Richard Wayne
Ludacris is known for his energetic and energetic live performances
Before Ludacris took the stage Friday in 2012, MTV News caught up with him about his first visit to Bonnaroo. “I’ve heard a lot about this festival and I love that there are so many different types of music and people just come here to enjoy the music, period,” he said. “The Radiohead show, the Phish show, I just love the energy. It’s my first time here, but I promise it won’t be the last.”
“This is one of those times where you’re trying and really keeping up with the crowd, changing your show and making more progress,” he added, noting that he might be on stage for a while. “You took material for about 7 albums – I’d use everything to compose songs. I could be on stage for an hour and a half!”
Our Top 3 Ludacris Classics
- Move Bitch
- Area Codes ft. Nate Dogg
- Rollout
Ludacris rose to fame in the late 1990s
Ludacris first rose to prominence as a radio DJ on Hot 97.5 in Atlanta in the late 1990s, formerly known as Chris “Luva Luva”. In 1999, he signed to Def Jam Records to start his rap career and made the difficult decision to drop out of Georgia State University to major in music management.
Subsequent projects such as Word of Mouf (2001) and Chicken-N-Beer (2003) cemented Ludacris’ status as a best-selling artist, reaching No. 3 and No. 1, respectively, on the Billboard charts. Release Therapy (2006) also topped the charts and earned Ludacris a Grammy for Best Rap Album. Later albums include Theater of the Mind (2008), Battle of the Sexes (2010) and Ludaversal (2015). Signature elements of Ludacris records include zany, sometimes chauvinistic puns, out-of-the-ordinary imagery, an obsession with marijuana, and a bouncy vocalization that alternates between laconic drag and booming swagger.
Ludacris is an influential rapper and actor
Ludacris has been rapping since the age of 9 and is a multi-platinum artist who has won three Grammys and an MTV Video Music Award. Not content to rest on his laurels, he also won a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics’ Choice Award for his role in Crash, and has played Taj Parker in the ongoing Fast and Furious franchise since 2003. Not content to remain successful for himself, he established the Ludacris Foundation to inspire urban youth to learn leadership skills and realize their dreams through education and self-care.
Ludacris is a rapper and actor from Atlanta, Georgia, known for his upbeat lyrics and “Dirty South” voice. He broke into the mainstream with his second album Back for the First Time in 2000, and has since worked as a record label owner, restaurateur and philanthropist, but still releases music. He is also a regular in the Fast and the Furious series. What sets Ludacris apart as an innovator is his style of comedy, with punch lines—a style that fits perfectly with his chosen stage name.
