As one of the top four selling rap artists of the new millennium, Chris Bridges better known as Ludacris, seems to have the formula for success. His first two releases Back For the First Time (2.89 million units) and Word of Mouf (3.21 million units) established him as a rap force to be reckoned with.
So far, his albums have garnered him movie roles, product endorsements and even the scrutiny of Fox News personality Bill O’ Reilly, who attacked the rapper and his endorsement deal with Pepsi.
Throughout all of the turmoil, Ludacris still managed to produce a third album, Chicken & Beer, which is consistent with the previous two. This album spotlights the rappers creativity and versatility by firing off a battery of lyrics over energized tracks such as “Southern Fried Intro” or dragging out his verses on the track “P-Poppin.”
However, the first singles to be released from the album “Stand Up” and “P-Poppin” are sure to be club favorites this year.
Chicken & Beer contains several skits that are possibly offensive yet hilarious nonetheless. Also, tracks like “Hard Times” uses relatively unknown producers to create beats that provide frame work for razor sharp lyrics like: My family has been hounding me/ friends they done turned against me/ Kinda like they tanks was on a full tank/ but now they empty.
There are also a healthy number of guest appearances found in Chicken & Beer. Kanye West, Snoop Dogg, Lil’ Flip and a few verses from Chingy fill out each track.
Despite the tongue twisting lyrics and the head bobbing beats found on the album, there are some areas that could use more energy. The near 20 minutes of what seems like lullabies makes the third or fourth listen to the album a little less than desirable.
Overall, the comical and lyrical value makes this album a must for any hip- hop lover’s collection.
FYI: Check out Ludacris and Chingy Oct. 24 at the Leon County Civic Center
Grade B
Reggie Harris Jr. can be reached at Bigreg187@aol.com