Ludacris – The Red Light District

The Numbers Game

Ludacris returns with his fourth release, The Red Light District, staying as close to his original formula for success as possible. Almost every track is club friendly, with heavy bass, up tempo rhythms and Luda’s signature style of well pronounced and annunciated syllables. Unfortunately, his initial focus (like so many other mainstream rap artists) is about staking his claim for number one status. In fact “Number One Spot” is the first track (minus the “Intro”). He proceeds to boast about record sales and other facets of his career but it’s really a sad display of artistry for him (and others) to record and sell this as “music”. Perhaps even more disheartening is the fact that this brand of “music” does indeed sell.Aside from Luda’s official entry into the mainstream hip-hop rat race, the remainder of the album struggles for lyrical content. One of the few exceptions is “Child Of The Night” featuring Nate Dogg. The song is about growing up, doing right, etc. but even with Luda’s humble approach, one is still inclined to question his sincerity in an era where “conscious rap” is also good for record sales. It’s as if making offensive hit singles and apologizing for it on your album is the right thing to do these days.

The bulk of the album consists of Luda’s trademark anthem tracks with monotonous high horns, incessant bass, and hooks like “Get back mu’fucka, y’all don’t know me like that.” For the most part it’s obnoxious and immature with no replay value outside of nightclubs, sports arenas, and the MTV Cribs soundtrack and does little to showcase Luda’s lyrical talent.