Theater Of The Mind [PA]

Performer: Ludacris
Artist: Floyd Mayweather; T.I.; T-Pain; Willy Northpole; The Game; Playaz Circle; Rick Ross; Ving Rhames; Chris Rock; Sean Garrett; Chris Brown; Plies; Jamie Foxx; Lil Wayne; Jay-Z; Nas; Common; Spike Lee
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: This is an Enhanced CD, which contains both regular audio tracks and multimedia computer files. Audio Remasterer: Glenn Schick. Two years after his acclaimed fifth LP, Ludacris gets cinematic on the highly-anticipated followup, THEATER OF THE MIND. Employing the Hollywood concept on each track, the ATL king of punch-lines shows his versatility, working with the most eclectic stable of producers seen on a Luda project to date, and passing the mic to a wide range of big-name guest MCs and film personalities (billed "co-stars"). Whether he's asserting his dominance alongside boxer Floyd "Money" Maymeather ("Undisputed"), doing the token drunk-in-the-club routine ("One More Drink"), showboating for his haters while Chris Rock clowns him ("Everybody Hates Chris"), or sermonizing in favor of more positive hip-hop alongside Common and Spike Lee ("Do the Right Thing"), Ludacris is as lyrically fit as ever; his one-liners never fail to outshine those of his many costars. The production itself moves from conventional Dirty South to West Coast gangsta to radio-friendly slow jams and even East Coast boom bap. Jay-Z, Nas, Lil Wayne, Jamie Foxx, Rick Ross, the Game, T.I., Chris Brown, T-Pain, and Plies round out the formidable supporting cast. Calling its guest vocalist co-stars and kicking-off with a "the movie's about to begin" intro, Ludacris' Theater of the Mind is dressed-up as some conceptual piece but this hodgepodge of high-gloss tracks just barely sticks together. While his previous effort, 2006's Release Therapy, was much more the thematically tight album and deserved a concept, this loose set of tunes is all-together more entertaining, thanks in no small part to a highly inspired Luda and all the punch lines he lands. Most are unquotable jokes that sound nothing but filthy when taken out of context -- especially the one about rappers so full of something they end up "rhyming in farts" -- but the superstar team-up with T.I. called "Wish You Would" boasts about "So many shoes that my closet look like Finish Line" and brings other reminders of "Pimpin' All Over the World" and its unashamed vision that wealth equals victory. Speaking of reminders, "Call Up the Homies" is a slower version of "the gather up the crew" number with Luda and special guest the Game trading lines in the style of 50 Cent and Eminem's "Gattman and Robbin'," or Snoop Dogg and B Real's "Vato." The only innovation on the track is the working in of Willy Northpole, a new hire at Luda's DTP label who has his international debut ushered in by giants. The whole Luda universe -- a place where albums are now just part of the picture -- gets involved as Hollywood weaves in and out, and a Chris Rock routine that questions the rapper's appearance at the Oscar's is brilliantly flipped into the self-deprecating "Everybody Hates Chris." Ving Rhames doing the James Earl Jones thing, the Floyd Mayweather appearance, and Don Cannon's Edwin Starr meets karate film production on "Undisputed" are other amazing moments, and while the Lil Wayne, T-Pain, and Chris Brown collaborations are all completely unsurprising, they all come with rock-solid hooks. Tacked on the end is a genuine and moving wake-up call where Luda, Common, and Spike Lee ask the urban youth to leave the 40s and the cocaine game behind. "I see the sunshine/Gazing through the windowpane/Blazing like indo flame" is how Luda sells a better life to the kids, proving this very smart, smart aleck may not be as hungry as six albums back, he's hardly a sellout on autopilot. ~ David Jeffries

Entertainment Weekly (p.75) - "Luda himself is still cast in his signature role, the same affably ribald player with the unflappable flow..." Billboard (p.41) - "This one's stuffed with massive, flamboyant beats; overloud dirty-comic vocals; and all the usual lyrical stops..." XXL (Magazine) (pp.119-120) - "Luda delivers by bringing aboard a solid cast of artists and personalities. Mojo (Publisher) (p.122) - 3.5 stars out of 5 -- "Luda's thundering cadence and pop-wise club jams are strong on 'One More Drink'..."

Atlanta, Georgia-based rapper Ludacris was a local success story. As a former intern on an Atlanta radio station, he became known for his theatrical station IDs. In 2000 he parlayed this notoriety into a successful debut album that he self-marketed throughout the Southern states. The album caught the attention of Def Jam South label president Scarface, who signed Ludacris to be the first artist on the new label. Fitting into the Dirty South rap genre, Ludacris follows in the footsteps of Mystikal, Master P, and Silkk the Shocker.

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