b. Christopher Brian Bridges, 11 September 1977, Champaign, Illinois, USA. One of the new wave of southern hip-hop artists to emerge at the turn of the new millennium, Bridges began rapping at an early age. He joined a Chicago, Illinois-based crew at the age of 12, before moving to Atlanta and rapping his way through high school. He landed a production job with the city’s Hot 97.5 station, where as Chris Lova Lova he made his mark rapping over promos on the night show. Saving enough money to finance the recording of an album, Bridges adopted the Ludacris moniker and released Incognegro on his own Disturbing Tha Peace Entertainment label. Buoyed by the success of the local radio hit ‘What’s Your Fantasy’, the album sold over 30, 000 copies and attracted the attention of several major labels. Bridges opted to sign with Def Jam Records’ new South imprint, recording several new tracks with leading producers Organized Noise, Jermaine Dupri and Timbaland for a remixed version of Incognegro. Renamed Back For The First Time, the album spawned the national radio hit ‘Southern Hospitality’.
Following the release of his second album, Word Of Mouf, Ludacris teamed up with his Disturbing Tha Peace crew to record Golden Grain. His fourth studio album, 2003’s Chicken-N-Beer, featured the US Top 5 hit single ‘Stand Up’. The single’s popularity was thanks to its inclusion on the soundtrack of the teen movie Honey. Following the release of his fifth album, The Red Light District, the artist Ludacris made a big splash in the film world with prominent roles in the Oscar-winning Crash and Hustle & Flow. He returned to the US charts in late 2006 with the US number 1 hit single ‘Money Maker’ (featuring Pharrell) and the chart-topping album Release Therapy.
