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.
Press The Start Button
Ludacris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
This song is rated M for mature!
[Chorus: Ludacris]
Yeah, press the start button (woo!)
Tell these hoes to press the start button (what!)
Punch in your code and press the start button
And let the muh'fuckin games begin, biatch!
Yea, tell my foes to press the start button
For a Ludacris show, just press the start button
And let the muh'fuckin games begin, biatch!
[Ludacris]
Hey, look here
Picture perfect, I paint a perfect picture
Eyes low cause Igloo done rolled the perfect swisha
Hit you with the weaponry, tell your soldiers to back down
I'm +Raw+ like W.E., you'll get +SmackDown!+
How you want it? I'll clobber my opponents like Blanka
Boy, you +Street Fightin+ with a monster
A-Town mobster, blowin smoke like rastas
Pullin out guns like in +Contra+, mo' toys than Tonka
I'm a fuckin problem, rob 'em
It's +Grand Theft Auto+, his burner's right beside him
Hollow points headed to your dome
Hollow points headed to your home
Your head of lettuce shredded from the chrome
It's ludicrous parents think I'm a weirdo
I'm a +God of War+, you a +Guitar Hero+
So let's box like Tyson, you'll get +Punched Out+
Welcome to Luda's world, now bring the blunts out!
Hahhhhh!
[Chorus] w/ ad libs
[Ludacris]
I'm +Liver+ than NBA, Luda's +Super+ like Mario
That Playstation 4 shit, you older than Atari hoe!
Flows that'll make MC's +Go!+ like Diego
Call me the Master Chief, my life is like +Halo+
Fightin off haters, I'm the best, ask Khaled
I'm at the +Call of Duty+, plus my +Metal Gear+ is +Solid+
My +Resident+ is +Evil+, full of Southside riders
I hope you're +Pac'd-Man+, I got six +Virtua Fighters+
That'll +Blitz+ ya like Madden '09
Or hit you with the mac and fo' 9's
Then later sit back and blow pine
like it's somethin to do, it ain't pretty
The +Final Fantasy+, they think they live in +SimCity+
But I'm a +MechWarrior+, try me and I'll damage ya
Holdin a +Soul Calibur+, or shoot you like +Galaga+
And my +Creed Assassins+ ya, so clear the room
Before the shotgun helps you meet your +Ultimate Doom+, boyyyyy
[Chorus] w/ ad libs
[Ludacris]
Whether 25 thousand or 25 mil'
Survival of the fittest, either kill or be killed
Get ya game on playa, get ya game on (what?!)
Get ya game on playa, get ya game on
Doesn't matter if it's 25 bricks or it's 25 bucks
Survival of the fittest, either stick or get stuck
Get ya game on playa, get ya game on (what?!)
Get ya game on playa, get ya game on
HEYYYY!
[Chorus] w/ ad libs
In “Press the Start Button,” Ludacris raps about his video game-inspired world and encourages listeners to start playing the game by pressing the start button. The song is rated “M” for mature, indicating its explicit lyrics. The chorus is a call to action, urging everyone to hit start and begin participating in the game, joining Luda’s world. He brags about his skills and references several video games in his bars, including Street Fighter, Grand Theft Auto, Guitar Hero, and HALO, among others. Luda’s rhymes are cleverly crafted to fit his video game persona, and the chorus is upbeat and catchy, emphasizing the song’s central message.
The song was released in March 2009 as the second single from Luda’s album “Theater of the Mind.” It was produced by Don Cannon and features a sample from the 1983 song “White Horse” by Laid Back. The music video shows Luda in different video game scenarios, including as a fighter and a race car driver. The song received positive reviews, with critics commending Luda for his video game-inspired lyrics and his smooth flow. It peaked at number 43 on the US Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and number 111 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Line by Line Meaning
Yeah, press the start button (woo!)
Let's get started and begin the action.
Tell these hoes to press the start button (what!)
Let's tell everyone to start playing and get ready for some action.
Punch in your code and press the start button
Enter your specific code and let's begin the game.
And let the muh'fuckin games begin, biatch!
Let's start playing now and see what happens.
For any ONE of these flows just press the start button
Choose any of these options and start playing.
Yea, tell my foes to press the start button
Tell my opponents to start now so we can begin the game.
For a Ludacris show, just press the start button
To watch a Ludacris show, start by pushing the start button.
Hey, look here
Listen to what I'm about to say.
Picture perfect, I paint a perfect picture
I create an ideal scenario with my words.
Eyes low cause Igloo done rolled the perfect swisha
Igloo has rolled a perfect joint which is making my eyes droopy.
Hit you with the weaponry, tell your soldiers to back down
I will attack you with my weapons and request that your team retreats from battle.
I'm +Raw+ like W.E., you'll get +SmackDown!+
My attacks are raw like the WWE and they will cause you to fall.
How you want it? I'll clobber my opponents like Blanka
What's your preferred method of attack? I can defeat you like Blanka from Street Fighter.
Boy, you +Street Fightin+ with a monster
You are fighting against a fierce monster in the form of me.
A-Town mobster, blowin smoke like rastas
I'm a gangster from A-Town and I'm smoking like a Rastafarian.
Pullin out guns like in +Contra+, mo' toys than Tonka
I have a lot of weapons like in the video game Contra and more toys than Tonka trucks.
I'm a fuckin problem, rob 'em
I'm a major issue and I will steal from you if I need to.
It's +Grand Theft Auto+, his burner's right beside him
It's like a scene from Grand Theft Auto and he has his gun right next to him.
Hollow points headed to your dome
Bullets are swiftly heading towards your head.
Hollow points headed to your home
Bullets are on their way to your house.
Your head of lettuce shredded from the chrome
Your head will be destroyed by my gun.
It's ludicrous parents think I'm a weirdo
It's crazy that parents believe I'm a strange person.
I'm a +God of War+, you a +Guitar Hero+
I'm like the God of War while you're only a Guitar Hero.
So let's box like Tyson, you'll get +Punched Out+
Let's have a boxing match like Mike Tyson and I will knock you out.
Welcome to Luda's world, now bring the blunts out!
Now that you're here, let's enjoy some marijuana.
I'm +Liver+ than NBA, Luda's +Super+ like Mario
I'm more alive than the NBA and Luda is just like Super Mario in terms of being a great entertainer.
That Playstation 4 shit, you older than Atari hoe!
Your gaming system is outdated like Atari and mine is current like PlayStation 4.
Flows that'll make MC's +Go!+ like Diego
My rhymes will make other MC's go crazy like the character Diego from Dora the Explorer.
Call me the Master Chief, my life is like +Halo+
I'm the Master Chief and my life is just like the video game Halo.
Fightin off haters, I'm the best, ask Khaled
I'm fighting off those who hate me and DJ Khaled can confirm I'm the best.
I'm at the +Call of Duty+, plus my +Metal Gear+ is +Solid+
I'm playing Call of Duty and my Metal Gear weapons are unbeatable.
My +Resident+ is +Evil+, full of Southside riders
I love playing Resident Evil and many of my friends from Southside enjoy it as well.
I hope you're +Pac'd-Man+, I got six +Virtua Fighters+
I hope you're ready for Pac-Man because I have six Virtua Fighters to defeat you.
That'll +Blitz+ ya like Madden '09
I'll hit you hard and fast like in Madden 2009.
Or hit you with the mac and fo' 9's
I could hit you with a MAC-10 and a .45 handgun.
Then later sit back and blow pine
Later, I'll relax and smoke some marijuana.
like it's somethin to do, it ain't pretty
Smoking weed is just something to do, but it's not necessarily attractive.
The +Final Fantasy+, they think they live in +SimCity+
People who play Final Fantasy believe that they're living in a virtual SimCity world.
But I'm a +MechWarrior+, try me and I'll damage ya
I'm a strong and powerful MechWarrior and if you try me, I will hurt you.
Holdin a +Soul Calibur+, or shoot you like +Galaga+
I'm holding a Soul Calibur sword, or I could shoot you down like in Galaga.
And my +Creed Assassins+ ya, so clear the room
My group of assassins from Assassin's Creed will take care of you, so everyone else should leave the room.
Before the shotgun helps you meet your +Ultimate Doom+, boyyyyy
Leave before my shotgun puts you in your worst possible situation.
Whether 25 thousand or 25 mil'
It doesn't matter if I have $25,000 or $25 million.
Survival of the fittest, either kill or be killed
It's a dog-eat-dog world, either you defeat others or they will defeat you.
Get ya game on playa, get ya game on (what?!)
Get ready to play and start your game immediately.
Doesn't matter if it's 25 bricks or it's 25 bucks
Whether it's drugs or money, it doesn't matter.
Survival of the fittest, either stick or get stuck
If you can't handle it, you'll just get left behind.
HEYYYY!
Just a shout to bring attention or excitement to what's happening.
Contributed by Chloe P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Beezy Unique25
This song still go hard till this day🔥
No Name
Til this day 🔥🔥🔥
rahul mehta
Till this day
Neverstar-X
man Ludacris is so underrated.
siavm
This song still has it. And most of the games mentioned are still around in new versions.
the_ambition
people like ludacris, lloyd banks, outkast ....an all these other rappers are too damn underrated! they got maad skills....crazy punch lines!!!
Adaiah Barber
Still 🔥 in 2020
savage zmack
great song keep it up ludacris
YBJTG
it was supposed to be on his album Theatre Of The Mind but it didnt make it onto the album it probably should have this is a sick joint
MPX
It's on the expanded version.