In 2003, Ludacris claimed he was the “new phenomenon like white women with ass” on the second lower from his fourth studio album Rooster-n-Beer and, properly, he wasn’t mendacity. The standout lower “Blow It Out” discovered the rapper bragging about his more and more numerous fanbase and calling out his detractors by identify. Many years after the album was launched, Ludacris stays one of the vital inspiring tales of a rapper turned businessman.
From Chris Lova Lova, the favored Atlanta radio host on Scorching 97.5 (now 107.9), to impartial artist, Ludacris was definitely no stranger to the music trade when he launched Rooster-n-Beer. By 2003, Ludacris had already launched three albums, together with Phrase of Mouf, which featured notable singles similar to “Move Bitch,” “Area Codes,” “Rollout (My Business)” and “Saturday (Oooh Oooh!).” Followers had been already accustomed to the southern rapper’s cocky lyrics and humorous supply, and he’d already launched his label Disturbing the Peace. Shawnna, Chingy, I-2,0 and a regionally identified rapper from School Park named Tity Boi had been early signees to the label. (Tity Boi, after all, would go on to turn out to be 2 Chainz.) By the point Rooster-n-Beer was launched in October 2003, the movie 2 Quick 2 Livid, with Ludacris in his first starring function, had been launched months earlier. With Disturbing tha Peace dealing with the soundtrack for the movie, becoming a member of the profitable Quick & Livid franchise marked the start of a profitable movie profession for the rapper.
Within the midst of success exterior of music, Ludacris’ Rooster-n-Beer was a declaration to his followers that his crossover success wasn’t going to vary who he was as an artist. In 2002, Invoice O’Reilly satisfied Pepsi to drop the rapper, who he known as “a man who degrades women.” As his visibility elevated, Ludacris had extra to lose, however he stayed true to his picture and the content material he’d turn out to be identified for, releasing attractive singles similar to “Splash Waterfalls” and, with the video for “P-Poppin,” turning into one of many first mainstream rappers to create content material for BET: Uncut. By releasing “P-Poppin” as the primary single from the album, adopted by the controversial, express music video filmed in common Atlanta strip membership Magic Metropolis, Ludacris confirmed he was decided to remain true to his southern roots, criticism be damned.
Filming a video in Magic Metropolis, naming an album Rooster-n-Beer and having the paintings show Ludacris seasoning a lady’s leg over a plate of hen wings had been all-important imagery, in accordance with Disturbing tha Peace co-founder Chaka Zulu. They served as a visible depiction of the quintessential southern sound displayed all through the album because of samples from William DeVaughn and Isaac Hayes on songs such because the chopped & screwed “Diamond in the Back,” produced by DJ Paul and Juicy J, and the DJ Nasty and LVM-produced album cuts “Southern Fried Intro.” Zulu stated Rooster-n-Beer cuts similar to “Hip-Hop Quotables” confirmed a continued effort on Ludacris’ half to show that the success of Outkast and Goodie Mob as southern rappers wasn’t a fluke. On the identical time, the rapper’s witty lyrical fashion was additionally a nod to his appreciation of rappers similar to Redman. “[Ludacris] became a promoter of hip-hop globally and he kept the lights on in Atlanta,” Zulu stated. “He came at a time when Atlanta didn’t know who its next artist was going to be.”
With Rooster-n-Beer, Ludacris scored his first no. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and landed two prime 10 singles on the Billboard Scorching 100. The album was additionally Ludacris’ largest album globally on the time. Chaka Zulu says this success is as a result of Ludacris employed his radio information to the challenge, releasing singles that may dominate the format. Ludacris created “Stand Up,” the rowdy membership banger that was created with Scorching 97’s Funkmaster Flex in thoughts. “Funk would drop bombs and say ‘stand up!’ so that’s literally where that title came from,” Zulu stated.
The music government stated Luda’s capability to coexist in each the rap and the mainstream worlds wasn’t an accident. It was the results of strategizing and understanding his fanbase. “We think globally, but we act locally. If you don’t have your foundation, you have nothing,” he stated, including that sustaining crossover success whereas staying true to your roots has all the time been a “conundrum” for hip-hop artists.
Whereas a number of the strains sound outdated now, together with a reference to taking conferences with Donald Trump, Ludacris actually did in the end have the final chortle. Invoice O’Reilly was ultimately fired from FOX within the peak of the #MeToo period following studies that the corporate had paid out a complete of $13 million to girls alleging sexual misconduct. In the meantime, “P-Poppin’” and “Splash Waterfalls” stay a snapshot of southern hip-hop within the early 2000s and the music video for “Stand Up” is a enjoyable reminder of a time when Missy Elliot’s visible artistry impressed musicians to take dangers of their movies.
Outdoors of music, the Rooster-n-Beer legacy will proceed to reside on with the album title now doubling because the identify of Ludacris’ restaurant at Hartsfield Jackson Worldwide Airport, yet one more nod to the rapper’s southern roots.
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Editor’s observe: This text was initially revealed in 2018.
