Back for the First Time [Clean] [Edited]

Performer: Ludacris
Artist: Pastor Troy; UGK; Fate Wilson; Infamous 2-0; Shawnna; 4-Ize; Pharrell Williams; Foxy Brown; Trina
Engineer: Andrew Coleman
Distributor: Universal Distribution

Notes: Personnel includes: Ludacris, Lil Troy, UGK, Shawna, 4-Ize, Trina, Foxy Brown, Pharrell, Fate Wilson, Infamous 2-0. Producers include: Shondrae, Organized Noize, Ludacris, Timbaland, Infamous 2-0. Recorded at Patchwerk Studios, Atlanta, Georgia; Sound Asylum Studios, College Park, Georgia; Hit Factory, New York, New York; Manhattan Center, New York, New York. BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Personnel includes: Ludacris, Lil Troy, UGK, Shawna, 4-Ize, Trina, Foxy Brown, Pharrell, Fate Wilson, Infamous 2-0. Producers include: Shondrae, Organized Noize, Ludacris, Timbaland, Infamous 2-0. Recorded at Patchwerk Studios, Atlanta, Georgia; Sound Asylum Studios, College Park, Georgia; Hit Factory, New York, New York; Manhattan Center, New York, New York. BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME was nominated for the 2002 Grammy Award for Best Rap Album. Personnel: Ludacris (vocals, rap vocals). Audio Mixers: Mike Wilson; Nike Wilson; Jimmy Douglas; Timbaland. Recording information: Hit Factory, New York, NY; Manhattan Center, New York, NY; Patchwerk Studios, Atlanta, GA; Sound Asylum Studios, College Park, GA. Photographer: Jonathan Mannon. After the runaway success of his debut INCOGNEGRO, Ludacris answered demand for a follow-up with BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME, his Def Jam South debut, which features many of the same cuts as the former album, plus three new songs. Here Ludacris continues his mission to get bodies shaking, both down South in his hometown of Atlanta, and beyond. The remix to his hit single, "What's Your Fantasy," features two of the sassiest girls in hip-hop, Foxy Brown and Trina. "Southern Hospitality," and "Phat Rabbit," give hip-hop a taste of what Ludacris has got cooking for his next outing. After the runaway success of his debut INCOGNEGRO, Ludacris answered demand for a follow-up with BACK FOR THE FIRST TIME, his Def Jam South debut, which features many of the same cuts as the former album, plus three new songs. Here Ludacris continues his mission to get bodies shaking, both down South in his hometown of Atlanta, and beyond. The remix to his hit single, "What's Your Fantasy," features two of the sassiest girls in hip-hop, Foxy Brown and Trina. "Southern Hospitality," and "Phat Rabbit," give hip-hop a taste of what Ludacris has got cooking for his next outing. When Def Jam signed Ludacris in 2000, the Atlanta rapper had already released a regionally successful independent album (Incognegro) with a hot single ("What's Your Fantasy"). So rather than send Ludacris back into the studio to record a follow-up album, Def Jam chose to repackage Incognegro as Back for the First Time (the title a play on the re-released nature of the music) and append some new material. The decision proved wise. Incognegro had been a strong album debut, produced largely by talented newcomer Shondrae, along with Organized Noize (who produce "Game Got Switched") and Jermaine Dupri ("Get Off Me"), and featuring a roster of hungry underground rappers (I-20, Fat Wilson, Shawnna, Pastor Troy, 4-Ize). Plus, "What's Your Fantasy" was already a proven hit, if perhaps too explicit for mainstream radio play. The real difference between Incognegro and Back for the First Time, however, is the newly recorded material -- four songs, each a standout: the Neptunes-produced club-banger "Southern Hospitality," the previously released Timbaland-produced "Phat Rabbit," the rowdy U.G.K.-featuring "Stick 'Em Up," and the provocative Trina and Foxy Brown remix of "What's Your Fantasy." The most significant of these additions is "Southern Hospitality," a feel-good party song that -- sequenced late in the album, at track 14 -- comes as a pleasant relief after the proceeding up-from-the-underground hardcore tone of Incognegro/Back for the First Time. [The clean version edits all moments of profanity.] ~ Jason Birchmeier

Rolling Stone (12/7/00, p.110) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The album's bounce-inducing, sweat-producing soundtrack...is layered like childhood issues and packs drama like your ex-lover..." Rolling Stone (12/7/00, p.110) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...The album's bounce-inducing, sweat-producing soundtrack...is layered like childhood issues and packs drama like your ex-lover..." Entertainment Weekly (11/10/00, p.90) - "...One of the year's most notable hip-hop newcomers....the album is a randy charmer largely because of the contrast between his dirty, down-home raps and the sleek future-shock beats..." - Rating: B+ Entertainment Weekly (11/10/00, p.90) - "...One of the year's most notable hip-hop newcomers....the album is a randy charmer largely because of the contrast between his dirty, down-home raps and the sleek future-shock beats..." - Rating: B+ CMJ (10/30/00, p.26) - "...BACK is a rowdy, verbally intense down-bottom carnival with guest production from Timbaland and the Neptunes that should up the ante for the entire subgenre [Southern rap]..." CMJ (10/30/00, p.26) - "...BACK is a rowdy, verbally intense down-bottom carnival with guest production from Timbaland and the Neptunes that should up the ante for the entire subgenre [Southern rap]..." The Source (12/00, p.256) - 3.5 mics out of 5 - "...He proves that he's a lyricist capable of making sturdy album cuts and catching a few 'what'd-he-says?'....A warm intro to the rhyme singer." The Source (12/00, p.256) - 3.5 mics out of 5 - "...He proves that he's a lyricist capable of making sturdy album cuts and catching a few 'what'd-he-says?'....A warm intro to the rhyme singer."

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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