Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977),[1] better known
by his stage name Ludacris, is an American rapper and actor. Along
with his manager, Chaka Zulu, Ludacris is the co-founder of Disturbing
tha Peace, an imprint distributed by Def Jam Recordings. Ludacris
has won the Screen Actors Guild, Critic's Choice, MTV, and Grammy
Awards during his career.
Ludacris was born Christopher Brian Bridges in Champaign, Illinois,
the only child of Roberta Shields and Wayne Brian Bridges.[2][3]
He is of African American and Native American descent.[4][5] Bridges
wrote his first rap song at age nine when moving to Atlanta and joined
an amateur rap group three years later.[6] He attended Banneker High
School in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] From 1998 to 1999, he studied music
management at Georgia State University.[7] In Feb. 2007, Bridges
lost his father to cancer.[8] Ludacris has a daughter named Karma
with an Atlanta attorney named Christine White.[9][10]
Music career
Radio DJ, Timbaland collaboration
Bridges served as an intern and then as a disc jockey at Atlanta's
Hot 97.5 (now Hot 107.9) under the name "Chris Lova Lova".[11]
Ludacris collaborated with Timbaland on the track "Phat Rabbit" from
his album Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment. Is it later included
on Ludacris's debut LP album Back for the First Time.
Back for the First Time (2000)
Main article: Back for the First Time
Ludacris released his major label debut, Back for the First Time,
in October 2000. This album was actually a modified re-release of
the album Incognegro, made in 1998. It was produced with the help
of the underground producer Sessy Melia, whom he dated for a short
while. The album reached as high as #4 on the U.S. Billboard 200,
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 the "Phat
Rabbit", from two years prior. Guest appearances included 4-Ize,
I-20, Shawnna, Pastor Troy, Timbaland, Trina, Foxy Brown, UGK, and
others. Ludacris stated in an interview on MTV's hip hop program
Direct Effect that he came up with his stage name based on his "split
personality" that he considered "ridiculous" and "ludicrous".[12]
Word of Mouf (2001)
Main article: Word of Mouf
Ludacris promptly completed his next album, Word of Mouf, and released
it at the end of 2001. The video for the lead single, "Rollout
(My Business)", was nominated for a 2002 VMA, and Ludacris performed
it live at the awards' pre-show. He released singles "Saturday
(Oooh Oooh)" with Sleepy Brown, "Move Bitch" with
Mystikal and I-20, and "Area Codes" with Nate Dogg.
Chicken-n-Beer (2003)
Main article: 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 album Chicken-n-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-N-Beer opened strongly, but without a popular single, the
album fell quickly. Guest appearances include Playaz Circle, Chingy,
Snoop Dogg, 8Ball & MJG, Lil' Flip, I-20, Lil Fate, and Shawnna.
In the fall of 2003, Ludacris rebounded with his next single, "Stand
Up", which appeared on both Chicken-n-Beer as well as the soundtrack
for the teen hip hop/dance movie, You Got Served. Produced by Kanye
West, "Stand Up" went on to become one of Ludacris' biggest
mainstream hits to date, hitting the top spot on the Billboard Hot
100 garnering heavy airplay on mainstream pop, rhythmic, and urban
radio stations, as well as on MTV, MTV2, and BET. Ludacris was sued
by a New Jersey group called I.O.F. who claimed that "Stand
Up" used a hook from one of their songs, but in June 2006, a
jury found that the song did not violate copyrights. "I hope
the plaintiffs enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame," Ludacris said
after the verdict.[13]
The album's next single, "Splash Waterfalls", was released
in early 2004. A huge pop hit (despite its steamy video and explicit,
adult-oriented lyrical content and themes), it subsequently became
a success at urban radio and BET, and is the only time he has produced
two consecutive top 10 singles from a solo album,[citation needed]
except for Release Therapy (an unedited version of the video could
only be viewed on BET's Uncut program). It was Ludacris' most sexual
video yet, an R&B remix that featured Raphael Saadiq and sampled
Tony! Toni! Tone!'s "Whatever You Want". Ludacris received
his first Grammy Award with Usher and Lil Jon for their hit single "Yeah!".
Ludacris next released "Blow It Out", which was accompanied
by a low-budget music video.
The Red Light District (2004)
Main article: The Red Light District
Ludacris during a 2011 New Year's Day concert in a Miami Beach nightclub
Chris Bridges took a more mature approach to his fourth album, The
Red Light District. Sohail Khalid helped produce this album with
various artists such as T.I., Lil Flip and Bun B. Ludacris openly
boasted that he may be the only rapper able to keep the Def Jam label
afloat on the opening track. Ludacris filmed and recorded the single "Get
Back" in which he was featured as a muscle-bound hulk who was
being annoyed by the media and warned critics to leave him alone.
He first appeared on Saturday Night Live as a special guest performing
with musical guest Sum 41 on a season 30 episode hosted by Paul Giamatti.
He then recorded "Get Back" with Sum 41 to make a rock
crossover single. The follow-up single was the Austin Powers-inspired "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. Featured
artists on the album include Nas, DJ Quik, DMX, Trick Daddy, Sleepy
Brown, and Disturbing tha Peace newcomers Bobby Valentino, Dolla
Boi, and Small World. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard
charts.
Release Therapy (2006)
Main article: Release Therapy
In an issue of XXL, 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
formatted the CD to have two sides: a Release side and a Therapy
side on a single CD. Guest appearances include Pharrell Williams,
R. Kelly, Young Jeezy, Mary J. Blige, Field Mob, Bobby Valentino,
Pimp C, C-Murder, and Beanie Sigel. The first single, "Money
Maker", which features Pharrell Williams, was released to U.S.
radio outlets on July 17, 2006.[14] "Money Maker" reached
number one on the BET program 106 & Park. It then went to become
the rapper's second number one single after 6 years[citation needed].
His second single, "Grew Up a Screw Up", featuring Young
Jeezy, dispels rumors that the two are or ever were in a dispute.
His third single, "Runaway Love", soon peaked at number
one on the U.S. Billboard Hot Rap Tracks and won Best Collaboration
in the 2007 BET Awards. His album then reached number one on the
Billboard 200 album charts with sales of 309,000 in its first week.
With the release of this album, Ludacris marked a change in style
in his career with his musical style. The new album itself features
a departure of the lighthearted mood of his previous albums, and
introduces a darker side. A change of hair accompanied this as he
cut off his trademark braids for a more conventional "fade" cut.
To promote the album, Ludacris returned to Saturday Night Live (as
both host and musical guest) on November 18, 2006.
Theater of the Mind (2008)
Main article: Theater of the Mind
The Preview, a mixtape to preview the album was released on July
28, 2008. Theater of the Mind, released on November 24, 2008, and
in April 2008, the single "Let's Stay Together" appeared
on xxlmag.com; supposedly from the new album ("Let's Stay Together" was
expected to but was released as a bonus track on the CD). A song
with Small World called "Pinky Shinin" was expected to
be on the album, but it was dropped. In an interview with Complex
Magazine he stated that Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, Rick Ross, T.I.,
Plies, Common, T-Pain, Jay-Z, Nas and The Game will be on the album;
The Game is featured in a track with Willy Northpole titled "Call
Up the Homies". T.I. was on the album on a track called "Wish
You Would" squashing the long feud between them. The album debuted
at number five on the Billboard 200 with 213,493 sold first week.
The album was released the same day as Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreak,
which took the number one spot.[15] His first single "What Them
Girls Like", featuring Chris Brown and Sean Garrett, peaked
at #33 on the Billboard 100. His second single, "One More Drink",
featuring T-Pain, peaked at #24 on the Billboard 100. The third official
single is "Nasty Girl", featuring Plies. He confirmed a "sequel" titled
Ludaversal[16] due to be released in 2011.[17]
Battle of the Sexes (2010)
Main article: Battle of the Sexes (album)
Ludacris' seventh studio album was released on March 9, 2010, with
his first promotional single for the album being "Everybody
Drunk" which features Lil Scrappy, originally featuring Shawnna.
The first concept idea of the album was to have Ludacris and Shawnna
battle it out on the album back–to–back, but this was
later axed upon Shawnna's depature from Disturbing tha Peace, ending
her contract on Ludacris' label and joining T-Pain's Nappy Boy Entertainment
label. The first official single released from Battle of the Sexes
was "How Low", which was released on December 8, 2009.
The follow–up single was "My Chick Bad", released
on February 23, 2010. The third single is "Sex Room", peaking
at #69 on the Billboard 100. Ludacris’s Battle of the Sexes
entered the chart at No. 1, with 137,000 sales in the first week.
The album is currently certified gold.[18]
Ludaversal (2011)
On August 15, 2010, Ludacris tweeted that he is currently back in
the studio with The Neptunes working on Ludaversal, his "sequel" album
to Theater of the Mind.[19]
Ventures
After the success of Back for the First Time, Ludacris started his
own foundation. The Ludacris Foundation, started by Ludacris and
Disturbing tha Peace CEO Chaka Zulu, is an organization that helps[20]
middle and high school students motivate themselves in creative arts.
In 2007 Matt Apfel,[21] a reality TV producer, had an idea for a
show about mashups between fans and rock stars. He sat down with
Ludacris and Zulu and discovered that they wanted to do something
similar. Out of this partnership, they started a new media distribution
company called wemix.com.[22] Recently, WeMix.com announced a partnership
with PhoneZoo to launch an innovative content distribution platform
for new artists.[23] Recently, Ludacris has landed a new fragrance
deal with TAG Body Spray. His own packaging of the spray is called
Get Yours.
In January 2009, Ludacris collaborated with Norwegian cognac house
Birkedal Hartmann to create Conjure cognac. Ludacris and Birkedal
Hartmann's blender, Philippe B. Tiffon, selected a blend of ugni
blanc grapes from various regions in Cognac including Grande Champagne,
Petite Champagne and Borderie. Conjure is a blend of forty eaux-de-vie
and is aged in oak barrels that are up to fifty years old.[24] The
bottle is decorated with female silhouettes.[25]
Controversy
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(December 2009)
T.I.
Tensions began when T.I. saw Disturbing tha Peace rapper I-20's
video in which a man wearing a shirt with the words "Trap House,"[citation
needed] was being beaten. T.I. believed the man's shirt actually
said "Trap Muzik," perhaps interpreting this to be a reference
to his album of the same name. Later, former G-Unit artist Young
Buck asked these two fellow Southern rappers to appear on his new
record on the track "Stomp". T.I. recorded a verse, which
contained a line that Young Buck considered to be a subliminal insult
towards Ludacris "Me gettin' beat down?/That's ludicrous/".
Young Buck spoke to Ludacris about his interpretation of the event.
Ludacris then later recorded a verse that can be found on the album.[26]
T.I's record company wanted Ludacris to change his verse before they
sanctioned it but Ludacris refused and T.I. was therefore replaced
by Game on the album version.
On June 24, 2007 at the Sunset Tower Hotel in West Hollywood, California,
T.I. was involved in a physical altercation. During a luncheon held
by Kevin Liles of Warner Music Group (parent company of T.I.'s label,
Atlantic Records), the MC got into a fight with Ludacris' manager
Chaka Zulu. According to witnesses, T.I. punched Zulu in the face
and choked him and a small, brief melee ensued.[27]
T.I. was awarded honors for Best Hip-Hop Artist at the BET Awards,
and took the opportunity to apologize for his scuffle with Disturbing
tha Peace executive Chaka Zulu earlier in the week. While accepting
his award, he expressed regret over the situation. "They say
it's a fine line between brilliance and insanity," he said,
in an apparent reference to his troublesome alter ego, T.I.P. During
the broadcast, cameras showed his onetime rival Ludacris smiling
in the audience.
The two rappers have resolved their disagreement and have collaborated
on two songs: "Wish You Would" off Ludacris's sixth studio
album, Theater of the Mind, and "On Top of the World" off
T.I.'s sixth studio album, Paper Trail. The original version of the
latter had Kanye West.
Bill O'Reilly
On August 27, 2002, political pundit Bill O'Reilly called for all
Americans to boycott Pepsi products,[28] saying that Ludacris' lyrics
glamorize a "life of guns, violence, drugs and disrespect of
women".[29] The next day, O'Reilly reported that Pepsi had fired
Ludacris.[28]
Three years later, this would be referenced again in the song Number
One Spot.
In an interview with RadarOnline.com in 2010, Ludacris stated that
they had made amends after a conversation between the two at a charity
event.[30]
2008 presidential election
The song "Politics As Usual" from Ludacris' mixtape The
Preview has stirred controversy due to lyrics in the song criticizing:
Reverend Jesse Jackson "Now Jesse talkin’ slick and apologizin’ for
what?/ If you said it then you meant it", (in reference to Jackson
stating that he would "like to cut Obama's nuts off");
John McCain "McCain don’t belong in any chair unless he’s
paralyzed"; President George W. Bush "Yeah I said it, 'cuz
Bush is mentally handicapped/ Ball up all of his speeches and throw
'em just like candy wraps / 'Cuz what you talkin' I hear nothin'
even relevant / you the worst of all 43 presidents"; Hillary
Clinton "Hillary hated on you, so that bitch is irrelevant",
in reference to Hillary's campaign comments against Obama.[31]
Discography
Main article: Ludacris discography
Studio albums
* Back for the First Time (2000)
* Word of Mouf (2001)
* Chicken-n-Beer (2003)
* The Red Light District (2004)
* Release Therapy (2006)
* Theater of the Mind (2008)
* Battle of the Sexes (2010)
* Ludaversal (2011)[32]
Filmography
Film
Year Film Role Notes
2001 The Wash as a customer 1 Minor Role
2003 2 Fast 2 Furious Tej Main Role
Lil' Pimp Weathers Supporting Role / Voice
Paper Chasers Himself Documentary film about the Hip hop scene, directed
by Maxie Collier. Ludacris is seen and interviewed at various stages,
just months before achieving major fame.
2004 Crash Anthony Main Role
2005 Hustle & Flow Skinny Black Supporting Role
2006 The Heart of the Game narrator Main Role
2007 American Hustle himself Minor Role
Fred Claus DJ Donnie Supporting Role
2008 RocknRolla Mickey Main Role
Max Payne Jim Bravura Supporting role
2009 Ball Don't Lie Julius Main Role
Gamer Humanz Brother Main Role
2010 Repo Men Man whose heart is being restarted Minor Role
2011 Fast Five Tej Minor Role
2011 No Strings Attached Wallace Minor Role
Television
Year Title Role Notes
2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Darius Parker "Venom" (season
7, episode 157)
2007 The Simpsons himself "You Kent Always Say What You Want" (season
18, episode 22)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Darius Parker "Screwed" (season
8, episode 183)