Review Summary: Hungry as the first day.
The early 2000s wasn’t the most innovative period for hip-hop. You had Eminem on his way out, a dying star that went supernova on
The Eminem Show and fizzled out shortly after. 50 Cent was still riding his wave of (short lived) success based off of a few radio singles and the “he got shot nine times!” urban legend. Nelly had a handful of songs you probably remember pretty fondly. And somewhere in the fold you have Ludacris, pioneering in part what was known as the “dirty south” aesthetic for hip-hop music. Luda always brought entertaining verses, hard hitting beats, and a charisma that was unrivaled by most other MCs of the time. Somewhere down the line the rapper began to put music on the back burner, allowing his acting career to take precedence over his music.
Fast forward to 2015 and not much has changed about the aging Ludacris, but the world of hip-hop is an entirely different arena than it was 10 years ago. On the heels of his role in Furious 7 comes
Ludaversal, a return to form for Luda after the disappointingly derivative
Battle of the Sexes. The intro track sees Luda back in top form:
“They say Luda don’t want it no more, / Nah nigga I’m as hungry as the first day,” he spits double time over a staple David Banner instrumental. Does the rest of the album live up to his claim? That depends on your expectations for a Ludacris album in 2015.
The most successful bangers here harken back to the Ludacris we remember from
Word of Mouf and
Back For the First Time. “Get Lit” sounds reminiscent of “Errybody Drunk” from
Battle of the Sexes in lyrical content but with a fiery delivery that we haven’t heard from a Ludacris record since the underrated gem
Theater of the Mind back in 2008. “Call Ya Bluff” is by the numbers braggadocio, for sure. But there are moments in the track where it feels like I’m 16 years old again, bumping “Act a Fool” out of an old PT Cruiser in my high school parking lot. There are also a few intriguing tracks like “Grass Is Always Greeer” and “Charge It to the Rap Game” that shine some light on Ludacris’ personal turmoil during the waning years of his stardom.
With any Ludacris record though, there are the typical flops. There is a skit on here about a man who took too many Viagras that fails to coax even a chuckle. Remember when rap albums had skits? Why was that even a thing? Much of the album utlizes production techniques and guest features from today's most renowned dancefloor hitmakers but in many instances they only serve to highlight how out of place Ludacris sounds on some of these tracks. The track with Big K.R.I.T. for example features a decent K.R.I.T. verse and production from Mike WiLL Made-It but feels like a missed opportunity when you hear the snore inducing hook from Ludacris. The R&B tracks are clearly an attempt to pander to a female audience but ultimately fail to excite the way that the more aggressive cuts do. The deluxe edition of
Ludaversal includes last year’s horrendous
Bridge’s Burning EP, with guest features from Rick Ross (yawn), John Legend (yawn), Cee Lo Green (gross), and Jason Aldean (***ing barf). None of these tracks are any good and they have a distinct tacked on feel in the context of this particular album.
Your personal enjoyment of this record will largely depend on your invested interest in Ludacris as a rap icon. If you’re under the age of 20, you probably won’t find much to appreciate here. If, like me, you look back on Luda’s back caralogue fondly or are just looking for a bit of rap nostalgia, you could do worse than
Ludaversal. Ludacris has undoubtedly cemented a legacy for himself and the vibrations he made in early 2000’s rap scene are still being felt today. It’s interesting to hear a new Ludacris album in 2015 if only because it sounds like he still thinks he has something to prove to all the new blood in the industry today, emerging every few years just so you won't forget.
