Amidst the boisterous lyrics and ‘dirty south’ sound of Ludacris, there’s bouts of innovation and scattered punchlines with real life inspiration to be drawn. With the addition of comedy, the rapper has chosen the perfect stage name with some ridiculous lyrics and thoughts which just seem to make sense.
Born Christopher Brian Bridges in Illinois 1977, Ludacris is an American rapper and actor. He began rapping aged nine and joined an amateur rap group three years later. He independently released his first album Incognegro in 1999 with limited success. The following year his major label debut Back for the First Time saw a mainstream breakthrough with hit singles Southern Hospitality and What’s Your Fantasy. He has since founded his own label, Disturbing tha Peace, and become a restaurateur and philanthropist, while still releasing music.
If that’s not enough, Ludacris is also known by many others as an actor. In 2002 he landed the role of Tej Parker in The Fast and The Furious franchise. His performance won the entertainer a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critic’s Choice Award. Ludacris’s other roles have included Crash, Gamer, New Year’s Eve and television series Empire.
No doubt about it, Ludacris is one of the top rappers and actors in the game. He’s got wise words for any situation as a real life hustler who will go after what he wants, until he’s got it.
1. The hip-hop community is made up of a lot of hustlers. Everybody is trying to get theirs, and everybody is trying to eat.
2. But it’s a blessing to be so successful within a year; it’s the greatest feeling in the world, making money and doing the things that I’m doing, and I definitely trying to continue doing what I’m doing.
3. I always look for something that I haven't necessarily done yet because I like to expand my body of work.
4. No matter how much money I ever get, I’m going to want to provide for my family and never have to go back to really struggling. You don’t ever want to go outside, you don’t ever want to be left in the cold. You want to be safe.
5. Keep in mind, when you hit rock bottom, there ain't nowhere to go but up, baby.
6. I'm battling with myself and every day it's a war.
7. Of course I have bills to pay, but at the same time, it’s more about the passion and the love, and I think that’s where music should come from, the heart, not necessarily just to cash a check.
8. I don't necessarily do anything just for the money. I do it for the passion and I do it for the love, because I'm still hungry.
9. Anytime I shoot a video, I just think of anything I can do to set myself apart from everybody in the music industry
10. Your fans, they count on you to make wise decisions and wise choices. That’s why they’re your fan base. If you continually let them down, they’re going to go find someone else to be fans of.
11. I love technology. We can be our own DJs wherever we go.
12. Education is extremely important, especially in my business, the music business.
13. I feel like we need more aggression today.
14. I think it does give me different stuff and I feel like television moves a lot faster than movie sets do. It's kinda like they have to get things done within a certain timeframe. So do movies but it seems like, as far as television is concerned, it just moves a helluva lot faster.
15. I’m one of those people that just likes to be comfortable.
16. I find myself eating different kinds of chicken each and every day, even if it’s by surprise.
17. I think every album you have to stretch further and further, give people another piece of you. But then I always try to deviate from the norm.
18. You don’t have that many women in the industry so the lane is wide open.
19. I’m always in that mode – whenever I have a little free time, I’m always recording songs, writing, whatever I gotta do. It’s like my job is my vacation.
20. They say I’m so low key, I’m socially awkward, Only those that really know me are the ones that I talk with. They smile in the light, hate in the dark, You call it beef, to me it’s just a fuckin’ walk in the park.
21. 'Ludacris’ is something that I made up. It just kind of describes me. Sometimes I have like a split personality. Sometimes I’m cool, calm, and collected, and other times I’m beyond crazy.
22. A black man, but I feel so blue. So I smoke green and purple to my dreams come true. And my eyes turn red, the sky turns grey.
23. I’m trying to be number one all the way around. It’s not just the South, it’s not just the East, it’s not the West, I’m going for across the world, you know what I’m saying? This is where I’m coming from.
24. I’m just basically spillin’ out my emotions to the world. ‘Cause rap is about emotion. And I want you to feel what I’m feelin’, ’cause that’s what it’s all about.
25. I’m going to continue to keep music number one.
26. I'm the light skinned version of Mandingo, I've seen more Beatles and Jagged Edges than Ringo
27. I love everything from old-school cars to whatever the latest muscle or luxury vehicles are.
28. I made my first song when I was 9 years old. Just beating on garbage cans, having people beat box.
29. I really love when people come up to me on the street and say, ‘You’re my favorite rapper.
30. It don’t take a lot to make me happy. I’m not spoiled like that.
31. I think half the battle is just being comfortable in front of the camera – and I already am, doing so many videos and interviews, so then it just takes that extra step of trying to get into character.
32. I don’t want to be too over-exposed, but then at the same time I don’t want to be too out-of-sight-out-of-mind.
33. My work is like my vacation, so in a way every day is like Saturday.
34. I used to be a video game freak, but I’ve kind of like eased back.
35. I'm worldwide, bitch act like y'all don't know.
36. A lot of beefs in the music industry are caused from miscommunication and just not really understanding what’s going on, having people in your ear saying this is what somebody did, or this is what somebody did to you.
37. On the hustle to see six figures or more, whether rappin' or pimpin' hoes.
38. It’s a lot of crooked cops out there. They manipulate the system.
39. I’m a perfectionist, so I always feel there’s room for improvement.
40. I’ve always had an affinity and a passion for cars and that whole car culture.
41. Inspiration get it out of me especially when they doubting me.
42. I’ve never been a cocky individual, but I am very confident.
43. I’ve been trying to nail it into everyone’s heads that I feel like I am the most versatile rapper.
44. If you're tired, you're tired; if you snooze you lose.