Ludacris – Chicken and Beer

Something Good In The Kitchen

Ludacris has managed to cook up some down-home good eats on Chicken & Beer, his new album. This album, even more than his two previous releases, manages to give insight into Ludacris’ “Dirty South” style, as well as his humorous mentality.While many rap albums start off with a boring, often skipped into, “Southern Fried Into” straps listeners in, with quick beats and Ludacris’ trademark style of vocals. The Grammy Nominated “Stand Up” manages to continue the flow, with group choruses that make appearances in many of the songs.



While many tracks, such as “Rob Quarter’s Skit”, “T Baggin’ Skit” and “Screwed Up” expose Ludacris’ twisted sense of humor, there are more reality-based tracks such as “Hard Times”, which give us a much more intimate look at Ludacris’ upbringing, his background, and his influences.



Ludacris somehow manages to keep his whole album away from the traditional “my life was hard and I’m tough” stereotype, even through such emotional tracks. Maybe it’s because of tracks like “P-Poppin’”, which, while very offensive, are just so silly and nonsensical that it all balances.



Thankfully the beats are up to par with his previous albums. Deep bass, quirky samples, and changes in tempo keep tracks from all sounding the same. With production credits going out to DJ Nasty, Jook, and the legendary Erick Sermon among countless others, it’s no wonder that so many of the tracks have such a different feel and style.



Ludacris has lost nothing between Word of Mouf and Chicken. He has managed to up the ante, and at the end, one can’t help but feel entertained (as well as full).