The Revisits (The Discography Of Ludacris)

On this episode of The Revisits Scrap & Marcus talk about Ludacris discography! 

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:00

Um and so he was kind of like a breath of fresh air for rap and for people who aren't necessarily into um that type of that type of rap music. They want to have more fun with it. They uh they they just don't want to constantly be thinking about bars. It's stuff you could play at a party, it's stuff you could play in the club, things like that. He had that. He definitely had that.

SPEAKER_02 0:24

Welcome to the Revisiting. I am Scrap Lotto here with Marcus Johnson. And on today's episode, we're going through uh Ludacris uh discography.

SPEAKER_01 0:33

Ludah.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

Yeah, so uh we starting with uh back for the first time.

SPEAKER_01 0:38

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So let's just give a little brief background on Ludacris, the rapper. Uh Ludacris, aka Chris Bridges, actually born in Illinois, not an Atlanta native, but always rep in Atlanta, grew up in Atlanta, went to high school, also went to Georgia State University. During his time at Georgia State University, he started as a radio DJ under the moniker Chris Lova Lova. That's where he was able to hone his skills, understand the industry, and kind of plot his own way or his own path into the industry. So from there, he uh started pressing up his own single, which was What is Your Fantasy, and pushing it out to other radio DJs that would come through his um his station at the time, um garnering him a ton of spins and a ton of attention. This also got the attention of a bunch of other record labels um such as Arista and the likes of Def Jam and Def Jam, which was starting Def Jam South at the time. They had just brought on Scarface, um, who also was gonna be kind of their tent pole Southern artist. So they were able to kind of um reach out on Faith and and put Ludacris under the umbrella uh where he released his first album, which was basically a remastering of his own independent album that he was selling out of his the trunk of his car at the time, which was titled Incod Negro. Um his first album, which we'll get into, uh, was Back for the First Time.

SPEAKER_02 2:06

Like I said, that was like the first time most majority of us heard him, because like I said, we wasn't in the Atlanta area, so we really didn't hear Luda until What's Your Fancy came out. Yeah, yeah. So that that was the song that introduced us to Ludacris. Unless you played Madden and you heard him rapping on Madden, the Madden 2, I'm gonna say 2000 intro. But we still, we didn't, he didn't say Ludacris. It was just a the intro comes on and you just hear a dude rapping.

SPEAKER_01 2:32

Right.

SPEAKER_02 2:32

And I had to go back and like because he said on the uh skit on uh his second album that he's like you might have heard him more, Madden 2000. And I was like, oh, that was that that was him. Yeah, like oh, okay, okay, so now like okay, we've been heard Lou, we just didn't know it was him. So if you played Madden 2000, you heard Ludacris before what's your fancy. But what's your fancy was his introduction to majority of us.

SPEAKER_01 2:56

Yeah, definitely. And um his style was a little bit different, a little bit off the kilter, a little uncanny, but just uh comedic in a sense.

SPEAKER_02 3:04

He's funny, like he gave us like a not people like to say like a bus of rhymes like, which he's sort of like a southern buster.

SPEAKER_01 3:13

I would agree I would agree.

SPEAKER_02 3:14

If you look at it even from a video standpoint, because he was goofy in the videos and like said, being funny in his raps, and Buster was the same way. Had the funny videos, had the funny songs, so he's kind of was like a southern Buster Rhymes.

SPEAKER_01 3:27

Yeah, definitely. I would almost uh say he catered to like specifically a younger audience with just the material, the rap style, him being uh uh all the way over the top. Yeah. If you had to put him in the context of like a different type of uh medium or media form, he's almost like um like the scary movie you rap or the police academy of rap. Like a parody, kind of sort of something like a parody. Yeah, somewhat in a bad way. Yeah, not like a weird Al Yankovic like uh getting into a different segment or anything like that. Um it's more or less like based in um entertainment. Yeah, he's gonna entertain you. He's not gonna be one of those artists that uh you're gonna delve super deep when it comes into things, but you could put on his albums at any point in time, and um you'll be entertained. You can play in front to back. It's not like you're gonna uh be sitting there trying to dissect each verse, but each verse is gonna hit you. He's gonna hit you with some punch lines, he's gonna entertain you. There's gonna be some funny skits, there's gonna be some funny songs, there's gonna be some funny bars on it, and then it's just uh some of it's a lot of like edgy for for teenagers or edgy for young people, young adults. So like um he found his niche and he found his lane. And you can tell on the first album, uh, back for the first time, that he's trying to carve that out. Because even though Buster Rhymes at the time had had his his lane, which was a little over the top, a little comedic, you could see Buster Rhymes trying to do things a little more serious. Yeah, and like and and be more of a serious artist, be taken more serious, even when he was transitioning into movies, things like that. So he kind of was trying to leave that behind him. And it seems like Luda kind of picked that up and it like expounded on it, made it bigger, made it over the top. Uh just everything from the voice to the punch lines, things like that.

SPEAKER_02 5:12

Honestly, at first I wasn't a big fan of Luda. It took me until later to like, because I like some of the songs, but like just sitting back and listening to it at that where I was at that age. Right. I was like, I ain't trying to I ain't trying to hear this this guy. Right. We get like loud and also down on the track. Like, I don't have time for this. Like, where's Cormega at? Right, right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 5:32

Especially when rap had been geared towards northern artists, like uh New York artists, things like that. Nobody, nobody's thinking about necessarily having fun. Every album's a New York Monday with an overcast. It's gritty as fuck out here. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, everybody whipping Timbs, everybody selling selling dope, everybody doing everything. Everything's grimy, yeah, yeah, everything's grip. Um so he was kind of like a breath of fresh air for rap and for people who aren't necessarily into um that type of that type of rap music. They want to have more fun with it. They uh they they just don't want to constantly be thinking about bars, it's stuff you could play at a party, it's stuff you could play in the club, things like that. He had that. He definitely had that. Yeah, yeah. And that's what I mean, that was his big thing. I mean, what your fantasy is is essentially a club song when you think about it for that time period. So like um, I can understand why it was big and why why it hit hard because like even during that time, like that year that the album did drop was a big year for rap, not many party records, not many fun records like that. Um, and we'll get into that with uh the the first album um which was back for the first song. Yeah. Again, like I stated earlier, it's just a remake of his uh his independent album, Incog Negro, which he was selling out of his trunk. So this came out um October 17, 2000. Um, and that year was a real big year for for rap because that year we saw Locks We Are the Streets, The Eastsiders, Ghost Face with Supreme Clientele, Dead Press with Let's Gets Free, Let's Get Free, Beanie Seagull with the Truth, Um, Black Rob, The Murder Inc. compilation, Ice Cube, Dragon. Opposite of H2O, which is a classic.

SPEAKER_02 7:26

That's an album right there.

SPEAKER_01 7:27

Uh Nelly's debut, Buster Roms with Anarchy, which is his turn into more seriousness. Um, Marshall Mathers LP, Ja Rule Cameron's first album. No, Cameron's second album. SDE. Yeah, SDE. SDE, Big L came out, the Rough Riders compilation, E40, Shine, all that. That was a huge year.

SPEAKER_02 7:47

That's a huge year for rap. And when you think Def Jam, like if you're looking at all the like the list, Def Jam got probably like five, six releases. Yeah, exactly. Alone.

SPEAKER_01 7:56

And there are a lot that I'm not even mentioning in the landscape, like a Trino or a Big Pun or uh Common, like Water for Chocolate or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 8:04

So he came out and say uh Most Deaf too. I'm pretty sure Most Deaf came out.

SPEAKER_01 8:09

Yep, yep. And he came out in a crowded landscape, and like when you think about who's still notable now out of all those rappers, like a lot of them are still notable, but like a lot of them had a huge, steep drop-off when you think about it. And this dude ended up being one of the more consistent artists, um, being being the new kid on the block. Because like I said, a lot of these aren't even people's first albums uh outside of uh bitty sequel, shine, something like that. So that's a that's a huge thing for Dragon. That's an episode in itself. DMX Light and Jai Rule Jr. Uh But yeah, the lead single off of this was um What's Your Fantasy? Uh got a video for it was huge. That's what kind of put him on the map. It was a little more of a uh like a crossover song, I would say. It was. Yeah, yeah, like a club song.

SPEAKER_02 9:07

Um where we was at at that time, we shouldn't have been listening to it, but we was listening to it.

SPEAKER_01 9:11

So it was everywhere. Yeah, I mean it was everywhere, but and by the time it reached the Midwest, it was already huge, huge down south because I remember listening to it during um a classic weekend. Yeah. And it was coming out of everybody's car during that weekend. And then like sh like shortly thereafter the video was out, everything. Well, the video was probably out before then, but like once it got out, it was just everywhere all the time. To the point that like it was annoying. But it's a it's a a solid single to come out with.

SPEAKER_02 9:37

Oh, it is, especially your this is your first your first song that's getting introduced to everybody. It's gonna be a a banger, you can't have it on some hip hop, because like I said, he's a fun rapper, so why not be a fun song?

SPEAKER_01 9:50

And you you got uh your female artist who who's few gonna be your future female artist who's on it lightly, but she's not like you know, um completely featured all over it. She is featured throughout the video or whatever, but like that that's huge. Um but it came out October 17th, 2000. Uh first week sales were 130,000, uh a little over 130,000 copies. It went on to sell um three million copies, so it went three times platinum.

SPEAKER_02 10:17

And that's crazy because I saw that you say he he uh sold that much and was number four on the billboard. So it's only imagine what else came out that day. Right and what sold more because looking at those numbers now, that's first, you know, that's first week sales for like number one. Right, right. You sell 130,000. Oh, yeah, you're going number one. Exactly. Now I said that's your fourth. Yeah, your fourth best. Right.

SPEAKER_01 10:42

Which means, yeah, which is crazy what would could have come out during that time period. And it's probably not even just rap and yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 10:50

Or probably like an album that came out two months ago that's still fucking charting.

SPEAKER_01 10:53

Like it could have been like the NC Christmas album. Who knows? You know, like who knows what it could have been. But uh it went on to sell or go three times platinum. Uh the source gave it four mics, double XL gave it a large. Um, all music praised it because of Luda's uh music charisma, the balance of humor and lyricism, calling it uh a remarkably polished debut, um, which I think it is as well. Like um I I honestly don't think it has that many misses, and we'll get into that as well. I don't think it has that many misses. I think the addition of um Southern Hospitality is what put the album over the top because people don't even know the name of the song. They just call it throat and bows. Yeah, they legitimately don't even call it the name of the song.

SPEAKER_00 11:40

Which is crazy.

SPEAKER_01 11:41

Yeah, yeah, which is crazy. Um a song about Southern Hospitality doesn't even get the right to be called by its name. So, like, yeah, um, I think it's a uh a huge single that like one you not only a huge single that you got Pharrell to produce on your first album, that's showing that the label already it believes in you uh initially and thinks that you can do whatever, um, but also just like how big that single was is is pretty crazy. Um and for you to lead and be able to lead with two really good, really strong singles on your debut album Um is pretty crazy. But did you have anything? What did you what did you like about the album? Oh start with that.

SPEAKER_02 12:24

Like like track wise, like what was I feeling? Just the album. Let's go overall, and then we'll just go by the track. At the time, I'm gonna like say, like, I remember uh Reese burning it for me on a CD burner. It took like two hours. You just put the blank CD up in there and you put the real original CD and just burns it to the blank one. Right. And I said that shit took like two hours. I remember getting that copy from him. And like I liked it at the time. Like it was like I said, I really wasn't a big Luda fan, but like it was dope to me. Like, we was like, we'll play Madden and shit, and that shit be on in the background.

SPEAKER_03 12:54

Right.

SPEAKER_02 12:54

And that shit, like, okay, it was good, you know, background music was like, man, turn this shit off. This shit is trash. Right. Like we I remember us laughing, hearing Ho for the first time. Yeah, yeah. Like hearing all like it's like just some funny ass, goofy ass shit. Like, but it was dope. Right. Why you take a hoe to a hotel hotel with everybody, even the man? Yeah. But uh like like I said with that, and then uh his uh just like his like just style, like his style, like you know, it didn't hit me till later, but like I wish I would appreciate it when I was younger because that probably would have helped me out musically because I always felt like being funny in rap. Like you don't need to be serious all the time. You can have beer be funny, have fun. I feel like that's what rap is based off of. Not everything needs to be gloomy, doom, mob, deep, tight, you know, like yo, life is hard done. Like, like, yo, have have fun. Like, we need to have fun, and that's what Ludacris brought with that album. But uh, like you say, like, yeah, like like majority of it's like it's a dope, dope Southern debut album.

SPEAKER_01 13:55

Yeah, definitely. I think the same thing. Like uh I remember getting a burnt copy, and my burnt copy didn't have Fat Rabbit on it. So like um I never even it was years before I even knew that song existed until they started getting into the story of Ludacris, and I was like, oh man, I I've never even heard that song. So I went back and listened to it and then um listened to creepy ass Timbalin on the uh on the hook. Yeah, Timbalin.

SPEAKER_02 14:17

That's the first for us. That was uh I remember hearing it off of that Timbaland album. Because I said it was originally on air, and had that song and like a Jay-Z song, and had that one song where they like did like Spider-Man, you know. It's you got to listen to that album on the way on your way to the crib, and you'll you'll you'll it'll pop in your head. You'll be like, oh shit, okay, I remember this shit. Okay, okay. But yeah, that's where uh Fat Rabbit came from, but which is creepy ass. Listen to it now, it's creepy as fuck. Like there's a lot of people. Yeah, like that video I sent you. Uh he's creeping in the alley and shit.

SPEAKER_01 14:52

Um so the the album has a few features from people like from his own click. Um as they're labeled on the um on the album, Infamous 20, which he later becomes I20, and Fate Wilson, which ends up becoming Lil' Fate. Um both of those are featured on it twice. Shauna's featured on it twice. Um Pharrell is counted as a feature, which is which I really don't hear him. I don't guess he's it's one of those things he could just be in the background like humming or something and giving him a feature. Um GK is on there, and then Four Eyes, who uh we'll get into that as well, because like that that is weird. That whole thing is weird with him.

SPEAKER_02 15:34

But uh Oh, and he had Pastor Troy.

SPEAKER_01 15:35

Oh yeah, Pastor Troy is on there as well. Which he's a man He's a he's but at the time he's a legend.

SPEAKER_02 15:42

Oh no, I'm not saying like he like at that time, like having that like in UGK stamping your albums.

SPEAKER_01 15:49

Yeah, having Pastor Troy, having Pharrell, having UGK, like the label thinks highly of you. Somebody thinks highly of you enough to let you have these features, get these people, give you the budget, open the budget up for something like that, which like a lot of rappers at that time were getting huge budgets, but not for their first album. Nobody was getting that for their first album.

SPEAKER_02 16:06

So like Especially if they didn't groom you groom you like how the labels used to do back in the day, like all right, this is our artist, right? Artist development, okay, we're gonna put you around the dopest producers and the dopest features.

SPEAKER_01 16:17

We're gonna put you on one of the biggest features for like a feature film or something. And I mean the Madden feature, yeah. It was like everybody's hearing them, you know, like because everybody's my man.

SPEAKER_02 16:26

But at the game, it didn't tell you at the beginning of the song, it's ludicrous. It's just like here's this rapping, this dude rapping about football.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And he killed it. And even with this debut album, he killed it. Like, I like for me the highlights, uh I'll start with this. There are no lowlights on this album for me for it to be uh a debut album. Even when I was younger and heard it for the first time, uh there weren't like I wasn't skipping much other than the skits, because skits get old over time. But you got 16 songs, you only got three skits, I think it is. And so so you got 13 songs. Um the the intro is seems to be like the thing that he uh he shines on as you can see throughout his career. Like, to start off, yeah, to start off with like you got a problem, and he just comes in hard as fuck, yeah, and it immediately like establishes himself is is is pretty like pretty cool. Like even when I was re-listening to it, I was like, man, he like he stuck his landing with the intro. Like from then you're hooked, you want to keep listening, you want to keep going, and like he just kept delivering like song after song to me in my in my personal opinion.

SPEAKER_02 17:34

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 17:36

So what do you think? What are your uh what are your highlights when you like it?

SPEAKER_02 17:39

My highlights, I like uh the uh intro, like you said, had uh stick em up with UGK.

SPEAKER_01 17:49

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 17:49

I wanna say that song, uh, what's on the too many niggas, nine of all. Like really, like I said, there's really no like the whole album to me, like I said, so like Southern Hospitality, well, except for the What's Your Fancy remix, but yeah, yeah, what's your I feel like that's just a a bonus. Even Fat Rabbit is technically a bonus, right? Right. So yeah, like the album ends with Southern Hot Hospitality, so yeah, it's like I said, it's like I said, there's really nothing bad outside of the bonus tracks.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

There's a common theme that I'm starting to notice during the like revisiting his album or his discography is he is terrible, honestly, at uh track organization. Yeah, because Southern Hospitality shouldn't be a last it shouldn't be the last song on there. Yeah, it shouldn't be.

SPEAKER_02 18:35

Um But then again, maybe when they released the album, it was like wasn't thinking that that such song was gonna be like, okay, it's gonna be a song bigger than probably what's your fantasy.

SPEAKER_01 18:45

Right, right. If anything, you end it with what's your fantasy. You you flip what's your fantasy in Southern Hospitality.

SPEAKER_02 18:52

I think so, because I was thinking like back in those days, like, you know, you will want your the songs that people want to hear at the first at the top of the album. So you'll want those songs at the top.

SPEAKER_01 19:01

Right, right, right. But if you flip them, then people get to Southern Hospitality way before they get it, you know, and that kind of hooks them in because like if even if you even if there's no video for Southern Hospitality, I still think that blows as a single.

SPEAKER_02 19:14

Like it ends up being a video uh I mean he had an internet video to hold that Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like an animated, it's like an animated type video. I was like, man, this shit is wild.

SPEAKER_01 19:25

Yeah, yeah. Like, and I mean that would have probably been the a single in this day and age if he were allowed to release it. But back back then you're not releasing that. You know, nobody, no labels letting you do that at all. Um But yeah, like a s like I said, a solid debut. Um then he's starting to get more features. Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_02 19:45

Like around then, I wanna say B I B I that was like his biggest, his big fix feature at that time. Yeah, Lil John. Uh I wanna say he who else yeah, yeah, the Missy Elliott one minute man around that time. Yep, that was big. Uh I won't say Major Look didn't come yet. That came after uh word his second album word of mouth, but like I said, that was still.

SPEAKER_01 20:08

But those features in of itself prove like, oh, that's gonna be a man for a remix or anything like that. You're gonna call Luda.

SPEAKER_02 20:14

Or hell like Bus Ryan's was the same way. Yeah. Buster was on remixes and stuff during that time period.

SPEAKER_01 20:20

Right, being all boisterous and loud. Yeah. Buster Rhine. Um and that's what you call him for, and that's what you like. He's gonna jump things off. And also the South is starting to jump a lot more, a lot, a lot more to the point of core. Yeah, yeah, definitely, definitely. He's kind of helping lead that. Like, even though Outcast is huge at the time, I think Stania comes out around that time as well. Um, like he's helping a different side of Atlanta because like Outcast isn't so much like they are making music that you could play in the club because like Stania had bombs over Baghdad.

SPEAKER_02 20:55

But it wasn't it wasn't that that like that ATL sound that we end up getting like later from like him and end up opening the door for a lot of ATL artists because labels was like, oh, we want to ludicris now. What's what's going on in Atlanta?

SPEAKER_01 21:10

Right.

SPEAKER_02 21:10

I know there's something down in the water down there. We can find something.

SPEAKER_01 21:13

Right, right. And then they're looking at producers down there and other sparks.

SPEAKER_02 21:19

That's where uh when you got Timbaland and uh organized noise, it's kind of hard to fumble that.

SPEAKER_01 21:28

I mean you it is kind of hard to fumble that, but I'm uh Man, get out of here. Get out of here. Um so then we move into his his second album, and this this one to me is personally like his best album. Uh word of mouth. Um I think it's his best album, and it's just him completely in his element. So um word of mouth comes out November 27th, 2001, which is almost a a little over a year after his debut album comes out. Out. Um the lead single for this was Rollout. Parentheses, my business.

SPEAKER_02 22:05

The song that got Bill O'Reilly mad at him. You say what? The song that got Bill O'Reilly mad at him.

SPEAKER_01 22:10

Oh yeah, yeah, which is pretty crazy because it's pretty tame when you think about it overall. Um that was the lead single for this. That was produced by Timbalin, which was a huge deal. You got Timbalin on both of your albums. You uh you got the Neptunes on this album, you got Jazzy Faye on this album. Bangladesh is all over this album. Swiss. Yep, Swiss is on this album. So like again, it's just the label backing him, showing them like, oh, okay, we we do believe in this dude. He sold three million. Like, I'm sure he hadn't sold three million up to that point. But like he's selling up. Right. He had a solid debut. He's starting to be asked for features, stuff like that. So people are are recognizing him. Um, this this one, word of mouth, got uh four mics in the source, got an extra large and XXL, double XL. Um Rolling Stone praised it, says it's hit-making dominance. Um AllMusic noted that Ludacris had perfected his style in this one, which I agree. And then um Entertainment Weekly highlighted his ability to be both a comedian and a formidable lyricist, um, which I also agree. Like this is Luda not only at his best, but leaning into everything that Ludacris is when it comes to over-the-topness, like from the videos, from the production, from the concepts of the songs. Everything about this album is just him like really leaning into his persona, finding his niche, really like polishing everything he did on the first album, and then making it bigger on this one, and then expanding it a little bit with that six-minute ass song, Cold Outside. Because why is that song six minutes? Why is that song six minutes?

SPEAKER_02 23:51

It should not have been six minutes.

SPEAKER_01 23:53

There's a whole point in that song where it's just beat loop for like two minutes straight.

SPEAKER_02 23:58

And I I was to let you know it's cold outside.

SPEAKER_01 24:02

Apparently so, man. It must have been because like there's no point in that. We'll get into that though. During this year in 2001, um, some notable albums that released were great year. You say what? It was a great yeah, it was a great year. So the blueprint drop, uh, still Matic, uh, gotta give Missy some some Sean. She dropped that year with So Seductive, Missy E, So Seductive, Jada Kiss Kiss the Game, Goodbye.

SPEAKER_02 24:27

First solo.

SPEAKER_01 24:28

Yep. DMX The Great Depression, Ja Rule, Pain is Love. Singles Out the Ass. Mob Deep with Infamy, uh, Fabulous with Ghetto Fabulous, and Buster Rhymes with Genesis. What other ones were what are you thinking?

SPEAKER_02 24:43

Well, Underground was like you say, you got Campbell Ox on here. Yeah. Yeah, Gormaga drops.

SPEAKER_01 24:48

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 24:48

Uh like I said, I won't say Tragedy Qaddafi. There's a like, there's some like Foxy dropped, Broken Silence, which had the summer. I remember that what that whoa that song was like everywhere in the summer. Like, yeah, it was a nice, nice year. Yeah. 2001 was. It definitely was. Oh, yeah, yeah. Iron Flag. Like 2001 was a good year.

SPEAKER_01 25:14

It it definitely was. And for him to drop again in the the following year, because like a lot of artists, even after their first album, they're not gonna drop the next year immediately after. It like they're gonna get some time. Yeah, exactly. And also they're letting the first album still like play out. They're letting you go on tour, they're letting you do a lot of stuff. They're gonna milk that first album for what it's worth. So for them to be like, hey, come back in and make another one, they believe in this dude. Um, and this is the one that I I remember when I uh where I was when I heard this, I remember a lit like getting it from some this dude named Christian at school, getting a copy burned from him, um, taking it home and immediately listening to it and just realizing like, oh, intros are his thing. Yeah, like like the the intro coming to America where he starts it with the royal penis is clean, your highness. Like shit. And then just coming in talking that shit, man. Like it's uh it's pretty crazy. Like he did it again, essentially. But this one, uh first week sales-wise, was uh 280, a little over 280,000 first week, which is a solid first week for your uh sophomore album when a lot of artists during that time period were uh experiencing the sophomore slump. Um everybody like wanted you to to do what you did on the first one that got you to the dance, but they wanted you to do it bigger and better, and that's exactly what he did. Um this went on to sell uh 4.2 million, so four times platinum overall. So like everybody recouped on this one budget-wise, even with the the the big ass videos and and everything.

SPEAKER_02 26:47

Um it's uh rollout, he had the big head in and stuff like that. So he's just being like goofy and funny with it.

SPEAKER_01 26:55

Yeah, over the top, and then uh the second single was Move Bitch, and then the third one was uh Area Coast, which was huge.

SPEAKER_02 27:06

Rush Hour. Yep. And that helped that helped that out too.

SPEAKER_01 27:10

Definitely, definitely. But and then Nate Dog, I mean, putting Nate Dog on anything, you're you're definitely going to uh it's it's gonna go, you know. So uh what do you think about the the album overall?

SPEAKER_02 27:22

Uh like at like I said at the time I wasn't a big fan of Luda. And like I said, I didn't want to hear the overtop shit, especially uh uh one uh so like I used to get drawn to producers. So like I thought, okay, you got Timberland, you got Swiss, okay. Let me uh check the Swiss beats because I mean Reese had it. And I was like, man, let me hear the Swiss beat song. And I did not like that beat at all. And then it had like it lied because on the feature set featuring Scarface, and Scarface is nowhere to be found on the song. And I didn't like the uh the the hook. The hook was like how you know he's being over the top. He's like, Carl Will, a blow to the chest. But that's what he's like. But he is on that. Yeah, I guess, yeah. Well I just it just at the you know at that time it was too it was too over the top for me. I didn't fuck with it. But later on in life, I ended up fucking with the album like so I gave it a listen the other day. And like the songs that I really didn't rock with like that was like the uh predominantly like uh DTP songs, which I get, you know, this is your second album, this is the album you want to introduce your label and your people too, so you can put them on because his next album after this, I won't say what's that group uh they gave him that DTP album, which nobody really cared about. But they gave us two chains, and we really didn't know what we got well two chains is on this, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 28:47

I mean he's still talking card at the in the intro or whatever, but like and I think he's talking on the first one too.

SPEAKER_02 28:52

Yeah, he might have been. I don't think he's actually rapping until he's not rapping at all to the DTP album.

SPEAKER_01 28:58

Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_02 28:59

That's when he's titted, but yeah, which I I was I was mad because I like uh the idea that they is wearing like NBA uh logos, but it's like DTP. Like, so like somebody's having like a Pacers, but it's like the P and the Pacers logo was like part of the DTP shit. Right. And I was like lightweight hate, and I was like, man, they don't deserve to be doing this shit. Like these niggas is whack.

SPEAKER_01 29:22

Oh, good concept, waste on these. Yeah, it's like cool.

SPEAKER_02 29:24

Yeah, like on this weak ass album. Nobody listened to this shit.

SPEAKER_01 29:29

I I never listened to it.

SPEAKER_02 29:30

Yeah, like I just remember they had that do it again, they sampled that do it again. Yeah. And that was like the lead singer. But I went back and listened when I was going through this. The second one though, I ain't gonna front. That second DTP album had some shit on it. Really? Really? Yeah, that's the one that had Georgia and some head. But that had Phil Mom on it. Yeah, the whole thing. That's yeah, that's a lot of people, yeah. That second one was where it was at that two miles and now because everybody sees that second one had some shit. Yeah, that was. Yeah, but yeah, word of mouth, like let's say I fuck with it, like my favorite joint off there, which is crazy, uh, because you put it as a low, uh low light was uh was Saturday. Yeah, man, that is what like I'll fuck with Saturday there. I'll fuck with Saturday. That's my shit. Like I'm wearing the uh because once again, I I was an organized noise, sleepy brown dude, and I'll fuck with uh I fuck with that. So I mean I I honestly wish that he would have fucked with Sleepy Brown organized noise more, but I guess Bangladesh, if you got Bangladesh right there, right. What's the point? What's the point? Yeah, what's the point?

SPEAKER_01 30:36

So yeah, and I I don't like sad. Yeah, I don't it but it's one of those things where like I like the whole album anyway. Like I like the whole album, it flows. Like this is the one where when I say use that is best, even the tracks are organized the way that they should be. But um I I had to pick a couple of low lights because it's like, man, I'm I'm not trying to be dick riding this whole time. So like um that that had to be a low light, but it's a decent song. It's like it's not even a bad that bad of a song.

SPEAKER_02 31:05

And even as a single, like, it's not not bad.

SPEAKER_01 31:08

Like and wasn't that like his fourth single? Yeah, it was like he got a fourth single.

SPEAKER_02 31:12

I think it was the last I think it was the last single on the album.

SPEAKER_01 31:15

Yeah, he got a fourth single because he got a video for it. Yeah, yeah, and there was a video for it's like over the top stuff.

SPEAKER_02 31:20

Yeah, because I remember at the beginning, the chickens was fucking and shit and all that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's stupid, man.

SPEAKER_01 31:29

And and like uh so the skits are still a play on the skits from the last one, Loki. Yeah, but they're still turned up a little bit. Like everything he did just turns it up just a bit more.

SPEAKER_02 31:39

When he's on the phone talking to the girl and uh his mom. Well, super blocker. That's how you it's funny because like that's how it used to be back in the day. Be on the phone, talk to a girl, your mom or whoever. Or could be listening to the conversation the whole time. Like, I heard what you and all girls talking about.

SPEAKER_01 32:06

Like Orb saying when you straight line the most. Like, yeah, you know I got it like that over here. No, you don't. No, you don't.

SPEAKER_02 32:12

No, you don't. Like, yeah, I tell them what the uh the dude is saying, I found your drawers yesterday. Like, mom, what are you talking about? Hang on the phone.

SPEAKER_01 32:20

Hang on the phone, mama. Mama, please. Yeah, yeah. Uh so what are your highlights on this?

SPEAKER_02 32:26

Uh my highlights are like said uh Saturday. I'll say uh Go to Sleep.

SPEAKER_01 32:35

Yeah, definitely. Uh 3-6 kills there.

SPEAKER_02 32:37

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 32:38

Uh so does Melanie Flutesh.

SPEAKER_02 32:40

I messed with the area, like most the singles. He really didn't mess with his singles.

SPEAKER_01 32:44

He didn't. And well, Growing Pace was an extra single. I forgot about that. I don't like the si the one he released.

SPEAKER_02 32:50

Oh, I don't like uh what's his name? Uh Block Lockdown. That was on a Funk Flex album. I didn't like because like I say, this is my time. I didn't wasn't fucking with him. And even during the realisting, you didn't say I I didn't really give it a shot because I know I never liked that song.

SPEAKER_01 33:07

Like Oh man, that that hey, that goes for it.

SPEAKER_02 33:10

Okay, listen to it in the gym at the least. Like, see, I probably had a different setting. Because I'm like I said I had a Funk Flex album.

SPEAKER_01 33:15

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 33:16

And that song was on the Funk Flex album. I always used to skip over that song because I never mess with it. Then when I saw it on the actual album, like it's a bonus. Like same with like Welcome to Atlanta. Like, that's a bonus. Those are bonus, those are bonus songs.

SPEAKER_01 33:30

No, I I feel you on that. I feel you on that. So for me.

SPEAKER_02 33:34

But yeah, I want to say, yeah, uh his singles, Go to Sleep, or like the uh freaky things. Yep. Half a code outside. Why was that song so damn long?

SPEAKER_01 33:51

So damn. And it's like one of the hardest songs on there because it's like that's the most introspective song you've done up until that point. And so then to loop the beat for that long and then come in with a final verse after you've looped the beat for two minutes.

SPEAKER_02 34:05

Like maybe Scarface is supposed to be on that song. There has to be an unreleased version somewhere. Like I said, when I saw Scarface on Crybabies and he's not on the song.

SPEAKER_01 34:14

He is on it. So there's a skit at the end of Crybabies where like a nigga's getting beat up and he's like, recognize, recognize, ho, that's Scarface. Yeah, I know, I know, I know. I think he got it from people to listen to because like Scarface is all over his career when you think about it. Because people thought Scarface signed him. Scarface didn't sign him. He's the reason, like Scarface is kind of the reason he got signed because um Def Jam South was started around Scarface. They were like, let's start investing in Southern artists. And so then they just kind of brought Ludacris in right after. So then people like the telephone telefriend was like Scarface signed Ludacris when they ain't really have anything to do with each other. So uh forever linked, but like he is there. He is there. Yes. Uh so for me, the highlights are uh the intro, even the single rollout. I think that's a really good single. But I mind you, at the time, uh I was a child when I was listening to this, so this is like comedic to me. It's like funny. So, like, of course, and it's still like it holds up in that way. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 35:24

Like uh, I don't look at it as like a series, especially like say where you get the putting them chain with them diamonds in it.

SPEAKER_01 35:31

Yeah, like ludicrous feels like that stand-up you're not supposed to have that you play when your parents ain't around, and you then you just tuck that bitch back somewhere. Like a lot of his music felt that way, and for like a uh a teenager, like it's like, oh man, I know I'm not supposed to be listening to this, but it's funny. Like, even with the songs like Freaky Things or um uh what's the other one, keep it on the hush, yeah, like those songs are like a little vulgar for a teenager to be listening to, but it's also like one of those things where it's like, oh, I done listened to Martin stand up on Def Comedy Jam. Like, you know, like I'm not supposed to be listening to it, but it's it like I know what he's talking about, you know. Um but I like honestly, I like everything. It kind of drops off to me after um growing pains a little bit. Yeah. And then like because it goes into a skit and then move bitch, like I'm not the biggest fan of move bitch, but like I get it. You know, I get it. Like, I'm not even gonna hate on it for that. Um Saturday is definitely a low light for me. I it's just because it it like if I had to pick a low light on the album, it's gonna be that. And then it's also gonna be the word of mouth freestyle. He he because the first one was so good, yeah, and people were quoting it a lot. He thought, let's do it again with this four-eyed dude. I've never heard an album from that dude. I don't know where he's at. I don't understand why he kept getting all this shine.

SPEAKER_02 36:54

That's like, you know, maybe he was supposed to be in like his uh uh Buster Rhymes dude.

SPEAKER_01 36:59

Uh oh uh I know who you're talking about. Uh the ball dude.

SPEAKER_02 37:03

Yeah, I can't I can't think of his name off the top of my head right now. Yeah, yeah. His hype man, that's what he's supposed to be.

SPEAKER_01 37:08

Right. But he was never he wasn't that was I-20. That was that was I-20 the whole time. So like I never understood it.

SPEAKER_02 37:16

Yeah, because I-20 had a solid album, too.

SPEAKER_01 37:18

Right, right. But this dude had two solid verses on two solid, like they're solid, okay, but it like there's nothing to write home to the kids about. Nothing to write home about. But he still um just never materialized into anything. So like what was the whole point in that? Yeah. What was the whole point in that? Um, but then the the the closeout of the album to me, like with keep it on the hush, and then um get the fuck back, freaky things, cold outside, half a cold outside. Yeah, and then block lock, I think block lockdown is the perfect way to close out the album. If you cut Welcome to Atlanta off of that, I'm fine. Like, I don't need Welcome to Atlanta on this album.

SPEAKER_02 37:57

And like I said, it's not even his song, like it's JD's song, but I get it because you both is both on it as a big song.

SPEAKER_01 38:03

Well, also, like everybody feels like that's a deaf jam thing, too. Yeah, it m well also it's one of those things where you have to wait six minutes after the song full of silence for that to cut.

SPEAKER_02 38:12

That's why I feel like it's a death jam thing. Like deaf jam, like, oh, this song's big, let's put it on your album too.

SPEAKER_01 38:17

Right, right. And it's probably getting them spin, whatever, whatever. The the way the math be mathing when it comes to that, the recouping stuff. So, like, I'm sure that's also a big reason why they were doing that. But um, again, like leaning into the Luda stuff, huge on it, big intro. That's what he's known for at this point now. Like, he's a like his intro is gonna tell you, like, if he's not coming in hard on the intro, then you're gonna question the album, you know. Like, if he's not coming in like Luda on the album, just Luda every time, then you're gonna wonder, is this gonna even be good? And you could probably speak to this more, but even on those DTP albums, I bet you the intros weren't even hard. Yeah. Like, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 38:57

Um so then that takes us into Shaking the Beard with his third album. Me, like this was the album that brought me and like it's like something click when I first heard this album because I remember Did I get from Biscuit? I think I got from Biscuit. Because this was when Biscuit was at the top. Yeah, at the top. Yeah, he was the Nino Brown with the CDs. Running his own carters. I ended up getting it from him. And this I went out and go and bought it just because I was like, man, this shit is tough. Like, like the intro when the intro, like the Southern Fly fried intro, all this and that, then like he the production on it. I was like, man, this is might be my favorite Luda album, like top to bottom. Like that's because I remember I text I texted you the other day about it. I was like, man, because I listened to it, I was like, this album might be because there's really no skips. Like I know we get different types of opinions, but to me, there's really no skips on this on that album.

SPEAKER_01 39:54

There are uh from a mute, like there really are no skips. It's more like uh what what flavor you're into in terms of like what what you don't like about the album. Like I do have lowlights, but the I can explain my lowlights when we get into them. So like um just to give some background on this, so Chicken and Beer comes out October 7th, 2003. Um this is kind of Ludacris is at his height. He's at his peak. He's being featured on just about everything. He's on that uh Nas Made You Look. He kills that. Um he's killing all his features. He's got that Boost Mobile thing, that Boost Mobile commercial with the game and Kanye. Yeah, he's got that. He then uh the the Pepsi deal. He initially started the Pepsi deal, but then um Bill O'Reilly. Yep, Bill O'Reilly came in and put the kabage on that. So big hater. Yeah, Bill O'Reilly started hating on him big time. Uh Bill O'Reilly did a whole segment blasting Pepsi about uh ludicrous just based on his lyrics and things like that. Um then Pepsi ended up caving because of all the backlash and then pulling his deal, um, fucking him out of some money low-key or hockey. Oh, yeah, he definitely did. But he does mention he does mention it on um on his album after this one. It is, or is it this one?

SPEAKER_02 41:13

Oh, he he mentions on well, he don't kind of like mentions it, but he kind of like calls out for uh on hose in my room. Oh, okay, okay, yeah, yeah. He's the one that let the hose in the room.

SPEAKER_01 41:22

Yeah, yeah, yeah. So that that that's bubbling right there, but that whole move gave Ludacris even more popularity, more eyes on this song. Yeah. Also, in tandem, he gets offered the the role of Taj or Tej Parker in Too Fast, Too Furious in 2003, the same year, because Ja Rule, being Ja Rule, turned it down. He went for money. Ja Rule said he felt like he was too big for the series. And uh, well, look where he is, look where they are. So uh who's too big now, I guess. What would Ja think? Whoops. Right. Um so this the the singles for this album were Stand Up, Splash Waterfalls. Uh Stand Up was produced by Kanye. Um I'm pretty sure this was offered to a couple other people before Ludacris took it. I know it was offered to Jay-Z.

SPEAKER_02 42:14

Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Yeah, it was definitely um people turned it down and Luda turned it.

SPEAKER_01 42:20

Turned it into Yeah, turned it into a hit, which is crazy because uh I don't necessarily I don't like it. I don't like the song at all. Uh it's not one of my favorites.

SPEAKER_02 42:32

And then um he had a few more singles. I won't say uh Pussy Poppin' was a single because it used to come on uncut. Yeah, that well it got a video. Yeah, it had a it had a video.

SPEAKER_01 42:47

It got a video, and if you can YouTube it and find it, I I uh you should. You definitely should. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 42:54

Um I remember Diamonds in the Back was a single, but that was a later single.

SPEAKER_01 42:59

That that ended up getting a video, and then um Blow It Out kind of was a single because it was a half and half.

SPEAKER_02 43:04

Yeah, yeah, I remember it being a half and half with the intro and that.

SPEAKER_01 43:08

Okay, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So um a few singles, but they kind of did this differently. Um this is still Luda leaning into Ludacris. Um same with the skits, yeah. Um same with the vulgarity, like what it seems like is I feel like he went more. Yeah, yeah, yeah. What it seems like is he found what worked on word of mouth, and then went into those lanes a little deeper, came back from some other stuff, like he's always gonna give you an intro, you know, and then the song after, he's always gonna be spitting about whatever's happened to him or whatever. But then, like and then always the third song is usually gonna be his single. And then for the rest of the album, it was just a little bit um dialing in on things like Splash Waterfall.

SPEAKER_02 43:52

Which I'm mad if wasn't the uh Tony Tony Tony rendition of it. Right because like on the video, it was like the album version. Then it like halfway through it like turns into completely weekend. Yeah, and Rafael Sadiq pops out of nowhere and starts serenate everybody. Yeah, like why this should be in the and you and you can't even get like I remember back in the day because you could pirate it shit off of like line wire and shit. I was able to get it, but in today's streaming, it should be on streaming.

SPEAKER_01 44:21

There's no studio studio quality version out there anywhere. It's just like the rigid music video. Yep, yep, there's no way to get it. Um I don't know why he did that. I don't either. I don't either. So this was given four mics by the source.

SPEAKER_02 44:34

And it was in the source for uh rap quotable. For I remember that because it was like a big deal for that uh song he did uh for uh yeah, hip hop quotable. Oh, okay. Because he won his very I don't I can't remember. Yeah, I remember it was like big, it's like oh Little Chris is rapping. He got a song where he's rapping on and spitting. I skipped it. I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 44:57

I'm not gonna hold you, I skipped that because I remember not like, man, that's crazy because I'll you're supposed to relisten through all this, and it's just like ah.

SPEAKER_02 45:03

You get on me for skipping block lockdown with the case.

SPEAKER_01 45:05

Hey, black lockdown is hard.

SPEAKER_02 45:07

But this he's spitting on this. Like this is he's showing you that he has like when people was doubting on for the like the Na song, this was a song like, man, I can sp I can spit. Right, right. Like it wasn't meant for to be like, oh yeah, this is gonna be like the the fun looter. He's like, nah, I'm here just dropping metaphors and shit.

SPEAKER_01 45:24

Like I just remember the beat coming, like it's it's a it's a classic.

SPEAKER_02 45:28

Like you listen to Red Man, you know, you know what his beats sound like.

SPEAKER_01 45:33

So that's kind of not what I want to hear the beaters on. That's never what I want to hear. So every time it would come on, like I do remember it, like, and I remember some of the bars on it, but it's just like it's even even though he's trying to prove to you, like, oh man, I I'm a I can spit or whatever, it's still more of the same low-key, more of the same ludicrous. Yeah. Just a little bit on the subject, subject. He's a little dialed back.

SPEAKER_02 45:56

Yeah, like saying like say he just rapping instead of just like, okay, I'm gonna be out here just saying, like, my kick you in the head, go blah. Like, no, he's like, oh like he's not doing that on that.

SPEAKER_01 46:09

None of the loot up. Yeah. Um, so this guy, four mics from the source. It got an XL from double XL. Um, Rolling Stone called it a hot speed chase through the dirty south, whatever that means. Racist. Uh he's real athletic. Um, and then said though, some of the skit, some of the critics felt the skits were becoming a bit excessive compared to the music, which like he does skits well. So like they're at least worth one listen. Even he does skits to the point like they're at least worth one listen, and then you're gonna tell somebody about it, like, bro, you gotta hear this skit. Like, this shit is wild.

SPEAKER_02 46:51

Like DMX skits where it has nothing to do with anything. I feel like DMX was like, record the album and was like, we need skits. And DMX was like, Y'all handle that shit. And it's like, all right.

SPEAKER_01 47:04

But instead of y'all, it was like three third graders in a corner just putting together some skits.

SPEAKER_02 47:09

DM wild, like, all right, we're gonna do some prison skits, even though it had nothing to do with prison.

SPEAKER_01 47:13

At all. At all.

SPEAKER_02 47:17

But at least ludicrous song skits led up into the songs, which I appreciated. Like the links of skits, you know, made sense.

SPEAKER_01 47:24

And not only did the skits lead into the songs, they led into the the less um introspective songs. So they led into the funner songs that let you know, like, oh, this is coming. Yeah, this is this is a funny skit. The next song's gonna be a little funnier than that. So like he kind of gave you a little roadmap with that. Yeah. Um, but big producers on this were Kanye West, uh Eric Sermon, if you want to give him that. Ron Browns was on this, A-Rab Money. DJ Paul. Uh, and DJ Paul and Juicy J were on this. Um I think Timberland is too, still.

SPEAKER_02 48:01

Uh I know uh I thought the Neptunes did Pussy Popping, but they just got sampled on Pussy Poppins. Oh, so yeah, they didn't do pussy popping.

SPEAKER_01 48:11

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 48:11

But yeah, like yeah, other than Eric Sermon and Yeah. DJ Paul, Juicy, Kanye.

SPEAKER_01 48:18

But uh Ryan. Yeah, and then some other notable releases that year, which this was a pretty big year when you think about it, um, for for him to come out. So 50 Cents, Get Richer, Dog Trying. Uh the Black album came out that year, speakerbox Love Below came out that year, trap music from TI came out out that year, um which would start something bubbling between those two, which we'll get into. G Units Bag for Mercy came out, Diplomatic Immunity came out. Um Clones come out this year. You say what? Clones? Clones? Yeah. I think clones came out.

SPEAKER_02 48:55

Is he all three or old four? I think I think it is O3. That was a dope ass album, too.

SPEAKER_01 48:59

Uh DMX came out with Grand Champion.

SPEAKER_02 49:02

That was his last good album. Yeah, that's debatable. That was a good album. It's it's compact, but there's like it's a good album.

SPEAKER_01 49:12

They did what they could with what they had. Uh Freeway came out with Philadelphia Freeway. So like, and I think uh some state pro I think somebody else from State Prop came out that year. I could be wrong.

SPEAKER_02 49:24

No, I think probably Safe no Safe Property. Because the one uh the f first one came out oh two. This this one might have been the chain game one, because I remember it had that Jay-Z and Bean's Eagle song on it. That's probably their best collab that it's on.

SPEAKER_01 49:43

So commercially, this is his most successful album in terms of first week sales. So this one sells$429,000 in the first week, which almost goes gold in his first week or something.

SPEAKER_02 49:55

Which is crazy. Off of stand-up.

SPEAKER_01 49:57

Yeah, off of stand up alone. I I feel like stand-up carried this album.

SPEAKER_02 50:01

And it's ludicrous commercially. But stand you need you still need a hot single just because you're ludicrously. Right.

SPEAKER_01 50:06

And like I said, for selling your most easy and so and then also uh not only that, but um he's in Fast and Furious that year. Yeah, some more eyes are on him, and then he has that single for Fast and Furious, Act of Fast.

SPEAKER_00 50:21

Too Furious.

SPEAKER_01 50:23

I'm too fast for y'all, man.

SPEAKER_00 50:25

Like I didn't like that.

SPEAKER_01 50:26

I didn't either. Uh, but it it sold well. Yeah. Um and it it went over well with the fans, apparently. Well, he needed. Yeah, enough for him to sell 429,000 copies the first week. However, didn't work for Joe Button.

SPEAKER_02 50:41

Pump it up, because pump it up, but they wouldn't have put it on that Fast and Furious album. Who knows?

SPEAKER_01 50:48

What I don't think he'd be where he is.

SPEAKER_02 50:50

No, I'm just saying sales-wise, that album probably would have sold more.

SPEAKER_01 50:53

Yeah, it might have.

SPEAKER_02 50:54

Because people were in the people's buying, like, wow, I want to get pumped up on it. It came out a week before. Like, all right, this was a song I wanted. Like, okay, thank you.

SPEAKER_01 51:02

And that's why you're sitting barefooted, cross leg somewhere, just being pissed about it.

SPEAKER_02 51:06

Yeah, well, actually, uh, he's doing a lot better than that. Well, now it took a smooth decade. Yeah, so but hey, like he he won in the end, I guess.

SPEAKER_01 51:14

Yeah, yeah, he did. He did. Um even though commercially it's his best first week, it's still commercially not his best overall album sales. So this one only sold 2.2 million when the other one went four times flashback.

SPEAKER_02 51:27

It's crazy because his first week. Right, his first week is huge. This would be his biggest album.

SPEAKER_01 51:32

Right. But um you would think this would be his biggest album, but it's it's not. I mean, first week sales, yes, it is, but everything else, like, no, not necessarily. And the the I feel like the videos didn't slap too hard. It didn't really for me it it it had some things in there that like you could tell either it was rushed or it just there wasn't a lot of heart into it. But uh in terms of like highlights, what are your highlights on this?

SPEAKER_02 52:00

Uh my highlights, I'm gonna say like the the intro, because I I liked uh how they took the uh Isaac Hayes sample and deal with that. Uh a lot I fuck with Blow It Blow It Out because he's talking shit on there. Like I said, the single stand up is okay, I get it, Kanye. Uh Splash Wirefalls, like I love that song, even the the 2020-20 version. Like I saw that uh see I wasn't I get I fuck with hard times, but on a re-listen, I was like, Yeah, but back then I fuck with hard times. But on a re-listen, I was like, yeah, I'm good. Diamond and Back, I understand it was cool. I didn't like screwed up.

SPEAKER_01 52:46

Wow.

SPEAKER_02 52:47

Because I wasn't Lil Flip, I wasn't big on Lil Flip. Like I guess I got a story about Lil Flip being the worst album purchase I ever got in the history of album purchasing.

SPEAKER_01 52:55

Which which flip album?

SPEAKER_02 52:56

That double diss off of the one with uh Game Over. Yeah, yeah. I I got tricked because he had that uh that uh song with uh uh dip the camera on them on it. I was like, okay, this shit ain't bad. That's all right. Then the rest of the album, I was like, Terrible, terrible.

SPEAKER_01 53:13

I had already heard enough of his mixtapes to know.

SPEAKER_02 53:16

Yeah, he tricked me to know. Like this is this is how I'll just look at the back of your and see who's on it. And because you know, this is before I could get someone with torrents and shit. Right. So I was like, oh okay, I know this person, I know this person. Oh, let me get the album. Right.

SPEAKER_01 53:31

No.

SPEAKER_02 53:31

No, no, no. And it's like Sam Goody, too. So you know I spent some money on it. Man, that was probably like$30 a C. Double diss.

SPEAKER_01 53:42

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:43

But yeah, like, yeah, it kind of like said towards the end, like, I like hoes in my room. I like the whole storytelling and shit like of that, and then finding out Bill O'Reilly is the one who let the hoes in the room and shit. And like Snoop's, like it's a perfect song for Snoop. Of course. I feel like if you're gonna get Snoop on a goofy track, that's the type of goofy track you can put them on. But uh yeah, those that's my highs from that.

SPEAKER_01 54:08

Okay, what are your lows? What are your low likes?

SPEAKER_02 54:10

Uh my lows, like I said, hard times, uh screwed up. I didn't like teamwork that beat was sound like I didn't like the beat. I didn't like the beat. It sounded too like childish like to me.

SPEAKER_01 54:29

It did sound like something somebody would make if they like first ran into make a beats or whatever. Yeah, yeah. So so for me, some of the highlights are the same. So like the intro, blow it out, uh I did low I did not like stand up, uh Splash Waterfall. Um I like screwed up, pee-popping.

SPEAKER_02 54:48

Yeah, I like pee-popping too.

SPEAKER_01 54:50

And then um teamwork, and then we got and eyebrows.

SPEAKER_02 54:56

Yeah, for that way, yeah, we have I'll mess with we got it.

SPEAKER_01 54:59

Which which has like the first time he put Titty Boy aka Two Chains on it, so it's the first time we actually hear from Two Chains, the rapper, um, instead of him being on some of the skits uh in the intro or whatever. So um I like those in terms of lowlights, hard times, diamond in the back. I'm not a huge fan of hoes in my room. I get it. Like I get it, it works with Ludacris and Snoop. It works, but it's like it never gets repeated. Um, and then hip hop quotables. I don't that gets skipped at all times. So I I just can't I can't do it. Uh solid album though, not my favorite. It's probably his second best album. Um, but it's still like it's still Luda B and Luda, but you could kind of see some of the fall off coming just based on some of the tracks and the way they are, but he's still huge. He's still huge. Yeah. Um then we go into his third or his fourth album. Red light district. Which hands down to me is his worst album uh personally.

SPEAKER_02 56:01

Well, this worst album in his run because if you bow the sexes and well, that's a comp album though. That's not really.

SPEAKER_01 56:10

I I I consider it.

SPEAKER_02 56:12

And then you got like I said, uh Ludiverse. Ludiverse.

SPEAKER_01 56:16

I've never listened to it.

SPEAKER_02 56:17

Yeah, that's what I'm saying. Yeah, the red light district is better than those. But in this run, this this is his his This is the end of his run, low-key.

SPEAKER_01 56:25

Like he's come he's bumping up against the end. The only reason we're including release therapy is because of the Grammy. But like to me personally, this is this is bumping up against the end of his run.

SPEAKER_02 56:34

Um He has, like I said, like, well, if we get into like the notable songs off of it, like his single. Get back. Yeah, really I did not like that song. I didn't either. And it's like it's like stand-up or steroids to be like, yeah, like yeah, it's like it's the same formula. It's like if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

SPEAKER_01 56:53

Right. And that's what I mean. He has a he has a formula to all his albums, and they're all damn near the same, but it's just like it's getting tired by this point. At this point, people are getting tired of it. They kind of want something new. Plus, like, there's not much there. Um, but like he still is engaged in that battle with T.I. Like this is when that battle with T.I. kind of starts because of that stomp verse. Yeah, yeah. And Ludisom.

SPEAKER_02 57:18

He stomped on him on that.

SPEAKER_01 57:19

Yeah, he said he told him to stay off the TIP of his dick. So um feelings. He uh that starts up, man.

SPEAKER_02 57:28

I'm worth millions.

SPEAKER_01 57:30

That starts up between them during this time period. Um Ludacris states that he felt like T.I. was just making little jabs here and there. So then Ludacris came out and said what he had to on that uh that feature or that guest verse on that um Young Bucks uh first album on the uh song Stomp and was wearing a trap music video in the uh in the video, so or yeah, wearing a trap music um shirt in the video or whatever. So that's going on.

SPEAKER_02 58:00

Like I like we wouldn't have probably got the game until later if well for TI.

SPEAKER_01 58:05

Yeah, true.

SPEAKER_02 58:06

Yeah, so I was like, who this bald nick like where's T.I. like they took him right off of that. Yeah, like no.

SPEAKER_01 58:16

Yeah, yeah. You can find the original one out there on YouTube somewhere else. It's somewhere out there.

SPEAKER_02 58:20

On the interwebs.

SPEAKER_01 58:22

Yeah, yeah. So, like you said, the notable songs were uh get back, and then there was number one spot, which sampled that whole Austin Powers thing. We'll get into that. We'll get into that in a second. Uh, in terms of like critical reception, it was still giving an extra large from double XL, which is crazy.

SPEAKER_02 58:37

I don't know what Elliott Wilson was doing over there.

SPEAKER_01 58:39

Man, getting paid uh for kickback got four mics from the source, pitchfork sighted that it was uneven in its execution, and that'd be the first time I low-key um agree with pitchfork. Yeah, yeah, low-key. Which is wild. Right. Uh some notable albums that came out during this time period. Um, College Dropout came out that year. Uh Mad Villain, Mad Villainy, Encore from Eminem, the documentary. Um I thought 05 was documentary. Well, it was released late December, early Jan. Uh it was in a weird gray area. Urban Legend from T.I., Rhythm and Gangster from Snoop, Void Banks, Hunger for More, Street Disciple from Nas, uh, Purple Haze from Cameron, and Styles P uh or Jada Kid or Styles P Ghost in the Machine. My bad. Yeah, that uh is the mixtape. Oh, okay, okay.

SPEAKER_02 59:40

Uh what's the name? Gangster in the gentleman came out oh two. So this might have been Ghost in the Shell, Ghost in the Machine era when he was just mixtaping it up and we got Kill That. I can't say it because I ain't trying to get canceled. Right, right, right.

SPEAKER_01 59:57

Um this is like uh to me, you you can dive straight into it. Like, I don't I don't necessarily like this album at all.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:08

Like at the time it was weird because like there's a few songs on here that I like. And like I said, I was I think Ludacris' best song is on here with Child of the Night with uh Nate Dog, but like I like uh large amounts. I thought that was a nice song. I like uh Two Miles an Hour, which was like I said, was uh on the DTP album. So I liked uh uh Blueberry Yum Yum. I like that. Because there's a few sessions that you know. Oh yeah, yeah, definitely. Yeah, so I can't you know I can't hate on Blueberry Yum Yum. It it it was there for the ride. So But yeah, like and I didn't like how they did DMX because at this point in time I was a big DMX fan, and I was expecting at least a verse from DMX on Put Your Money Where Your Your Mouth Is. He was just better 100. That's it.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:03

Like But DMX during that time period was hard to get a hold of the D.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:06

Yeah, he was, so they probably just got him in the studio for that. They probably took his verse from something else. Yeah, because uh he did the same thing with uh Diplomats too, that's uh with uh what's really good. Oh, yeah. Because I thought he was gonna be on the what's really good.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:19

Like that's all they could give you.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:24

They make it still. Well, yeah, like I said, we was what, we was seniors when this came out?

SPEAKER_01 1:01:29

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:30

Yeah, so yeah, it was like I really wasn't like that fond of this album other than like the songs that I mentioned.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:37

Yep.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:37

Like it really didn't like the time it came out came out right around. I was bumping Purple Haze and all that. And Urban Legends, so I really wasn't like. Urban Legend was huge, yeah. I really wasn't caring for, especially like the singles didn't write move me. Like like the normal like the old singles, they're like, Oh, okay, these singles is nice, let me listen to this album. But I remember being on the track bus to listen to it, and I'm like, yeah, this isn't it. But I did like uh that uh song that 50 Cent rapped over. Because I it was off that 20 uh 50 mixtape, the 2050 mixtape. Uh fuck. Pass out. Like he's like, 'cause that's where I first heard it alluded, and like I heard 50, I was like, man, he should've just gave this shit to 50. Because I don't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:25

I've never heard it. I'll have to look it up.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:27

Yeah, when you uh cause because I think it's on Spotify still, the 2050 mixtape, the 2050 one that he put out before the massacre.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:35

I'll definitely have to look it up. I don't remember it.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:38

Yeah, this album was Yeah, then I didn't like Virgo. I didn't like Virgo.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:43

I didn't either. I didn't like that. And then I didn't like number one spot whatsoever because of that whole he was just rapping like Austin Bowers and stuff. Like, man, that was so corny, bro.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:51

Like that's that's when like And wasn't even it wasn't even for the movie. Like it's been different if it was like on the movie for the soundtrack. No, he's like, I was inspired.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:01

Yeah, it was pointless. And uh it seemed like a cash grab or something to get some attention or something.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:06

Quincy Jones is uh must have you know gave him a favor to clear that shit.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:10

Yep, true, true.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:11

Or well, I mean it's Quincy Jones ain't fuck with rappers like that. Well, but it's literally especially how they did them in the in the in the late 80s, early 90s.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:24

To be honest, the only like most of this is lowlights to me. Um uh the only highlight is blueberry yum yum, yeah, pimping all over the world.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:34

Yeah, I like that was my shit.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:35

Two miles an hour, and that's about it. And I mean the intro is okay or whatever.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:39

I like the intro because it was like I feel like you know, Timberland, like I feel like he did his thing on that. And even the potion wasn't bad.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:48

Well, the po well that was supposed to be Jay-Z. Yeah, we're supposed to be like played for Jay Z and Jay Z Live. Yeah, which I get it. I didn't like I didn't like the potion just because like that whole little chant thing joked down. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That part was trash.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:01

But I like everything before that was solid to me. I didn't like that. But yeah, this album was trash.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:06

Like, that's all I have to say about it. I'm done with it. And then and then that's where we get to like he's done. He's essentially peaked, but we go into his his album after that because that's the uh like professionally, that's his his best album because this is the album that wins the Grammy, which is release therapy. And this won the Grammy.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:28

And he's more introspective on this album than any other, which I see why he won the Grammy for, because he's being more open. Open and shit, and stuff he's not really like the songs like Shake Your Money Maker and stuff like that. That's sort of like the old Luda songs, but then you'll get shit like uh Runaway Love and Do Your Time. Yep uh even the song Slap, which I relate to almost every day. Exactly. Slap Slap Slap. Yeah, like that was well, that was my anthem for a man, because I'm like, this is this song's cold.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:03

No, it is, it is, it is. Like, I'm I'm not a super huge fan, even after going to re-listen, but like I can understand what it meant in the context of that time. So like this was released December 5th, 2006. Um, the lead singles, like you said, were Moneymaker and Runaway Love. Moneymaker was produced by Pharrell. Um it was a big it was a big single. It was pretty big.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:25

BT and shit at all the time.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:26

Yeah, I remember like early internet days, people were making videos with it. Yeah, so like um that was big. It was it sold 309 copies, 309,000 copies it for its first week. Went on to only sell a million overall, when one time platinum. The writing's on the wall, as you can see.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:46

And plus, this is a time when pirating was at its peak.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:50

Yeah. Yeah, yeah. And so uh it got three mics, three and a half mics in the source. It got an XL, which is crazy. I don't know who he knows at Double XL, but for These extra larges all the time. Um, and then Rolling Stone praised it for its maturity and depth.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:06

So you can hear the intro, so you can hear he matured from his last previous albums, like con like content-wise. So you can say that he matured.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:14

Exactly. And and um so definitely uh I I wouldn't I I don't know what it was up against in the Grammys that year, but like I guess like like I'll I'll I'll check real fast. Yeah, yeah. So I'll I'll just give you like the rundown of my highlights. Uh I would say war the the intro, grew up a screw up with Jeezy, ultimate satisfaction. I think Phil Mob killed that. I think they're also super underrated. Um Mouth to Feed, uh War with God, Do Your Time and Slap. I did not like Runaway Love. Yeah, I didn't like it.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:52

And I'm with you on the uh Bishop Eddie Long sort of in hindsight, uh back in the you know, back in the time it worked, but knowing what he was responsible for and what he went through, and okay, I'm looking at the Grammys.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:08

It's all so it was release therapy, food and liquor. Yeah, which I should have won. Game theory by the roots, king by T.I. and In My Mind by Pharrell. Um, Food and Liquor is probably should have won.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:21

Should have won. I get Food and Liquor should have won. But on the commercial standpoint, it should have been King. Because what you know about that, T.I. was everywhere that year. Definitely. And he even had the uh the campaign and stuff with this the song with Jamie Foxx or losing. So he felt like T.I.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:42

should have won, but Lula just came in like that's even with the uh that's even when he had the Ford sponsorship or Chevy, it was one of the two, they did that, that got yanked real quick.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:51

Oh yeah, one of them guns when they found them when they found them guns. But uh like my my highs from it, like I like grew up, screw up. I really wasn't a fan of the for Pharrell produce tracks. Yeah. Like I like the the some blow me is shot. Good. I fuck with Ultimate Satisfaction. I like that. I like I like Philmont. Yeah, Mouse the Feet, I fuck with that. Like, I really like his RB tracks I get because I fuck with the one with rid, you know, the guy who we shall not name. Yeah, I rocked. I don't even like that. Like I like that song. Like, because I feel like I told you uh that should have been best of both worlds. Like him, him and they would have made over him and Jay. True. They would have been a better best of both worlds.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:36

Best of both worlds could have been uh Usher and him. Yeah. But then that whole controversy around yeah, yeah, you it just became a an issue. So that's that's wild because I'm just gonna do that.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:47

And then like I said, I had War with God, like uh Slap, wasn't a fan of Runway Love. Like the sun there's but I like what I fuck with more songs. Like I said, there's more songs in my rotation today from this album than probably any other like even though like the album isn't I don't listen to the top to bottom, but like I said, I still play Slap. I still play War of God, I still play Woozy, I still play uh uh Ultimate Satisfaction, like so it's like those songs are still in my like my big old ultimate playlist. Like got songs from all his albums on, and I don't feel like that got the most songs.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:30

I mean, I I uh it's got it's got a few for me in like like I just said my highlights, but um I it's better than Red Light District. Yeah, and uh it's probably his third bet fourth best album.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:43

It depends on the day. Yeah, true. True. I don't feeling like I might make it his third, but then might make it his fourth.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:49

Right. But uh after listening to all these, honestly, uh it just made me realize he's got like a solid discography. Yeah. It's not yeah, it's not it's not too it's not too over the top. It's like you can kind of pinpoint when the drop-off happens or whatever, but it's still he's got like uh uh three solid albums. And not many, um, not many artists have that. And then he's got a bunch of features out there. Uh he's still able to do it. He's still able to drop music from here and there, but it's like really ludicrous-esque. You know, like real man, like that's how he starts the verses or like stuff like that.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:23

He just dropped like a rap. He was rapping.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:25

Yeah, yeah, where you're smoking outside of the car. Is that the one you saw?

SPEAKER_02 1:10:28

Yeah, I saw that, and I was like dropped that, and I'm like, it's it's Luda.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:32

Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know what you're gonna get.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:33

Yeah, like yeah, it ain't like, oh man, Luda, this shit's trash. Like, oh Luda snap. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's Luda. Exactly, exactly. Well, like I say, like where he's at in life, I don't expect I'm not expecting music. Like even if he does decide to drop like an EP or something, I'm like, okay, congrats to you. Right, right. I may give it a skipper. Yeah, I'm gonna listen to it. I ain't gonna be like, oh yeah, I ain't trying to figure out.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:54

Right, right. But I also ain't gonna be telling other people to listen to that.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:58

Like, but like I said, we got like I said, the album we didn't mention, like Theater of Mind, Ballad of Sexes, Ludiverse, like, and the like the mixtape, like I said, with the Drake Beef and shit like that. Like Ludacris got like a solid rap career.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:14

Yeah, definitely has a solid rap career. Like when you like compare him to his peers, like his peers would be a Buster Roms or even a Nelly or or people like.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:21

I'll say Nelly before Buster, since Buster, you know, he's like 90s, like early 90s. I'll say Nelly came around the same time because you know they're honestly they're probably in the same class, really.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:30

Well, Nelly did the verses. So they did the verses. Nellie.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:37

So like Nelly, whoever that's how I know Nelly doesn't know his own songs because Nelly could have easily won, but no, I don't think no, he he could have won. If he would have played the songs, he didn't know what songs to play. I was like, why were you doing playing this? Like it's like he went to like Apple Music Essentials and just like play with like yeah, we're playing these songs, and Ludus like, no, you getting my B size, you're getting it's like uh Nelly's like, no, you getting dropped down, get your eagle on. Like, we don't know.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:08

He's got a he's got a more solid career than Nelly to meet. Oh yeah, he does. A way better discography.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:13

But like But I feel like just off two hours alone and like 20 songs, it's like it's gonna be like be a long day for anyone to go against Nelly, but Luda's like, nah. Yeah, this this nigga ain't right, you're right, right. No. But uh yeah, like yeah, he Yeah, I fuck with Luda, man. Shout out to Ludacris, man.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:32

Yeah, definitely. Shout out to Ludacris. Uh really good to go back and like re-listen through his discography, uh, just see like the highs and the lows, very few lows. Also just how he was able to debut and just kind of keep countering on that success until it snowballed into like the career he has now, even though he's a an actor, he's in ice cube territory to some people where people don't even know he's a rapper anymore. And they see him as Tedge Parker from Fast and Furious, they see him as the actor guy, but like he does have a solid discography. Um it was good to go back and listen and and to see like um his growth a little bit as an artist and things like that. Um, but like all in all, I think he's had a solid career and I think he's a solid artist.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:11

With some insight of what we're gonna do next.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:15

Who do we want to do next?

SPEAKER_02 1:13:16

Uh I feel like since we did someone from the north, south, we gotta do either Midwest next.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:21

Uh either Met the West or the Midwest, it's up to you.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:23

I feel like Midwest would be easy. I would say Yay, but I feel that's too yay. Yeah, too much. Blue? Blue back?

SPEAKER_01 1:13:48

Yeah. That'd be easy because it's only gonna be three albums.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:52

Yeah, because like we don't really need a but they're dense, but like it'll be three albums. I feel like yeah, cause like, but we oh my gosh, he got some long shit. Cause you gotta think Tosuyo, uh I can't say it. Tosuyo and the and the youth. Tosuyo and the youth.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:07

Yeah, that's that's on the other half of it. Yeah, but that's still a dope album. It's not the peak. But it's still a dope album. It's not the peak. It's still a dope album. We can mention it and talk about it. We can do it. We can talk about it, but it's still not the peak of his own. Yeah, well, yeah we can do lupe next. Okay, we could do we could do lupe, that's why.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:22

Yeah, because uh other person from the Midwest, what you got like common.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:25

I was thinking of common or twister. And then I was also thinking no.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:29

Actually, I'd let's do common because I really do want to go back and listen to some of his early because I really jumped on to like what like water for chocolate. I really don't know anything really. Yeah, they had he had uh that one uh of uh something about uh like had that song where he dissed an ice cube and then more.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:52

Oh yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that album. Could have fooled me. Yeah. I forgot all about that.

SPEAKER_02 1:14:57

Think how much a dollar costs. No, that's that's a Kendrick song. Like, like I think, hold on, see we got our phone. Let me see.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:03

But we can do common next.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:05

I think yeah, common would be better because I feel like I listen to Lupe more than I do common, and I really want to go back and play his disography.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:14

Thank y'all for tuning in. You know, we went through ludicrous, and like I said, the next episode was common. But thank y'all for tuning in. This is the revisiting. I'm Scraplotto.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:24

I'm Marcus Johnson, also Black Ron Burgundy on Instagram.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:27

Yep, and you know me, just follow me, Scrap Lotto I'm everywhere, baby. You know, and got the music for life episodes dropping too, so be look out for that. But I'll see you next time. Peace.