While having a discussion about the current state of hip-hop and who the elite artists are with friends, many names were brought up.
Of course mentioned were; Jay-Z, Nas, Lil Wayne, Kanye West, T.I. and 50 Cent, who are considered the elite based on mainstream popularity.
Even the artists that aren't overly popular but are still respected as the elite were included such as: Common,Lupe, Talib, Little Brother,Black Thought and Mos Def. But strangely the one person who went unmentioned on both list was Ludacris.
Really, what more could you ask for?
Unique style, slick lyrics, flow, chart-topping singles, fan appeal all this is present in Luda's repertoire. He has six albums with none selling worst than Gold (his debut album "Incognegro")a platinum album ("Release Therapy"), two 2x's platinum albums ("Chicken and Beer", "The Red Light District") and two 3x's platinum albums ("Back for the First Time" and "Word of Mouf") making him one of the most successful hip-hop artist in music sales the past 7 years. Add to that a seventh album "Theater of the Mind" which he proclaims as "the most mature album yet" set to drop in the summer of "08". It seems Ludacris is definitely staking claim as one of the best MC's in the game, so why isn't he getting the credit or recognition?
Its simple, people don't take Luda seriously as an MC and most of his songs are either "too" sexually orientated, comedic, and degrading to women. Album after album spews the same pimp theory that women are hoes, add a few good-humored songs with nice hooks, slick wordplay with a nice flow, and there you have a typical Luda album. Every album Ludacris has created, the one common denominator besides lucrative earnings, is the "Uncle Luke" style club songs and comedy based tracks. He's known for outlandish persona which he reinforces in extremely humorous-themed tracks such as: "Southern Hospitality”, "Act a Fool”. "It’s Saturday”, and "Move Bitch". songs that are played to exhaustion on the radio and TV then die after a couple months. Then in addition to that, the countless tracks and skits smothered with overly sexual themes and topics. There's no denying Luda's lyrical skill, his style and flow is unparalleled but he doesn't make use of them on relevant tracks. For example, "Chicken-n-Beer" arguably Luda's best album from a lyrical standpoint is flawless. He begins the album with a barrage of relentless lyricism in his "Southern Fried Intro" and keeps that paste throughout the c.d. His only problem was that he spent too much time being boycotted for tracks like "Splash Waterfalls", "P-Poppin", and "Hoes in my room” than receiving kudos on them. While Luda's abilities may be unmatched right now he doesn't present much consistency in his content, he'll go from a Bet Uncut-style song like "P-Poppin" to a meaningful song like "Runaway Love".
His music seems more appealing to southerners, where as the elite can hit different people with totally opposite backgrounds and cultures. Most of Luda's material embraces catchy lyrics and hooks, but doesn't deliver tracks that'll be remembered positively ten years down the road.
Regardless, Luda's future in music is definitely bright and he's even branched into several successful movie roles, "2 Fast, 2 Furious, Crash, Hustle n Flow, and Fred Clause" His most recent album "Release Therapy" last year was a huge step up from some of his earlier work, and he is definitely deserving of a slot as 10 ten in the game. But until he improves his musical content, he will never be taken serious nor considered amongst hip-hop’s elite.
COMMENTS
Dont know what dis nigga talkin bout ^^ But Luda nice, been nice since I heard Back for the 1st time...
Ludacris is a sick rapper, and you think he doesnt get credit cuz hes doing his thing?
Alot of rappers talk about the same things over and over, but noone makes it sound as good as LUDA!
different flow in every song, and they all catchy
This is his style. His lyrics are crazy! He successful and talented and sells out the ass.
WHY CHANGE!?! the same ppl that are sayin he's to playful are gonna say being serious isn't his thing.
Like the saying goes "IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T TRY TO FIX IT"
alot of other rappers talk about the same things but none of them has the skill to be in top ten. the writer is jus saying if luda wants to be considered in the top 10 he should change. i personally think he could step up his material also and be a little more creative.
true luda best
I DO NOT AGREE!!
Jigga (50 cent, weezy, many rappers... ) is the one who's sayin BITCH THIS, BITCH THAT, and people still appoint them as a reference to the game.
So I dont agree with that.
I totally agree with this. Luda dont get no credit, but it is mainly his own fault fo dat. I dont take him seriously like a Hova or God's Son or Slim Shady. I couldnt see Luda bein tabbed "Da Best Rapper in da Game"
Luda's definatly underrated, nigga got mad skills. But you are who you are. And Luda unfortunately is a "cartoon character" rapper. That type of image can never get someone respected.
Basically everyone is callin him the south's Redman.
I disagree. I don't care about this so-called serious image, Ludacris' lyrics are far superior to most of the game. He can rap cirlces around TI and Wayne and can even hold his own with the 07 Jay. However, I also believe that Luda should mature more from his other albums with a growth so crazy it will make people go "WhAT??? is this Luda?" Hopefully he will. He needs to abandon his stereotypical subjects and bass heavy beats for a more conservative introspective tracklisting. He should make some "growth" mixtapes to prepare. He needs to freestyle over Dead Presidents II or something.
Think about, if Luda does that on his nexx album, we might have a classic on our hands.
well i'm glad you said slim shady, what's the difference. Luda and Em both act silly, then u got a darker side of Eminem, and then Luda does the songs for the females. I don't like club rappers really, but Luda is diversified, he can spit real shit, freestyle shit, club shit, slow jam shit, silly shit, crunk shit. I ALWAYS SAID HE'S THE MOST UNDERRATED RAPPER. HOW ARE THEY GON PUT T.I., Lil' Wayne and 50 Cent over LUDA. Luda would destroy both of them. Also there's a lot of silly rappers that are raw Busta Rhymes, Redman, Missy Elliott, Ghostface, Method Man
to dagod , so why does eminem get respect? hes made some ridiculous songs that are corny ass hell or just plain stupid.
Luda is underated.. real talk
y"all guys nid to stop hatin ths dudde ayt.u nd i knw dat luda is dng his ti ding.nd lyrically i thnk he s 1 of da dopest mcs evr.jigga dsnt even stand a chns wth hm.
Luda gotta start rappin on some serious stuff
Co-sign..
he has the potential
ddooohhh we all no he got potential!!!!!!!!111
Luda is ill son, he just gotta fix his content.. All that "TANG-A-LANG, BANG-A-LANG pull up and then droppppppppppp" gotta go dun
dis article iz stupid da man makes hit records wut more do u want, dis must b a northerner who writin dis 2 say he's more respected down south cuz anybody whose anybody knows dat luda right now is obviously respected WAY MORE respected up north den down south
Ur slow, read before you comment.. It says he deserves to be an elite artist in hiphop.. But most of the time his shit doesn't have content..
LUDAS NASTY!!! IDC WUT U ALL SAY HES ONE Of THE HOTTEST AND THE REALEST!!!!
didnt even read, all i know is dat LUDA IS A FUCKIN BEAST n da most lyrical in da atl
True, and personally i would put LUDA in front of TI....pause, cause I cant understand a damn thing TI be sayin if I was from the south I'd problly get it but I dont understand that accent.
he da fukin best !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
because half the time hes fucking cheesy.
"never take candys from strangers". ughhhhhhhh! shut the fuck up.
but hes koo tho, but no top ten srry.
Great rapper... just his albums never live up to the hype. The mixtape he released before Release Therapy (Pre-Release Therapy I think it's called) was probably better than the album in some sorts. Lyrically, he's probably one of the top emcees pound for pound. Just hopes he grips up and actually makes good music now. In my opinion, if he does that, T.I. aint got shit on him.
And for all those who disagree, T.I. aint lyrical for shit. He got flow thats all, so how that make u the king?!
he is lyrical probly not on his 1st 3 albums
i totally agree wit the article. luda is extremely talented. he is witty, humorous, catchy and lyrical. his problem has been consitantcy and growth from album to album. most of his songs are popular, but the problem is they more than likely club bangers. he either wants to extra sexual or a street nigga. how can u go from "p-poppin" to "runaway love"? that's not realistic and people won't believe as an elite mc. and considering the fact that he's from the south, that makes it even easier to hate on him.
oh and by the way, t.i. has shown much more versatility than luda. luda has sold more records cause his music is more commerical than tip's. c'mon man compare album by slbum.
MOST OF THESES COMMENTS ARE FROM THE SAME DUMB ASSES WHO WAS ON THE EMINEM ARTICLE TALKING BOUT "HE SHOULD GO BACK TO SLIM SHADY DAYS"
YALL NIGGAS RETARTED!
DATS LIKE SAYING FAMILY GUY SHOULD STOP BEING SO FUNNY
THE REASON EVERYONE LIKES HIM IS BECAUSE HE STAY ON THAT WYLDIN OUT SHIT.
OH I GET IT,YALL WANT HIM TO BE LIKE 2PAC LOL GTFOH!
Family Guy corny by the way. It tries too hard...
Luda also had this track called Slap on his last album, Release Therapy, that was the SHIT, but again,
@ the end of the day, his catalog is too "cartoony" to be considered ELITE, again, ala Nelly. There's NO ONE that can deny that Nelly don't gotta more than a couple club bangers, but isn't "elite"... that's my point; I ain't clownin' him... He's just JV, like 50.... JV... he can get some varsity minutes but he's a JV starter...
Thats How You Feel...You Probably A Fan Of Only Rappers Like Jada, TI, 50 Because They Always Make Serious Tracks..But Everybody Dont Wanna Here Cats Talkin About Guns And Drugs Every Track. Luda Has Crazy Lyrics Serious And "Cartoony"
To Me He Top 5 Right Now Hands Down
Ludacris is a great MC, period, and has matured as an artist. Apparently this editor hasnt listened to the whole release therapy cd. The whole CD is nothing but lyrics. AKA, "Tell It Like It Is", War With God, Slap, Runaway Love, and the list goes on. Definitely a classic album and definitely provides edification that we dont receive in music today.
If you read the article it said in quote "His most recent album "Release Therapy" last year was a huge step up from some of his earlier work, and he is definitely deserving of a slot as 10 ten in the game"
Read before you comment please.....
man people seem to think that making good albums is easy. it's not man. and luda has never dropped a bad album. i say he has at least 2 classics, and the rest were at least good enough to buy and not download. meanwhile he makes songs that will do numbers and get played in clubs and on the radio so the whole world can feel him and not just THE HOOD. can u really fault him 4 that? everything aint just bout da hood man damn. luda is def in my top 3. the only people i see fukin wit him is kanye and jay. and jay been slippin lately.
There's no way you can say Luda has two classic albums... When most ppl cant even name three Luda Albums.... Besides "Chicken n Beer"... the rest are just good...
On every album he doesnt call women bitches and gives that "STFU BITCH" image. If yall listen to all his albums thoroughly youll realize that each song has a concept and has "Content" in them. And how does luda gives that cartoony image? Yall try to give more excuses about his style to try not to put him over your favorite rapper Ex: Jayz. Ludacris is wayy more lyrical and delivers great quality punchlines that make you think not obvious ones like someone like lilwayne spits. And when luda first came out he was the shit, anybody who say he wasnt must of been living under a rock or something. Yall some retarded biased people. Luda been in the Top 10 you niggas late....
You obviously arent a big Luda fan or even familiar with his music.. His first 4 albums was nothin but that... He has even admitted he felt like he should take a "more mature" approach to his music...
Think before you comment please...
For all ppl that cant read or fail to comprehend the article in its entirety, the artile simply stated that Luda has the ability of anyone in the game if not more.. But until he uses that shit on tracks that are relevant, besides commercial club songs, and cartoonish songs.. He'll never get the respect has elite.. He has to mature his music..
Well for the person who said that Luda wasn't lyrical on his first three albums obviously really never listened to Ludacris like that. Ludacris is very lyrical on Word of Mouth. Listen to the track named Cry Babies(Oh No). Thats just one of the tracks. To me Release therapy and Word of Mouf are his best albums. I can admit that Luda is sometimes too sexual or too comedic but is lyrics are unmatched by alot of artists in the game. I also agree with the others who say that he needs to make an album thats alot more mature.
I'll cosign that to an extent.. You gotta look at the album in its entirety not just a few tracks.. I wouldnt consider it his best by a long shot..Chicken n Beer is by for the best
WOW yall niggas sayin that luda isnt a top 10 rapper. In ALL of his albums he come correct. And did u guys listen to Realease Therapy, you could tell that luda is maturing on that album. I cant wait for the " Theatre of the Mind".
Where anywhere in this article did u read anyone say "Luda isn't top ten?" some of yall just dont have brains..
Where anywhere in this article did u read anyone say "Luda isn't top ten?" some of yall just dont have brains..
"Even the artists that aren't overly popular but are still respected as the elite were included such as: Common,Lupe, Talib, Little Brother,Black Thought and Mos Def. But strangely the one person who went unmentioned on both list was Ludacris"
Obviously if he is isnt on both of their lists they dont consider luda a top 10 rapper. think before u type.
Luda is considered a top 10 jus becuz of his different style. Yall want 2 point out da fact dat he's a cartoon rapper, But every album dat he put went platinum. U shuld listen to release therapy. U mite a hav a different perspective.
OMG... seriously read the article before you comment.. again i quote it says "His most recent album "Release Therapy" last year was a huge step up from some of his earlier work, and he is definitely deserving of a slot as 10 ten in the game." ....and u take record sales with a grain of salt these days.. soo.....
Leatherface is a moron, ppl that i've talked to didnt mention luda's name when we were talkin bout the best in hip-hop we weren't making top ten list.. smh.. Also, U didnt reply to anyone or place your comment to any paticular person, so it is only right that I assume your talking in reference to the article...and the article states plenty of times that he deserves to be a top ten MC but often gets overlooked because ppl dont take him seriously... so on that note im right and your dumb..
Um actually there was a list, it was a list composed of whom we supposedly think is some of the elite rappers in the game and how we overlook luda. I was just arguing the fact that i v always taken luda seriously and thought him part of the elite list in hip hop. You obviously have no life, replying to almost everybody on this page. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, so shut up.
lmfao ahhaha next
How Is He Under Rated If He Never Had A Album That Went Under Platinum...I Dont Care What People Say The Best Is N E More Because At The End Of The Day They Know Who They Listen To Everyday And Who Rhymes They Quote Daily
He's the most underrated rapper according to the critics and so called "heads" of hip-hop.
Luda has sold more than most rappers named in first part of this article. Has killed more tracks when he's collaborated on one and overall one of the more balanced and versatile rappers out with seemingly punchlines for days.
luda is nice but after moneymaker we all kinda stopped listenin
he killed that track
He really isn't taken seriously. I don't even take him seriously but I can also say he has never been outshined on a track either. Flow for flow, he's top 5 in the game but as far as his albums, I don't think any were great, and none reached anywhere near classic status. For me, he and Eminem both have that problem, though I put Em in my top 10, around 7 or 8. I don't really take him seriously either, but he is a lil more "introspective" than Luda. Either way, when Cris makes an album that really grabs my attention like his verses, I can place him top 10, easy. Until then, he's in the 11-15 bracket.
You Talkin About Takin Seriously In That Way I Dont Take N E Of These Rappers Seriously. None Of Them Doin What They Say If They Makin Money From Rap So You Cant Say That
^^^Except for that "Runaway Love" single, he doesen't really have alot of music with any substance to it. I didn't even like that song.
lol buckets gettin mad as hell..cosign with this article though..
hes always had songs that are serious its just people dont wana hear real shit they want that shit thats gonna stick in your head unfortunately but let a nigga diss him i bet he'll givin the bidness hes a rapper that can spit with east coast niggas or down south niggas
who really cares about lists? anyone? record sales used to be the measuring stick but aint nobody ever going to do the numbers they once did. luda sold alot of albums and is successful. nelly outsold just about every single rapper on that list in total units moved in career. check the numbers, and nobody gives him respect. but he is crazy rich from his sales and business's he started on the side. late 90's nelly was one of the only dudes putting out shit to make someone dance in the club. and i didnt respect him either , but his shit flew off the shelves. and outcast speakerboxx album outsold every single rapper on that list for a single album period. so if you making lists popularity dont move units, if it makes people dance in the club. namely suburban white folks then its selling. and for the record lil wayne is straight up garbage, but the 13-15 year olds worship him now. but the white folks dont even barely know him, so when his shit finally drop he wont move many units. remember that. Best rapper alive is still eminem , nobody i mean jay or nas or lil wayne dare to say his name in beef, they know they getting crushed when he come back at them. best rapper dead 2pac. best rapper old school rakeem best rap group of all time--public enemy
I'm tired of all this jay, 50, kanya and now luda the best talk...yall forget who taught you to rob and kill a motherfuka then kneel down and pray. ayo THE DOG DMX come correct. He the hardest and hip-hop whouldn't be wit out him...walk with me now and you'll fly with me later!
he is good but I think he's not recognized because he doesn't rap about real stuff enough. he needs to not work with dj khaled
remove ti and replace luda cuz tip aint real gangstar..hes faking it and luda and jeezy is the nicest in atl..
Blaoooooooow
Exactly If T.I So Hot Lets Compare Bar For Bar. The Only Thing You Can Make Out In His Songs Is His Chorus (Which Makes His Songs Sound Good)
Whoz Top 10 Iz He Not In???
luda is the king of the south!! one of the best rappers ever!! no ARGUMENTS!!!!! his flow is sick!!! DTP 4 LIFE!!
he iz THE KING OF THE SOUTH HANDZ DOWN , n im talkin lirically
LUDACRIS SPIT HOT FIRE MAN..
come on man this is hiphop, does everyone have to be serious. and u say 50's serious hahah. that nigga isnt really lyrical. lil wayne? r u serious. top ten? top 5 motherfucker
LUDA IS A BEAST... TOP 10 EASILY....HOW THE FUCK DID T.I. MAKE THE LIST.
Because T.I. is good.
whoever wrote article dis bout luda should burn in hell twice!!!!!
:( ...
dam i aint know ti had a spot in the top 10 lol luda easily trumps him ti got the swag and hood appeal but shit u can make the same complaint bout him too
This is not a top ten list, but... as far as "MAJORITY POPULARITY"...yes T.I, wayne and 50 are considered some of the best..
Luda def in my top 10, along with:
Scarface
Common
Nas
AZ
Styles P
Jay-Z
Kanye
Talib
Eminem
IMO thats the top 10 in the game right now...in no order
i would take styles p off and replace him with jada thats the only argument i can build on your list everyone else is nice, but that wouldnt look anything like mine..