Tuesday 25/11/08 Ludacris @ Highline Ballroom New York, NY

Ludacris has always had a talent for the humorous or creative side of rapping and while with each album he is growing and maturing he still manages to keep all humour intact. 'Theater Of The Mind' has an impressive array of guest stars; T-Pain, Chris Brown, T.I, Lil’ Wayne, Jay-Z, Nas and Common among others, the question is would any of them be there tonight to take the stage? Well sort of…Hot 97 DJs Funk Flex and Angie Martinez took the stage prior to Ludacris’ arrival and when he eventually took the stage the crowd erupted with energy. Beginning with ‘Everybody Hates Chris’ which features Chris Rock on the album and following on with an old favourite ‘Southern Hospitality’ immediately after, it was clear Luda was going to please old and new fans alike.

 

In between songs fans were treated to duets and solo numbers by T-Pain, Jadakiss, Jim Jones and even an appearance by LL Cool J in which he proceeded to literally throw out money into the crowd. However, even this didn’t take the spotlight away from Ludacris. He possesses the kind of confidence that is rare in a rapper, the kind that doesn’t overflow into arrogance. While performing ‘What’s Your Fantasy?’ with guest rapper Shawna, he looked truly in his element, in command of his crowd and humble enough to give many a guest star their own spotlight throughout the evening. New tracks like ‘I Do It For Hip-Hop’ and ‘Last Of A Dying Breed’ sounded like future crowd pleasers and drawing the evening to a close he gave back to the old timers, performing ‘Stand Up’ and ‘Move Bitch’ to a very greatful crowd. With the same energy and drive as he had in the beginning and the kind of creative personality that can laugh at itself, Ludacris still stands out from the pack and will surely continue to do so for many years to come.