Ludacris Album: “The Red Light District [Edited]”

"If your spinnin rims spin counterclockwise...you are not pimpin!!!!"

Ludacris returns ( did he ever leave?!?) for his fifth studio album. Yes, fifth album, in four years as well as a group album and numerous guest appearances. It seems as if we should be Ludacris'd out by now but we aren't amazingly. He seems to reinvent his flow on guest appearances and they indeed increase anticipation for his albums ( Lovers & Friends, Sugar, Stomp, Oh, Whole City Behind Us...etc). So does this album deliver even with the onslaught of Ludacris? You bet it does. Ludacris steps his game up lyrically on this one. Instead of constant braggadocio and game spitting he talks about life a little on this album. He still gets down with his flow and with rewind worthy lyrics. The beats are tight too but kinda chill, for Ludacris standards, but I guess that was part of the goal for this album.

The album, at first, is kinda hard to listen to; unlike his others that you could just jump right into. If you just scanned the album you would think it was wack, as I did at first. But give it some time..it'll grow on you. Luda delivers on tracks like the Nate Dogg collaboration Child Of The Night, and gets down with Trick Daddy on Hopeless. Spur Of The Moment is pimped out west coast beat perfect for sippin on lemonade chillin on the porch. It's a very nice feel good track...arguably the best song on the album. It features the smooth DJ Quik on the track; although he doesn't produce the track, it sure sounds as if he did. Very smooth track. Pimpin All Over The World is another great track with a great beat and pimpin lyrics. To me, the best song on the album would have to be The Potion, a Timbaland beat. Luda's flow on this joint is flawless and the beat is bananas. You might not like it at first but man...joint iz banging. Virgo with Nas is a throwback song with beatbox beat by Dougie Fresh...classic. And Two Miles An Hour, a DJ Toomp production, is straight up ridin. He samples Austin Powers on Number One Spot and it actually works.

However all the songs are not good; for example, Blueberry Yum Yum with Sleepy Brown is surprisingly terrible, The song with DMX is subpar, Who Not Me is underwhelming, a worthless skit crowds the album, Pass Out is just plain out wack, and Large Amounts is just goofy (even though he rips the last verse) as he talks about gold diggers and wut not. The beat is aight and the chorus, although catchy, is stupid. In This Life, One Thing counts, In the bank, Large Amounts.

Nonetheless, Ludacris has delivered with this album. The majority of the album is rewind worthy while some songs are borderline unlistenable. But that's how Ludacris albums go. They usually have two extremes. Whatever though. 4 Stars.

Okay. Ludacris without a doubt has skills but he sometimes fails to make a good album. His first two were great but Chicken N Beer was horrible and he keeps the madness moving with this album. The Good: the intro wasnt bad plus it leads off into the second single and one of the better cuts on the album, Number One Spot. His first single Get Back was alright although it wasnt a groundbreaking cut its cool(why does that video look like a cheap imitation of Redman's I'll Be Dat?). Child Of The Night featuring Nate Dogg is another notable cut and DJ Quik joins in on the fun on Spur Of the Moment. Pimpin All Over The World is another highlight and will somebody PLEASE tell Honey Mike that he is not funny! Honorable Mention: The Potion. The Bad: A classic example of beat wasting is practiced on Put Your Money feat DMX. Nice beat but the bland lyrics about compulsive gambling make it filler. Pass Out is another dull crunk wannabe that should have been disposed of with the quickness. Two Miles An Hour is boring. Not because of the laid back beat by DJ Toomp but because the lethargic rhymes by Ludacris and how the hell do you sign your name in the streets? With pee? The Ugly: Blueberry Yum Yum, featuring Sleepy Brown is the worst smoke joint ever made! The corny beat and the stupid wordplay by Luda makes you want to quit smoking actually. Who Not Me featuring Small World and Dollar Boy is the second worse track on the album as the song itself sounds like it was put together in five minutes. Hopeless with Trick Daddy is dull as s***. I admire them for attempting to talk about something of substance but the song was too lifeless to get into. Dishonorable Mentions: Large Amounts(GARBAGE) and Virgo feat Nas and Doug E. Fresh(why Nas even put this soulless cubic zirconia on his album makes me question his sanity sometimes). Bottom Line: Luda drops another dud with Red Light District. Its not his worst album(Chicken N Beer has that honor) but its the next worse thing. No doubt that Luda has skills but this album and Chicken N Beer doesnt show it. Just beatwasting and wack guest appearances(with the exception of DJ Quik, Nate Dogg and Bobby Valentino) and some suspect production on certain parts. Red Light District? More like Bordello of wackness.

Ludacris is one of my favorite Hip-Hop stars for several reasons. All four of his releases have gone multiplatinum netting sales of 2 million of more. Ludacris has been able to crossover into mainstream/Pop America while still retaining his Hip-Hop roots. He's a character rapper like Missy Elliott with a larger-than-life persona and he does not try to act like he's this hard rapper who's only rapping about the hard life. Also, each of his CDs have spawned at least 2 or more sizable hits, which is encouraging for other rappers.

Number One Spot-Produced by DJ Green Lantern and containing elements of Bossa Nova as performed by Quincy Jones, this was Luda's second single which unfortunately did not perform as well as some of his other hits nor as well as the title sets forth. The Austin Powers-sounding cut has a lot of energy to it and would incite anyone to dance and get-to-moving. It is narcisstic, but what rapper isn't? And Luda makes a joke out of it somewhat. A+

Get Back-Produced by The Medicine Man and Tic Toc, first single off the release, which did really well on the singles chart. The song requires no explanation because ALMOST everyone and their grandma knows this song. A-

Put your Money-Produced by Icedrake and featuring DMX, here's one of those hard-cutting, energetic DTP sounding song where Ludacris does his shout-outs for the chorus. Couple the natural energy of the song and Luda with DMX and you have an out-of-there song, which is good, but it wouldn't work on radio. B

Blueberry Yum Yum-Produced by Organized Noise (Outkast) and featuring Sleepy Brown, this sounds like a cross between a horror movie theme and some freaky scientific music, which fits the overall mood of the song: getting high. Whoever crafted this insane beat was probably getting high when making it. I don't like the theme for younger peeps to listen to, but you can't deny its creativity and its appeal. B+

Child of the Night-Produced DK All Day and featuring Nate Dogg and elements of Portuguese Love performed by Teena Marie, this slow, introspective cut is very inspirational as Ludacris admits his past and the past of so many people from lower-class living. However, it's a song that could be used in so many ways to inspire those "children of the night." I like the song because it does what Hip-Hop is so supposed to, which is to be self-reflective, but also motivational. A+

The Potion-Produced by Timbaland. I feel that Timbaland and Ludacris make a good match with their similar eccentric styles. Luda's wacky persona and Tim's mad beats: they should craft a whole CD together. Unfortunately, this song was never officially released and it competed with Number One Spot for radio spins, it never garnered the attention it deserved. It's a tight club joint with the right production and Luda's trademark spittin'. A+

Pass Out-Produced by Needlz, sounds like a DTP song. It sounds like the obligatory rap song that so many rappers have to do, but just in Luda's style. It has a similar sound to Put your Money with DMX. The song is alright, but for a rapper like Luda with songs like The Potion, Number One Spot, Get Back, Child of the Night before it, it does not sound right, simple as that. C

Spur of the Moment-Produced by L.T. Moe and featuring DJ Quik and Kimmi J, it sounds like that Snoop Dogg/West Coast, early 90s West Coast sound. It's about doing things "spur of the moment" and simply living the edict to "carpe diem" or seize the day. This cut has a nice throwback appeal and really does feature DJ Quik with a straight rap. B

Who Not Me-Produced by Craig King and featuring Small Boy and Dolla Boy and containing interpolations from Stick Em, this is a featurette for the new members of DTP, Small Boy and Dolla Boy, and it has that hard, DTP sound to it, but it works better than the other couple of songs that I bemoaned before. The chorus is catchy and energetic. B-

Large Amounts-Containing elements of You've Got to Pick a Pocket or Two, this eccentric, wacky song about the hard knocks of those like Luda who make it big and make that chedda only to have family members and friends all around trying to see what they can get, those large amounts. The song tells the truth with a good rap and a weird but tight beat. It's a nice song and is better than the 3 that precede it which resurrects the CD. A-

Pimpin' All Over the World-Produced by Polow Da Don and Donnie Scantz and featuring Bobby Valentino, this was the third single which to my surprise formed way better than I expected on the CD and enabled the CD to experience a sales surge and resurrection. It's kind of popish, but its global element is tight and allows "children of the night" to experience Hip-Hop differently which of late has been about living in one small world or community, but Luda allows his rap to transcend the ghetto to experience and appreciate the culture or in this case, the women all over the world. A-

Two Miles an Hour-Produced by DJ Toomp and containing elements of Little Child Runnin' Wild performed by Curtis Mayfield, this slow, DTP sounding jam is all about those who idolize their cars. I'm sure Luda was inspired by "2 Fast 2 Furious" and even his role in the ground-breaking "Crash." The song is aight, but I can't get into really. B

Hopeless-Produced by Heazy and featuring Trick Daddy, this slow rap song is all about being at the very "rock bottom" with no subsequent way to go but up. It's in the vein of Child of the Night in exposing the hard knocks of life in a way that despite the title still provides hope. Trick Daddy's rap fits the style of this song, and he spits some encouraging stuff. A

Virgo-Produced by Salaam Remi and featuring Nas & Doug E. Fresh is a throwback cut that features rappers who are WHAT CAN IT BE? Virgos. It's a nice relief after the hard realities set forth in the latter song, but what's the point? A waste of talent with Nas and Doug. B-

Overall, this CD is great especially compared to the lackluster 2003 Chicken & Beer, which only contained a few actual good songs on Ludacris' level. With this CD, it seems as if Luda refocused and experienced a creative renaissance as the songs are tight. It seems that Luda is slowly matriculating into status of being a rap legend, which he deserves in another 10 years. The CD has sold 2 million copies, and it's nice to look forward to what Luda will offer next.

Finally Luda has dropped his 4th solo album, The Red Light District, which I have been waiting for since Chicken N Beer dropped last year. It's the top album from the south this year in my opinion (with T.I.'s Urban Legend coming in a close second) and definately in the top 5 overall in 2004.

1.Intro-Produced by Timbaland-5/5(for an intro)-Timbo drops a hot beat for a great 1:25 intro

2.Number One Spot-Produced by DJ Green Lantern-5/5-Green Lantern did a great job with the Austin Powers samples, and Luda rips it up

3.Get Back-Produced by The Medicine Man & Tic Toc-5/5-Great song, not very lyrical (not that type of song) but great nonetheless

4.Put Your Money ft. DMX-Produced by IceDrake-4/5-Hot production, and Luda's flow is tight, but I was disapointed after reading that there was going to be a DMX guest apperance on this CD. Let me put it this way, he doesn't even do the whole chorus.

5.Blueberry Yum Yum ft.Sleepy Brown-Produced by Organized Noize-3.5/5-Another disapointment with Organized producing this song, the beat isn't bad, but it's kinda sad when the chorus (done by Sleepy Brown) is the highlight of the song.

6.Child Of The Night ft. Nate Dogg-Produced by DK-5.5/5-The best song on the CD, sick production, Luda is great lyrically and Nate Dogg goes perfectly on the chorus

7.The Potion-Produced by Timbaland-5/5-More amazing production from Timbaland, definately destined to be a club banger

8.Pass Out-Produced by Needlez-4/5-Annoying chorus, but nice flow and production save it

9.Skit

10.Spur Of The Moment ft.DJ Quik & Kimmi J.-Produced by L.T. Moe-5/5-Great west coast feel, definately sounds like a DJ Quik production, and Quik & Luda feed off of eachother great

11.Who Not Me ft.Dolla Boy & Small World-Produced by Craig King-4/5-More crunk feeling song with 2 new members of DTP, based on this song, they seem good but not as good as Shawnna, Fate & I-20

12.Large Amounts-Produced by Vudu-5/5-Luda is still great lyrically, with great production and even better sampling

13.Pimpin' All Over The World ft.Bobby V.-Polow Tha Don-5/5-This song has a great feel to it.We all know that Ludacris and probably all rappers aren't pimps, and more than half the time they use "pimping" incorrectly, but its a hot song anyway.

14.Two Miles An Hour-Produced by Polow Da Don-4.5/5-Pretty nice production, pretty annoying chorus but Luda shows he's nice lyrically even in a song strictly about cars

15.Hopeless ft.Trick Daddy-Production by Heazy-5/5-Great song with Trick Daddy

16.Virgo ft.Nas & Doug E. Fresh-Produced by Salaam "Tha Chameleon" Remi-5.5/5-I can definately see this song being a classic 10 yrs from now. Doug E. Fresh on the beatbox in the background adds a great feel, with an extremely catchy chorus, and Nas & Luda are freakin amazing

Highly reccomended, must have for Ludacris fans

"King David" simply adores it when he is in a room full of thugs and gangsters who can treat him like a red-headed step child. His emotions soar and sink depending on how many inches he takes from the thugs who treat poor "Queen" David like the German army treated the French army in World War II. The simple fact is that young David is just a poor wandering she-male, a soul who couldn't take the pressure of having a job so he resorted to going down on homeless men in his desperate attempt to climb out of poverty. King David's hopes and dreams have all been wiped out due to his intense craving for those who might give him some ephemeral pleasure, some hope, some reason to continue his meaningless existence. Alas, his entire existence is based upon finding a male lover that would put up with his meager 3 inches. However, any chances of that happening have dissipated like a forgotten sunset on a beautiful hillside. Thus, King David is forced to seek some type of pleasure via using the computer which was probably made during President Reagan's first administration in his run-down 1982 stationwagon that also functions as his home.