Ludacris: First the children, then the rest

The American rapper and actor Christopher Brian Bridges, better known worldwide as Ludacris, is one of those characters who have managed to make the most of the possibilities of an entertainment industry as robust and profitable as the North American one.

At this point, rap, which was the artistic expression with which the Illinois native became known more than two decades ago, can already be seen as one of all the tools of expression – in addition to business and promotion – with which the actor and businessman also has to continue growing.

An expert in accumulating numbers, like any good American rapper, Mr. Bridges collects awards of all kinds on his shelf, including an MTV Video Music Award and three Grammys, as well as followers on the platforms of streaming (Only on Spotify it has 5.6 million monthly listens, despite not having released a full album for several years).

Karma’s World

Last September, the artist reported on a new children’s animated series titled Karma’s World, which premiered on October 15 and whose soundtrack was released the same day.

About this soundtrack, which was created and produced by himself, in honor of his daughter Karma, the rapper says in an interview with The Sun of Mexico that not all the merits are his:

“That is more like my daughter’s music, although I am interested in doing something good for the new generations, in spreading positivity, light and love, so what better way to do it than through music, which is the universal language ”, he says.

“I put Ludacris aside for the new generations”

It was in 2015 when the artist released his last LP, Ludaversal, and although in March 2017 he assured that he was already working on his tenth studio album, since then he has limited himself to releasing some single songs, promising that now, 2022 will be the date of a new LP signed with his name.

The rapper says that the reason for this delay has been precisely Karma’s World:

“I’ve been working very hard on this to bring it to the world and to be able to do something bigger than Ludacris, that’s why I put Ludacris aside, I did it for the new generations,” he says.

By now, Ludacris is best known for his role as Tej Parker in the film series. Fast and furious, in which he has participated since 2003, as well as for his performances in tapes such as Crash (2004) -which earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critic’s Choice Award for best cast-; Gamer (2009) and New Year’s Eve (2011).

It is clear that market trends have led him to appear more on our screens than on our speakers, since to date he has published nine studio albums, but he already has twice the number of performances in films and documentaries, as well as in series of TV and video games.

Gone are the years when Ludacris stood out as a promising rapper, hungry for recognition and ready to excel in a world as competitive as that of music and entertainment.

Also left for history is the mainstream success of songs like “What’s your fantasy,” “Area code,” and “My chick bad,” with which his fame soared.

Businessman

Business is another important part of his activity, which is divided between his appearances in advertising campaigns of all kinds, his own record label, Disturbing tha Peace, his line of headphones “Soul By Ludacris”, his restaurant “Chicken N Beer”, which is located at Hartsfield-Jackson Airport, Atlanta; his participation in the liquor company Conjure Cognac, of which he is a co-owner, and his investments in the real estate market.

All of these activities keep him busy enough that he hasn’t released a new album in six years.

Your career is clearly divided between music and acting. If you had to choose only one of them, what would it be and why?

It would be music, because in music you can create something out of nothing, and although I also love acting, when you do it you are only playing a role within something bigger, where the producer, the director, the writer, etc. are also involved. … But when you make music there is only you and that is all, it is a process that requires more creativity, making something out of nothing.

Even when we ask him which of the two industries is currently the best business for him, he does not opt ​​for either.

However, lately you have had a lot of film work and I would not doubt that many will already recognize you more for some of your performances.

Sure, like the franchises of Fast and furious, which are something very, very big. In fact I took everything I learned from that movie series, and all the good stuff I put into the animation of Karma’s World, which by the way is already on Netflix, that’s why I love the comments we’ve been getting …

Tell us more about this production, what is it about and why is it so important to you?

Everything is based on the idea of ​​a young woman who wants to use her voice to change the world and make it better. For example, there are episodes that are about bullying, that are about body shame, about creativity and self-confidence, so that’s what makes it important… Without leaving aside its musical part.

And speaking precisely of music, what is your opinion of the current hip-hop scene?

I like how everything is currently, I like that it continues to grow and evolve, just as all art forms should.

Also when it comes to musical performances, Ludacris remains indebted to Mexico. Except for a brief presentation that he gave six years ago at a festival in Monterrey, the artist has not formally appeared in our country, although he assures that he has visited it on multiple occasions, and acknowledges that he has yet to set foot in places like Mexico City.

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