
And we almost hit him,
Throwin signs out the window,
like something was wrong with him,
Before we jump out,
And get ready to clown,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down
(Chorus)
Keep one eye open,
Cause the streets don't sleep,
If the streets get hungry,
Then the streets gon eat,
That's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Yeah, call up the homies,
It about to go down,
Yeah, that's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down
(The Game) Verse 2
Somebody tell Luda,
I'm on the way now,
Aight, just stepped one size 12,
Air force one in the A-town,
And you know where I'm headed,
To the Lennox Mall,
To get it done head to toe,
N.W.A. style,
Do it then, Keep it gangsta,
From the waist down,
And this chrome tre pound,
Got me feelin,
Atlanta brave now,
Right, disturbin the peace,
I'll let the lead spray,
I'm startin to love this place,
They even got red clay,
Okay, hit a different,
Strip club everyday,
And I don't make it rain,
It's a hurricane on the way,
And I got,
The A-town pump,
It'll make ya whole body,
Do the A-town stomp,
Then it's off,
To the waffle house,
And pancake mix,
Ain't the only thing,
coming out of mouth,
And the 42 D's,
Coming out her blouse,
So baby, daddy coming in,
Game get out the house
(Chorus)
Keep one eye open,
Cause the streets don't sleep,
If the streets get hungry,
Then the streets gon eat,
That's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Yeah, call up the homies,
It about to go down,
Yeah, that's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down
(Ludacris) then (Willie Northpole) Verse 3
Yeah I'm in a real life movie,
So this is take 3,
Where Luda step foot,
Out in Phoenix, AZ,
Super Bowl, super hoes,
Drivers on stroll,
So I put the call in,
To Willie Northpole,
Big homie I got ya,
Stick to ya like a cactus,
Welcome to tha bird city,
Cris take off ya jacket,
I know you kind of used to,
Big bootys in the club,
But ain't nothing wrong,
To have a little salsa in ya blood,
I see a couple thugs,
With some bitch Tennessees,
My town but,
I still got Phoenix enemies,
Haters wanna stop em,
And I really wanna pop em,
But it's hard to fight back,
When you got an album droppin,
Connect, We in south Phoenix,
Nigga Africa bang,
Matter fact Cris,
Tuck in ya Africa chain,
Cause I see some nigga staring at us,
With a lame frown,
I'm a call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
(Chorus)
Keep one eye open,
Cause the streets don't sleep,
If the streets get hungry,
Then the streets gon eat,
That's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Call up the homies,
It's about to go down,
Yeah, call up the homies,
It about to go down,
Yeah, that's why I keep some heat,
And a couple of rounds,
Nigga call up the homies,
It's about to go down
The song "Call Up The Homies" by Ludacris featuring The Game and Willie Northpole is an ode to the loyalty of friends in the tough, dangerous streets of their respective cities. The lyrics depict their travels and experiences in California, Atlanta, and Phoenix, where they encounter potential threats and call on their homies for backup. The chorus emphasizes the importance of being prepared for anything and having each other's backs.
The first verse starts with Ludacris arriving in California and getting picked up by The Game. They ride around looking for fun and encounter a car following them. They decide to call up their homies for protection if needed. The chorus follows, emphasizing the importance of always being ready for trouble. The second verse features The Game's experience in Atlanta, where he goes shopping and hits up strip clubs before heading to Waffle House. He also reinforces the importance of being well-armed and anticipating danger. The final verse sees Ludacris in Phoenix, where he calls on Willie Northpole to join him. They encounter haters and potential enemies but remain ready to defend themselves with the help of their homies.
Overall, "Call Up The Homies" is a celebration of the bonds between close friends who share a dangerous lifestyle. It depicts the importance of always being aware and prepared for anything that might happen, including violence and confrontation.
Line by Line Meaning
I just touched down in killa Cali,
Ludacris has just arrived in California
Strapped up my boots,
Ludacris has put on his boots
Got scooped up by Game,
The Game picked up Ludacris
So I hopped up in the coupe,
Ludacris got into the car
What the hell is goin on,
Ludacris is asking what's happening
I'm tryin to ease back,
Ludacris is trying to relax
And get my head in the zone,
Ludacris is trying to focus
Nigga this yo city,
The Game is telling Ludacris that this is his city
Anywhere, I'm just tryin to see some ass and titties,
Ludacris wants to have fun and see women
The night is young,
It's early in the night
All bull shit aside,
Ludacris wants to have a good time without any problems
I'm tryin to have some fun,
Ludacris wants to enjoy himself
It's just like Compton,
The Casino is similar to Compton
Long as shots don't ring out,
Ludacris wants to avoid any violence
I don't wanna pull the thing out,
Ludacris doesn't want to use his weapon
Let's roll to Roscoe's,
Ludacris wants to go to Roscoe's restaurant
But check ya rear view mirror,
Ludacris is telling The Game to check behind them
Rollin in that dark blue,
A dark blue car is following them
All up on tha bumpa,
The car is very close to them
Could be one time,
The car could be the police
Till he smashed the brakes,
The car suddenly stopped
Like something was wrong with him,
The car driver seemed suspicious
Before we jump out,
Ludacris wants to investigate before taking any action
Nigga call up the homies,
Ludacris wants to call his friends to help him if needed
Keep one eye open,
Ludacris advises to be alert
If the streets get hungry,
If there's trouble in the streets
That's why I keep some heat,
Ludacris carries a weapon for protection
Somebody tell Luda,
The Game is looking for Ludacris
To the Lennox Mall,
The Game is going to the Lennox Mall
To get it done head to toe,
The Game wants to get his outfit done perfectly
From the waist down,
The Game wants to keep it gangster
It'll make ya whole body,
The A-town pump dance is very energetic
Just sayin,
The Game is expressing his opinion
So this is take 3,
This is the third scene in Ludacris's real-life movie
Super Bowl, super hoes,
There are many women around at the Super Bowl event
So I put the call in,
Ludacris calls Willie Northpole for backup
But ain't nothing wrong,
There's nothing wrong with having some Latin flavor
But I still got Phoenix enemies,
Ludacris has some enemies in Phoenix
Haters wanna stop em,
Ludacris's enemies want to stop him
But it's hard to fight back,
It's difficult to fight back when you're busy with your album
I'm a call up the homies,
Ludacris will call his friends for help if needed
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: CHRISTOPHER BRIDGES, CHRISTOPHER B. BRIDGES, CLINTON SPARKS, JAYCEON TAYLOR, WILLIAM ADAMS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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