Ludacris

Christopher Brian Bridges (born September 11, 1977), known professionally as Ludacris (, spoken as ‘ludicrous’ in American English), is an American rapper and actor. Born in Champaign, Illinois, Ludacris moved to Atlanta, Georgia, at age nine, where he first began rapping. Starting out with a brief stint as a DJ, he formed his own record label, Disturbing tha Peace in the late 1990s, closing the decade with his debut album Incognegro (1999). The album was re-released as his major label debut, Back for the First Time (2000) upon signing with Def Jam Recordings. Its singles, “Southern Hospitality” (featuring Pharrell) and “What’s Your Fantasy” (featuring Shawnna), became top 40 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

In the following years, Ludacris released the albums Word of Mouf (2001), Chicken-n-Beer (2003) and The Red Light District (2004), each receiving multi-platinum certification by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). His fifth and sixth albums, Release Therapy (2006) and Theater of the Mind (2008), explored more serious subject matter than its predecessors. His seventh album, Battle of the Sexes (2010) featured a return to the more lighthearted tone of his previous albums. Throughout his career, Ludacris scored two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100 as a lead artist, “Stand Up” (featuring Shawnna) and “Money Maker” (featuring Pharrell), in addition to three chart-topping singles on the chart as a guest performer with Usher’s “Yeah!” in 2004, Fergie’s “Glamorous” in 2007, and Taio Cruz’s “Break Your Heart” in 2009. The following year, he was featured on Justin Bieber’s single “Baby”, which became one of the highest-certified singles of all time in the US and a defining song in modern-day popular music.Ludacris is often cited as one of the first Dirty South rappers to achieve mainstream success in the 21st century. Throughout his career, he has won three Grammy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, a Critic’s Choice Award and an MTV Video Music Award. Outside of music, he has portrayed the character Tej Parker in the Fast & Furious film series—first appearing its second film, 2 Fast 2 Furious (2003). His other notable acting roles include Crash (2004), Gamer (2009), and New Year’s Eve (2011). In 2021, he created and starred in the children’s animated series Karma’s World for Netflix. Ludacris is also a private pilot.

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