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.
Rollout
Ludacris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Roll out! Roll out! Roll out! Roll out!
I got my twin Glock .40s, cocked back
Me and my homies, so drop that
We rolling on twenties, with the top back
So much money, you can't stop that
Me and my homies, so drop that
We rolling on twenties, with the top back
So much money, you can't stop that
Now where'd you get that platinum chain with them diamonds in it?
Where'd you get that matching Benz with them windows tinted?
Who them girls you be with when you be riding through?
Man I ain't got nothing to prove, I paid my dues
Breaking the rules, I shake fools while I'm taking a cruise
Tell me who's your weed man, how do you smoke so good?
You's a superstar boy, why you still up in the hood?
What in the world is in that BAG, what you got in that BAG?
A couple a cans a whoop ass, you did a good ass job of just eyeing me, spying me
I got my twin Glock .40s, cocked back
Me and my homies, so drop that
We rolling on twenties, with the top back
So much money, you can't stop that
Twin Glock .40s, cocked back
Me and my homies, so drop that
We rolling on twenties, with the top back
So much money, you can't stop that
Man, that car don't come out until next year, where in the fuck did you get it?
That's eighty-thousand bucks GONE, where in the fuck did you spend it?
You must have eyes on your back, cause you got money to the ceiling
And the bigger the cap, the bigger the peeling
The better I'm feeling, the more that I'm chilling
Winning, drilling and killing the feeling
Now who's that bucked-naked cook fixin three-course meals?
Getting goosebumps when her body tap the six inch heels
What in the world is in that ROOM, what you got in that ROOM?
A couple a gats, a couple a knives, a couple of rats, a couple of wives
Now it's time to choose
I got my twin Glock .40s, cocked back
Me and my homies, so drop that
We rolling on twenties, with the top back
So much money, you can't stop that
Twin Glock .40s, cocked back
Me and my homies, so drop that
We rolling on twenties, with the top back
So much money, you can't stop that
Are you custom-made, custom-paid, or you just custom-fitted?
PlayStation 2 up in the ride and is that Lorenzo-kitted?
Is that your wife, your girlfriend or just your main bitch?
You take a pick, while I'm rubbing the hips,
Touching lips to the top of the dick and then whew!
Now tell me who's your housekeeper and what you keep in your house?
What about diamonds and gold, is that what you keep in your mouth?
What in the world is in that CASE, what you got in that CASE?
Get up out my face, you couldn't relate,
Wait to take place at a similar pace
So shake, shake it
I got my twin Glock .40s, cocked back
Me and my homies, so drop that
We rolling on twenties, with the top back
So much money, you can't stop that
Twin Glock .40s, cocked back
Me and my homies, so drop that
We rolling on twenties, with the top back
So much money, you can't stop that
Get out my business, my business
Stay the fuck up out my business, ah
'Cause these niggas all up in my shit and it's my business, my business
Stay the fuck up out my business, 'cause it's mine, oh mine
My business, my business
Stay the fuck up out my business
'Cause these niggas all up in my shit
And it's my business, my business
Stay the fuck up out my business, 'cause it's mine, oh mine
Timbaland
Ludacris
Disturbin Tha Peace
"Rollout" is the second single from Ludacris's 2001 third studio album, "Word of Mouf." The song's title suggests a call to action, which aligns with the song's theme of showing off one's wealth and coolness. The song features a bouncy and bass-heavy beat, accompanied by catchy choruses and hitmaker Timbaland's vocal ad-libs.
The lyrics of "Rollout" encourage listeners to be proud of their riches, possessions, and status symbols, as well as their skills and talents. Ludacris boasts about his twin Glock .40 pistols, his twenty-inch rims and convertible top, and the ladies he rides with. Still, he also addresses the criticism and questions he faces for his success, such as the source of his income and how he spends it, as well as his motivations and worthiness of fame.
Overall, "Rollout" embodies Ludacris's signature style of witty wordplay, Southern slang, and humorous anecdotes. The song became one of Ludacris's biggest hits, reaching #17 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart and being certified gold.
Line by Line Meaning
Roll out! Roll out! Roll out! Roll out!
Let's go, let's go, let's go, let's go!
I got my twin Glock .40s, cocked back
I have two Glock .40 pistols, fully loaded and ready to use.
Me and my homies, so drop that
My friends are with me, so back off and let us through.
We rolling on twenties, with the top back
We're cruising around in a car with expensive 20-inch rims and the convertible top down.
So much money, you can't stop that
We have so much money that no one can prevent us from enjoying our luxurious lifestyle.
Now where'd you get that platinum chain with them diamonds in it?
I want to know where you got that expensive platinum necklace with diamonds on it.
Where'd you get that matching Benz with them windows tinted?
I'm curious about where you purchased that Mercedes-Benz car with tinted windows that matches your necklace.
Who them girls you be with when you be riding through?
I'm wondering who those girls are that you hang out with while driving around.
Man I ain't got nothing to prove, I paid my dues
I don't need to prove anything to anyone because I've worked hard and earned my success.
Breaking the rules, I shake fools while I'm taking a cruise
I like to break the rules and get into trouble while driving around leisurely.
Tell me who's your weed man, how do you smoke so good?
I'm asking who your supplier of marijuana is and how you are able to smoke such high-quality weed.
You's a superstar boy, why you still up in the hood?
You're a famous superstar, so why are you still hanging out in the ghetto?
What in the world is in that BAG, what you got in that BAG?
I'm curious about what's in that bag you're carrying around.
A couple a cans a whoop ass, you did a good ass job of just eyeing me, spying me
It looks like you're carrying a couple of cans of whoop ass, and you did a good job of just staring at me and following me around.
Man, that car don't come out until next year, where in the fuck did you get it?
That car isn't supposed to be released until next year, so where the hell did you get it?
That's eighty-thousand bucks GONE, where in the fuck did you spend it?
You just spent eighty-thousand dollars on that car, so where did all that money go?
You must have eyes on your back, cause you got money to the ceiling
You must be very aware and cautious, because you have so much money that it's almost overflowing.
And the bigger the cap, the bigger the peeling
The more money you have, the more likely you are to be targeted by thieves or other criminals looking to take advantage of you.
The better I'm feeling, the more that I'm chilling
The more money and success I have, the more relaxed and carefree I feel.
Winning, drilling and killing the feeling
I'm winning at life, doing what I love, and feeling like I'm on top of the world.
Now who's that bucked-naked cook fixin three-course meals?
I see a naked chef preparing a fancy three-course meal, and I want to know who they are.
Getting goosebumps when her body tap the six inch heels
I'm getting turned on by this woman's body and the sound of her high heels clicking on the floor.
What in the world is in that ROOM, what you got in that ROOM?
I'm curious about what's in that room you're guarding.
A couple a gats, a couple a knives, a couple of rats, a couple of wives
You're protecting that room with a couple of guns, a couple of knives, and some other secret things that you don't want me to know about.
Now it's time to choose
Now I have to make a choice about what to do next.
Are you custom-made, custom-paid, or you just custom-fitted?
I'm asking if you are a self-made person with custom-made clothes and wealth, or if you simply look rich by wearing expensive clothes that fit you well.
PlayStation 2 up in the ride and is that Lorenzo-kitted?
I see a PlayStation 2 inside your car, and I'm wondering if your car has a special kit designed by Lorenzo.
Is that your wife, your girlfriend or just your main bitch?
I'm wondering who that woman is in your life - is she your wife, your girlfriend, or your main female companion?
You take a pick, while I'm rubbing the hips
You can choose which woman you want while I'm busy flirting with her and feeling her up.
Touching lips to the top of the dick and then whew!
I'm orally pleasuring this woman, and it feels great.
Now tell me who's your housekeeper and what you keep in your house?
I want to know who takes care of your house and what valuable items you keep inside.
What about diamonds and gold, is that what you keep in your mouth?
Are you carrying valuable diamonds and gold in your mouth?
What in the world is in that CASE, what you got in that CASE?
I'm curious about what's inside that case you're carrying around.
Get up out my face, you couldn't relate
Leave me alone - you don't understand me or my lifestyle.
Wait to take place at a similar pace
You can wait until you've achieved a similar degree of success before you try to talk to me again.
So shake, shake it
Come on and dance with me - let's have some fun!
Get out my business, my business
Stop trying to pry into my personal life and affairs.
Stay the fuck up out my business, ah
I'm telling you to stay away from my private life and not get involved.
'Cause these niggas all up in my shit and it's my business, my business
Other people are trying to get involved in my life, but it's really none of their business.
Stay the fuck up out my business, 'cause it's mine, oh mine
This is my personal life and my private business, so stay away from it.
Timbaland
This song was produced by Timbaland.
Ludacris
This song was created and performed by Ludacris.
Disturbin Tha Peace
This song was released as a single by Disturbing tha Peace, Ludacris's record label.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Christopher Bridges, Papa Serigne Seck, Timothy Mosely
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@diegotopete2017
"Playstation 2 up in the ride"
13 year old me: 🤯🤯
@VersatyleTV1
14 for me. Back in 02
@ME-im3ui
I had one in mine!
@WD-hd1vw
I had a ps3 in a suburban
@diegotopete2017
@@WD-hd1vw Baller Alert!! I😂😂
@WD-hd1vw
@@diegotopete2017 nah... just got old enough to drive and do stupid shit with my money a little later than them
@chriswilson2361
Luda was untouchable in his day
@replicacity92
Definitely
@amybrown5066
He still is💯
@Therealmoseslupai
He still is. It was just the braids that added flavor to his character.