Ludacris is one of the best artists in the south. That much goes without saying. There are very few who are on his level, especially in the mainstream. Three stacks is still the the greatest there is, followed by Scarface and Big Boi and then Luda. Say what you may want about T.I., but he's not really on Luda's level. Luda has a history of killing people on their own songs and he's def. good at not letting it happen to him on his own songs. The thing that I've been thinking about is whether or not Luda can really do Luda anymore. I mean Luda has a history of making really good but also really raunchy club songs. What's your fantasy, Area Codes, Splash Waterfalls, the list goes on.
But what's interesting about those records? They're all kinda old. They're still awesome, and they get pretty damn good rotation all over the place, but there hasn't been a new song like that from Ludacris in a while. Money Maker? What Them Girls Like? One More Drink?
One More Drink is the closest out of all of those to really be something like the old ones and even then its not really like them. Its much more subdued, much more toned down. The question that I've been asking myself, has been: Has Ludacris really grown up. Did Release Therapy achieve what he was trying to do? Has he reached the point where he's not really doing the Chicken-N-Beer kind of stuff, but he's on that Do the Right Thang kind of stuff?
I mean, he can still get a party started and he can do it well, but it seems to me that he's getting to the point where he's past that. He's not into the crazy partying, but the grown up, Hollywood high life partying, not the Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan shit though. He's on to the next one. He's growing up and his movie roles and the experiences that he's going through now are making him a different kinda person. Yeah, he can still rip a 16 and you don't want him to be as a guest feature on your record unless you're bringing more than your A game, but he's drifting away from what his bread and butter was. I for one don't mind it. I can dig the whole shift away from his original style.
Not because I'm cool with him in a sense selling out his former ways, but because growing up is a natural part of life. It happens to all of us, regardless of where we are in life. We learn more and we understand more and it affects us. If making that kind of music makes him a better person and a happy person in his life, then that's awesome for him. I've been buying his records since Red Light District, I bootlegged before that from friends. I bought Theater of the Mind because I know that Luda might not have the amazingly awesome party records like he used to, but his lyricism is undeniable.
And more importantly, he's saying things and talking on subjects that actually matter.
With all that said, I'm definitely looking forward to Ludaversal. He's not the first southern rapper on a Premo beat, but he's one of the best they've got. You just can't argue with that.
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