Atlanta, GA · hip-hop

Ludacris

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Atlanta's fastest wit — twenty years of hits delivered with a showman's grin, from 'Southern Hospitality' to stadium-hosting polish.

Ludacris is the stage name of Christopher Bridges, who was born in Champaign, Illinois, and moved through Oak Park and Centreville, Virginia, before settling in Atlanta, where he worked as a radio DJ under the name Chris Lova Lova before releasing music of his own. He founded the label Disturbing tha Peace to put out his independent debut, Incognegro, in 1999.

His early albums for Def Jam South, beginning with Back for the First Time and Word of Mouf, made him one of the defining voices of Southern hip-hop in the early 2000s. Incognegro's single "What's Your Fantasy" became a top 40 hit and led to the Def Jam re-release of Back for the First Time, which reached number four on the Billboard 200 and carried "Southern Hospitality."

Chicken-n-Beer and The Red Light District went multi-platinum, while Release Therapy and Theater of the Mind took on more serious subject matter before Battle of the Sexes returned to a lighter tone. He scored two Billboard Hot 100 number ones as lead artist, "Stand Up" and "Money Maker," and added guest verses to hits by Usher, Fergie, Taio Cruz and Justin Bieber.

He has also worked steadily as an actor, playing Tej Parker across the Fast & Furious films since 2 Fast 2 Furious in 2003, with other roles in Crash, Gamer and New Year's Eve. In 2021 he created and starred in the Netflix animated series Karma's World.

Ludacris has won three Grammy Awards along with a Screen Actors Guild Award, and holds a private pilot's license. His live shows draw on a long run of singles that includes 'Southern Hospitality', 'Move Bitch' and 'Stand Up'.

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hip-hop