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.
Runaway Love
Ludacris Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Yeah, and it go a lil something like this
Runaway love
Runaway love (love, love)
Runaway love (love))
Runaway love (ooh)
Runaway love (ooh)
Runaway love (ooh)
Runaway love (ooh)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Now little Lisa is only nine years old
She's tryin' to figure out why the world is so cold
Why she's all alone and they never met her family
Mama's always gone and she never met her daddy
Part of her is missin' and nobody will listen
Mama on drugs, gettin' high up in the kitchen
Bringin' home men at different hours of the night
Startin' with some laughs, usually endin' in a fight
Sneak in her room while her mama's knocked out
Tryin' to have his way and little Lisa says 'ouch'
She tries to resist, but then all he does is beat her
Tries to tell her mom, but her mama don't believe her
Lisa's stuck up in the world on her own
Forced to think that hell is a place called home
Nothin' else to do but get some clothes and pack
She says, she's 'bout to run away and never come back
Runaway love (runaway, runaway)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love (love)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love
Runaway love (runaway, runaway, runaway)
Runaway love (love)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Little Nicole is only ten years old
She's steady tryin' to figure why the world is so cold
Why she's not pretty and nobody seems to like her
Alcoholic step dad always wanna strike her
Yells and abuses, leaves her with some bruises
Teachers ask questions, she makin' up excuses
Bleedin' on the inside, cryin' on the out
It's only one girl really knows what she about
Her name is lil' Stacy and they become friends
Promise that they'll always be tight 'til the end
Until one day lil' Stacy gets shot
A drive-by bullet went stray up on her block
Now Nicole stuck up in the world on her own
Forced to think that hell is a place called home
Nothin' else to do but get her clothes and pack
She says, she's 'bout to run away and never come back
Runaway love (runaway)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love (runaway, don't keep her away)
Runaway love (oh)
Runaway love
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love
Runaway love (runaway love)
Little Erica is eleven years old
She's steady tryin' to figure why the world is so cold
So she pops Ex to get rid of all the pain
Plus she's havin' sex with a boy who's sixteen
Emotions run deep and she thinks she's in love
So there's no protection, he's usin' no glove
Never thinkin' 'bout the consequences of her actions
Livin' for today and not tomorrow's satisfaction
The days go by and her belly gets big
The father bails out, he ain't ready for a kid
Knowin' her mama will blow it all outta proportion
Plus she lives poor, so no money for abortion
Erica is stuck up in the world on her own
Forced to think that hell is a place called home
Nothin' else to do but get her clothes and pack
She say, she's about to run away and never come back
Runaway love (runaway)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love (don't keep running, girl)
Runaway love
Runaway love (runaway, runaway)
Runaway love (runaway, runaway)
Runaway love (running, running, running, running)
Runaway love
Runaway love (don't keep on running away)
Runaway love (don't you keep running, running away)
Runaway love (I know how you feel, I've been there)
Runaway love (I was running away too)
Runaway love (I would run away with you)
Runaway love (I will run away with you
Runaway love (running, running, running, running)
Runaway love (hey)
Runaway, runaway love
Don't keep runnin' away
I'll runaway with you, if you want me to
Love
Yeah, I can only imagine
What you going through, ladies
Sometimes I feel like running away myself
So do me a favor right now
And close your eyes and picture us running away together
And when we come back, everything is going to be okay
Open your eyes
Runaway love
Runaway love (love, love)
Runaway love (love))
Runaway love (ooh)
Runaway love (ooh)
Runaway love (ooh)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Now little Lisa is only nine years old
She's tryin' to figure out why the world is so cold
Why she's all alone and they never met her family
Mama's always gone and she never met her daddy
Part of her is missin' and nobody will listen
Mama on drugs, gettin' high up in the kitchen
Bringin' home men at different hours of the night
Startin' with some laughs, usually endin' in a fight
Sneak in her room while her mama's knocked out
Tryin' to have his way and little Lisa says 'ouch'
She tries to resist, but then all he does is beat her
Tries to tell her mom, but her mama don't believe her
Lisa's stuck up in the world on her own
Forced to think that hell is a place called home
Nothin' else to do but get some clothes and pack
She says, she's 'bout to run away and never come back
Runaway love (runaway, runaway)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love (love)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love
Runaway love (runaway, runaway, runaway)
Runaway love (love)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Little Nicole is only ten years old
She's steady tryin' to figure why the world is so cold
Why she's not pretty and nobody seems to like her
Alcoholic step dad always wanna strike her
Yells and abuses, leaves her with some bruises
Teachers ask questions, she makin' up excuses
Bleedin' on the inside, cryin' on the out
It's only one girl really knows what she about
Her name is lil' Stacy and they become friends
Promise that they'll always be tight 'til the end
Until one day lil' Stacy gets shot
A drive-by bullet went stray up on her block
Now Nicole stuck up in the world on her own
Forced to think that hell is a place called home
Nothin' else to do but get her clothes and pack
She says, she's 'bout to run away and never come back
Runaway love (runaway)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love (runaway, don't keep her away)
Runaway love (oh)
Runaway love
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love
Runaway love (runaway love)
Little Erica is eleven years old
She's steady tryin' to figure why the world is so cold
So she pops Ex to get rid of all the pain
Plus she's havin' sex with a boy who's sixteen
Emotions run deep and she thinks she's in love
So there's no protection, he's usin' no glove
Never thinkin' 'bout the consequences of her actions
Livin' for today and not tomorrow's satisfaction
The days go by and her belly gets big
The father bails out, he ain't ready for a kid
Knowin' her mama will blow it all outta proportion
Plus she lives poor, so no money for abortion
Erica is stuck up in the world on her own
Forced to think that hell is a place called home
Nothin' else to do but get her clothes and pack
She say, she's about to run away and never come back
Runaway love (runaway)
Runaway love (runaway love)
Runaway love (don't keep running, girl)
Runaway love
Runaway love (runaway, runaway)
Runaway love (runaway, runaway)
Runaway love (running, running, running, running)
Runaway love
Runaway love (don't keep on running away)
Runaway love (don't you keep running, running away)
Runaway love (I know how you feel, I've been there)
Runaway love (I was running away too)
Runaway love (I would run away with you)
Runaway love (I will run away with you
Runaway love (running, running, running, running)
Runaway love (hey)
Runaway, runaway love
Don't keep runnin' away
I'll runaway with you, if you want me to
Love
Yeah, I can only imagine
What you going through, ladies
Sometimes I feel like running away myself
So do me a favor right now
And close your eyes and picture us running away together
And when we come back, everything is going to be okay
Open your eyes
The song “Runaway Love” by Ludacris featuring Mary J. Blige is a hauntingly beautiful tale of the trials and tribulations of three young girls facing adversity in their homes. The lyrics are a glimpse into the darkness and despair that these young ladies had to face every day. The first verse introduces us to Little Lisa, who is only nine years old and already faced with a harsh reality. Her mother is addicted to drugs and brings home men for overnight visits that usually result in violence. Lisa has no one to turn to for help and can only think of one solution - to run away from it all. The second verse introduces us to Little Nicole, who is ten years old and the victim of abuse at the hands of her alcoholic stepfather. Her self-esteem is eroded by the constant abuse, and she is left feeling alone and unloved. She, too, decides to run away, seeking the comfort of a life beyond the abuse. The third and final verse introduces us to Little Erica, who at eleven years old is overwhelmed by the harshness of reality. She turns to drugs and sex to numb the pain, and the result is an unwanted pregnancy. Erica sees no other way out and decides that running away is her only option.
The song is an insightful commentary on the harsh realities of life, especially for young girls who are often the victims of abuse, neglect, and violence. Ludacris’s decision to feature Mary J Blige on the track undoubtedly gives the song its haunting and soulful tone, which raises awareness about the difficult situations that so many young girls face. The lyrics touch on difficult subjects like drug addiction, violence, and teenage pregnancy, and expose the fact that children living in such situations often feel that running away is their only option. Altogether, the song paints a vivid picture of the harsh realities of life but also gives a sense of hope through the possibility of escape.
Line by Line Meaning
Runaway love
Expressing the idea of escaping from an unpleasant situation
Now little Lisa is only nine years old
Introducing Lisa's character and age
She's tryin' to figure out why the world is so cold
Questioning why the world is harsh and uncaring
Why she's all alone and they never met her family
Puzzled by being abandoned and never meeting her relatives
Mama's always gone and she never met her daddy
Wondering why her mother is always absent and never met her father
Part of her is missin' and nobody will listen
Feeling incomplete and not being heard by anyone
Mama on drugs, gettin' high up in the kitchen
Revealing her mother's substance abuse problem
Bringin' home men at different hours of the night
Her mother having different men over at odd hours
Startin' with some laughs, usually endin' in a fight
Starting off well but ultimately turning into an argument
Lisa's stuck up in the world on her own
Feeling trapped and helpless in the world
Forced to think that hell is a place called home
Considering her home life to be like living in hell
Nothin' else to do but get some clothes and pack
Her only choice is to leave and pack her clothes
She says, she's 'bout to run away and never come back
Deciding to run away and never return
Little Nicole is only ten years old
Introducing Nicole's character and age
She's steady tryin' to figure why the world is so cold
Trying to understand why the world is harsh and unfriendly
Why she's not pretty and nobody seems to like her
Feeling unattractive and disliked by others
Alcoholic step dad always wanna strike her
Describing her abusive stepfather
Now Nicole stuck up in the world on her own
Feeling abandoned and having to fend for herself
The father bails out, he ain't ready for a kid
Her baby's father leaves, not wanting to take responsibility
Plus she lives poor, so no money for abortion
Being too impoverished to afford an abortion
Erica is stuck up in the world on her own
Describing Erica's experience of being alone and helpless
So she pops Ex to get rid of all the pain
Taking ecstasy to dull her emotional distress
Plus she's havin' sex with a boy who's sixteen
Engaging in sexual activity with an older boy
Emotions run deep and she thinks she's in love
Having deeply felt emotions and believing she's in love
So there's no protection, he's usin' no glove
Having unprotected sex with the older boy
Erica is stuck up in the world on her own
Repeating her feeling of being alone and trapped
Don't keep running, girl
Urging these girls not to run away but to seek help
I'll runaway with you, if you want me to
Offering to join them in their escape if that's what they want
Sometimes I feel like running away myself
Acknowledging his own struggle and sense of wanting to escape
And when we come back, everything is going to be okay
Offering hope that their situation can improve and everything will be alright
Open your eyes
Inviting those listening to come back to reality
Lyrics © MUSIC SERVICES, INC., Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Christopher Brian Bridges, Douglas L. Davis, Jamal F. Jones, Keri Lynn Hilson, Ricky M. L. Walters
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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@senpaimorgan
2024 anyone?
@Jaee_iz_Humble
Yes. I dedicated this to one of my little angels I mentor to show her. She is 13 was heading down that road and this made her cry now she has spoken to me and told me EVERYTHING SHE IS GOING THROUGH she finally got some help and is currently living with me until we find something better. Don't want her in the system especially foster homes they aren't what they seem
@dejuanpeters8076
Hyy
@nelleross3234
Absolutely
@AirShay
Oh, definitely.
@JeffCarrillo-pw4jz
Literally been thinking about this song for about 15 years (didn’t know the name) 😂 until I asked my co worker today if he knew it. Literally said the name of it like nothing lol
@osmondt473
BE HONEST , this wasn't in ya recommendations. You searched for it
@lamorena-956
Exactly
@danielheaden4970
Yeah I did
@dolbuser
Ofc