The man born Chris Bridges 30 years ago in Champaign, Illinois, initially made a name for himself as a deejay on Atlanta Hip Hop radio station Hot 97.5 FM during the dawn of the dirty south scene’s rise (when he was better known as DJ Chris Lova Lova). Eventually, of course, he left radio and changed his name to Ludacris, ultimately becoming one of Hip Hop’s hottest emcees by signing to Def Jam South and releasing a string of hits that included #1 singles “Stand Up” and “Money Maker” and Top 10 smashes such as “Move Bitch,” “Splash Waterfalls” and “Pimpin’ All Over the World.” Though he may not be an original ATLien, Ludacris quickly established himself as one of the south’s most commercially successful rappers and in-demand guest artists.

But mere success as an artist wasn’t enough. Teaming up with associate Chaka Zulu, Ludacris formed his own boutique label at Def Jam, Disturbing Tha Peace, and released albums by a diverse roster of artists that included Chingy, Playaz Circle and Bobby Valentino. After making his feature film debut in 2 Fast 2 Furious, he dedicated himself to learning the acting craft and subsequently earned standout roles in Oscar-caliber films such as Hustle & Flow and Crash. Perhaps more importantly, he started his own charity foundation, helping underprivileged kids by teaching them principles of success, sponsoring Christmas toy drives and giving away more than 500 turkey dinners over the holidays.

We recently spoke with the always-opinionated rapper about Atlanta’s thriving urban music scene, working with director Guy Ritchie (a.k.a. "Mr. Madonna") and how he’s managed to stay relevant in the here-today-gone-tomorrow world of Hip Hop for over a decade.

HipHopDX: You were a deejay on Atlanta radio back in the ‘90s when the dirty south Hip Hop explosion first happened. What are some of your favorite memories of the scene during that time?
Ludacris: I just remember when Rowdy Records, So So Def and LaFace Records were all real prominent in the industry, and they were all located in Atlanta. Dallas Austin had Rowdy Records, and he was working with Monica and Kris Kross and all that; you had everybody on So So Def; then on LaFace you had upstarts like Usher, Toni Braxton and TLC; and then of course you had Goodie Mob and OutKast. To me, that’s really where it all began as far as Atlanta being considered the Motown of the South.

DX: How do you think the urban music scene here today compares with places like New York City and Los Angeles?
L: Today, I think it’s pretty evident that the south is the driving force of Hip Hop, as far as presence and sales are concerned. I think every region has its time, and right now the south is dominant. I feel like there’s a lot of talent here, and a lot of great examples to provide motivation. That’s one of the reasons I got on my grind, because I saw so much going on here that I felt like there was no way it couldn’t happen for me with all the resources that were available to me here in the south.

DX: As someone who’s been in the Hip Hop game for over a decade now, how do you feel about the ways that the music and the industry have changed over the last 10 years?
L: I feel like things are always gonna change over time; you just have to adjust yourself to the changing environment of music. So basically, I feel great about it, and look forward to the future. I look forward to more technology, because seeing it firsthand and experiencing change while it’s happening is one of the greatest virtues of life, in my opinion. You become your own worst enemy when you try to stay stuck in one point in time.

DX: A lot of people criticize Hip Hop radio for dumbing down the format. Do you feel that it’s gotten harder for innovative artists to break through?
L: No, I don’t think it’s harder for creative people to break through. First of all, history always repeats itself, and it’s all about people’s opinions of what being creative really is. With that being said, there are different kinds of music and different kinds of Hip Hop, whether it be the dance-friendly kind of the Soulja Boys or the [more conscious artists like] Kanye West. People have different opinions of what Hip Hop really is, so people can choose what they wanna listen to.

DX: Are there any particular artists on today’s scene whose sound you’re really feeling?
L: Man, I’m really a fan of Lil Wayne right now. I really think that he’d doing his thing as far as his talent and his flow.

DX: A lot of rappers have obviously tried the acting gig at some point in their career, but you’ve had better luck than most. What’s the secret to successfully crossing over from Hip Hop to Hollywood?
L: [Laughs] There is no real secret, man. At the end of the day, you either have the talent or you don’t, and you either take it seriously or you don’t. Those two things combined determine your success. A lot of rappers—a lot of entertainers, period—are given the opportunity to act just because of our popularity and who we are, so the difference between breaking through or not breaking through is how serious we take it. Studying the craft, working on your role, being humble and not thinking you know everything, and coming into it as a student, all of that has a lot to do with it. Continued on page 2 »