DX: The list of directors you’ve worked with is pretty remarkable for any actor, let alone one who had never done a film until a few years ago, from Paul Haggis on Crash to Craig Brewer on Hustle & Flow. And now I hear you’re working with Guy Ritchie on his next movie, RocknRolla. What can you tell us about that experience?
L: We filmed it in London, and the experience was great. Jeremy Piven and myself play the managers of a rock star (played by British newcomer Jamie Campbell Bower) whose father is mixed up in organized crime. It was a little different. I’ve seen Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels and Snatch, and I really love his work. It’s unique and extremely creative and has that ol’ gangsta edge to it, and he’s very opinionated and knows exactly what he wants, so it was great to work with him.

DX: You also had roles this year on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and in the holiday film Fred Claus. Where does acting stand in relation to music on your career priority list?
L: Music is always my number one love. But I find it challenging. Put it this way: whenever I focus on something, I like to concentrate my energy 100% on it. When I was in movie mode, I was not in music mode at all. I don’t want to get stereotyped as just another rapper-actor. I try to take it seriously, and I always feel I can get better. Right now, I’m back to music mode. But [acting] is definitely something I’d like to continue to do in the future.

DX: I heard you drove your 1993 Acura for a long time because it helped keep you grounded. How hard is it to hold onto the essence of who you are when you’re surrounded by all the various trappings of fame?
L: [Laughs] I’m driving my 1993 Acura Legend as we speak! It does keep my grounded, man. Nobody really expects me to be driving this, but it’s just the memory of who I was and where I was when all of this began that’s most important to me. I don’t really let a lot of this fame get to my head. I have to stay grounded and remain who I am, and [the car] is just one of those reminders that takes me back to the grind.

DX: But doesn’t that ideal go against the materialistic nature of what a lot of today’s Hip Hop is about– getting the yacht, the Bentley and all that?
L: I have all of that stuff, too! [Laughs] But I stay true to who I am by setting goals for myself and constantly striving to achieve them.

DX: Are you disappointed with any aspect of your life?
L: I’m just disappointed over the privacy issue sometimes. I’m recognized all of the time, so I can’t just do and go wherever the hell I want to by myself. I can, but there’s always an issue with it.  Autographs and shit like that. That’s great, ‘cause it comes with the territory. But sometimes you just wanna shop or not be bothered. That’s the only thing.

DX: Are there any particular hip-hop icons that you look up to and have tried to model your career after?
L: Russell Simmons is the man who laid the blueprint for anyone else I would probably name. I really look up to him. His business sense, how humble he is, and his desire to give back and acknowledge his responsibility here on Earth is extremely impressive.

DX: That brings me right to my next question. Your charity organization, The Ludacris Foundation, is doing a lot of good work in the metro Atlanta area around the holidays.
L: Absolutely! We just gave away turkeys to over 500 families in need over the Thanksgiving holidays, including organizations that help out battered women, senior citizens and underprivileged kids. This is something we do every year, and for Christmas we’re going to do a toy drive and give those to underprivileged families as well. But we’re constantly doing different things in the community.

DX: Is there a central mission behind the foundation?
L: To help kids and families help themselves.

DX: In one of your press releases, you talk about teaching kids the principles of success. What are the primary principles you hope kids will learn from you?
L: [Laughs] Well, the ones that are written down specifically I don’t have in my hands right now. But to put it in my own words, success is about being yourself, self-education and self-motivation. If we don’t do those things for ourselves, nobody else is gonna do it for us.

DX: Why do you think the mainstream media tends to focus on the negative aspects of Hip Hop artists’ lives, but doesn’t give much ink to the good things people like you and Russell Simmons are doing through your charity foundations?
L: You know, they try to paint us as bad individuals, and that’s a whole separate conversation. I could go on and on about that. But I feel like people try and put the blame on rap music for the simple fact that we definitely have a lot of influence over a lot of people. That being said, it’s all about negativity. But I don’t attribute violence to Hip Hop; I attribute violence to ignorance. I don’t wanna stereotype and say that everybody does it, because there are certain publications that do focus on the positive things that are going on. But for the majority, you’re right. Continued on page 3 »