Ludacris – Interview [2001]

Talking the talk with Ludacris!

What are you up to?

Shit, just mastering my album in Atlanta. Word Of Mouf is coming hard.

How long have you been working on the album?

Probably since March, off and on, because I’ve been touring and performing. I’ve been doing so many spot dates that I’ve been writing on the road. Always working. I’m a workaholic.

Do you write all the time?

Yeah, but it depends on the mood I’m in. Sometimes I will wake up and write a rhyme, or driving in my car and coming up with ideas, I’ll write them down. It’s all kinds of ways.

Was it great that the last album was so huge it gave you a lot of freedom this time around?

Hell, yeah. I don’t necessarily focus on one thing because I write from the heart. I think rap is all about emotion. But this album is a direct representation that has happened to me being on the road, life, and how it has been since I got a little money in my pocket, and different things. But it’s still the same wild and crazy Ludacris. You can expect me to try and outdo myself and I think it’s really a step up from the last album.

Because you write from the heart and give out so much of yourself, do you think that is why fans feel like they know you and really have grasped onto you?

If there is one thing I try to do, it’s to write from the heart. So if someone comes up to me and says they know me, it’s because of what I’ve put on wax and what they hear. So a lot of people might hear me on the radio and read interviews and feel they know who I am, and that’s good because in a way I speak to everybody at one time. I feel it when people come up to me. That is one of the best things about being an entertainer. There’s a lot of gratitude that comes out of that.

Will you show all the different sides of yourself on Word Of Mouf?

Definitely. I’m not one-sided. I’m going to give it all.

And being that you aren’t one-sided, do you want to try new things?

I think I’m pretty versatile, so I like to try new things. It goes back to me trying to outdo myself.

Do you write off the top of your head?

Usually I’ll hear a beat in my head. I can see an environment and tell my story. Whether I want to kick a metaphor, tell a story, talk about a girl, or whatever, but most of the time I write is just driving in the car. When I’m driving alone and I’m listening to my music is where I write most my stuff. It’s usually dangerous because I’m writing and driving at the same time.

Do you daydream when you drive and think?

I’m always on point. I’m good at doing two things at the same time. (laughs)

Well, at least you aren’t crashing then.

Hell, yeah. (laughs)

You have a good skill at telling stories. Did you ever think about writing a book or a movie?

I have thought about that because my mind works in crazy ways.

How important are the people behind the scenes to you?

They are some of the most important people. You hear that music is ninety-percent business and ten-percent music, so you have to do a lot behind the scenes. Those are the people that make things happen and no one really realizes that.

What’s going on with Disturbing The Peace?

It’s the company I’m signed to and that I’m trying to get moving by getting a lot of artists together. You know, artists that I grew up with or have been rapping with for a long time. Disturbing The Peace, what it means is going to a party and getting crazy. It’s not about being peaceful and wiling out.

Is it weird that Atlanta has always been home and you could roll like everyone and now you’re so well known?

Yeah, that’s one of the craziest things about becoming an entertainer.

Does it have its good and bad?

When you lose your privacy, it’s not fun. Sometimes it’s okay because sometimes you want to be noticed. But when you go places and people want your autograph it’s good, but sometimes you might not be in the mood because you are a regular human being, and you aren’t trying to be mean but you can only take so much. A lot of fans, if you give them an inch they take a mile, and once that starts up it’s like a domino effect.

Do you ever find that fans act crazy because they think you’ll like it?

You know, they do act like that sometimes, but if they understood how it was, they wouldn’t act like that. They think we’re robots, like I’m supposed to act a certain way all the time.

If there was one thing you could achieve, what would it be?

To get my record company going and sign a lot of hungry artists, like I was, and create a family.

+ charlie craine