Ludacris Red Light District CD

Personnel: Ludacris (rap vocals); DJ Quick, DMX, Dolla Boy, Doug E. Fresh, Nas, Nate Dogg, Sleepy Brown, Small World, Trick Daddy, Bobby V., Kimmi.
Ludacris' never-ending run of guest verses rolled on through 2004 (for better or worse), as did the hit singles from 2003's Chicken -n- Beer. He still managed to find the time to come out with The Red Light District, an album with content that rarely reflects the illicit-sounding title. There's nothing as squalid as "Splash Waterfalls," for instance -- the low point of the MC's career, regardless of chart success -- and yet, at the same time, there's nothing as immense as "Stand Up," and there isn't anything quite as ferocious as "Southern Fried Intro/Blow It Out." Bragging, boasting, clowning around, getting high, dispersing words of wisdom -- these are the overriding themes. Ludacris is more relaxed than ever, his mix of off-the-wall wisecracks and lofty proclamations established immediately after the intro. No other MC could rattle off a stream of Austin Powers riffs without sounding corny, which he duly proves over Green Lantern's apt spin-cycle treatment of Quincy Jones' "Soul Bossa Nova": "Causin' lyrical disasters, it's the master/Make music for Mini-Mes, models, and Fat Bastards/These women trying to get me out my Pelle Pelles/They strip off my clothes and tell me, 'Get in my belly!'/Stay on the track, hit the ground running like Flo Jo/Sit back in time and never lost my mojo." Luda hasn't slipped into the complacent lap of luxury as deeply as some of his fellow platinum contemporaries, but it's evident that he's not as hungry as he once was. A handful of top-level productions help make up for this, such as the Medicine Men's sufficiently rowdy work on "Get Back," Timbaland's tribal/safari-like backdrop on "The Potion" (one of his most radical productions since Ms. Jade's "Big Head," with owl hoots and wild-bird caws in place of synth notes and percussion accents), and L.T. Moe's squirting/jingling loose-booty funk on "Spur of the Moment" (which could be mistaken for a DJ Quik track, especially since he MCs on it). ~ Andy Kellman
It's fitting that Ludacris would unveil one of the last major albums of 2004. He is one of the wittiest personalities in hip-hop, only rivaled in the one-liner department by Eminem, and the most downright fun rapper in the business.
Ludacris opens with a wry rant on the industry, a common theme, but he uniquely combines the self-aware eye of a writer with the continually scheming nature of a hustler. It is said that when comic actors perform drama, they often excel at it, and Ludacris translates this to the music world. When he gets serious on the reflective "Child of the Night," he shines, honestly pondering both his life and the craziness of the world. However, the bulk of THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT is a party, as the Atlanta MC lets his rhymes loose with abandon over infectious tracks like "Put Your Money," where he trades shouts with DMX, and "Get Back," which revels in its catchy melody.Rolling Stone (p.157) - 3 1/2 stars out of 5 - "DISTRICT is his most inventive album yet....After four albums he's still rising."
Vibe (p.138) - 3 discs out of 5 - "Luda always charts strongly with his familiar boisterous brand....Luda still moves the crowd."
Mojo (Publisher) (p.106) - 3 stars out of 5 - "[With] Luda spitting his endlessly entertaining, quasi-pornographic lines over Curtis Mayfield samples..."