Chris "Ludacris" Bridges released his second Def Jam album (and third overall), Word Of Mouf, one year after his bestselling Back For The First Time. As that album was a surprise hit, it's not a big shock that Def Jam Records immediately threw Luda back into the studio for another dose of Southern rap, laced with more humor than what most hip hop fans are accustomed to.
The album cover alone should warn you that there isn't much to be taken seriously about Word Of Mouf. The album is essentially an expansion of Luda's first nationally released project, except now that people actually know who the fuck the guy is, the bar is set a bit higher. The rhymes rarely deviate from the usual hip hop bullet points: sex, why Ludacris is a better rapper than you, growing up in hard times, sex, weed, sex, and sex, with an occasional burst of violence, although Gamer's Ludacris was never the most violent rapper.
Although it was heavily bootlegged, Word Of Mouf ended up being the biggest selling album in Luda's career, moving more than three million units worldwide. Chris used his newly formed celebrity status to do what every rapper wants to do: act. So, with each subsequent album, Luda switches his focus back and forth from music to film, and his agent must be one of the better ones, because some of the movies he's ended up in have done pretty well both critically and commercially: hell, Crash, a film that, let's be honest, is preachy as hell, won a fucking Academy Award for Best Picture.
Not that any of this has anything to do with Word Of Mouf, though. (I know, this intro was pretty lazy. Sorry, but I'm kind of tired, and they can't all be winners.)
1. COMING 2 AMERICA
This Coming To America-informed introductory track is surprisingly weak. Bangladesh, a producer who is now best known for Lil' Wayne's “A Milli”, creates a beat that is entirely ineffective, and Chris sounds uncertain with his punchlines, as if he didn't hone them at the Laugh Factory first. Some of them are funny, but most miss the target entirely. It's probably best that we move on to the next track.
2. ROLLOUT (MY BUSINESS)
My wife likes the way Luda asks “Who's your housekeeper and what you keep in your house?” over this Timbaland-produced track. Chris uses the song to attack the intrusive media, and even though he's not a big enough star to warrant that kind of attention, he pulls it off well. Timbaland has created better beats, though, so I don't like this song as much as I probably should.
3. GO 2 SLEEP (FEAT I- 20, FATE WILSON, & THREE 6 MAFIA)
The introduction onto this song scared the shit out of me. That voice will replace the whale in my nightmares. Anyway, this collaboration with DTP and the Academy Award-winning Three 6 Mafia isn't terrible, but it's not my cup of tea: I prefer my Southern tracks with more bounce and less ridiculous hooks than “Go to sleep, ho!”. Luda and Three 6 would later work together (sort of) on Hustle & Flow, a film that still works today, despite the appearance of fucking DJ Qualls. I fucking hate that guy.
4. CRY BABIES (OH NO)
Scarface allegedly hovers around this track somewhere, but I didn't hear him. Horrible hook aside, this track is actually pretty much on fire, with punchlines coming from Luda both fast and furiously. Once he quotes Tony the Tiger near the beginning, he'll rope you in for the long haul. This was actually impressive.
5. SHE SAID (FEAT FATE WILSON)
The beginning of this reminded me of OMD's “Enola Gay”, but the lyrics quickly kicked in and eradicated any notion of a New Wave cover song. Luda provides graphic sexual examples of things that an unnamed female claims to have never done, and somehow manages to stretch this topic to a proper song length. The guest star's flow is annoying and unfocused, but it's not as if Luda's contribution is golden, either. The scratching at the end was a nice surprise, though.
6. HOWHERE (SKIT)
…
7. AREA CODES (FEAT NATE DOGG)
This song sounds pretty ridiculous today, but I remember when this was a hit (with its radio edit changing Nate Dogg's crooning into a song about “pros” and not “hoes”, which I always found goofy). Luda says nothing of substance on here, unless you're the Count from Sesame Street and you like hearing numbers being repeated all day long, but I wouldn't expect anything else, as this was specifically formulated for radio airplay (and the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack). I'm sure when this plays in the clubs today, though, the women rush out to the dance floor, which is really all that matters when it comes to this track. The skit at the end, which clearly was not on the soundtrack version, leads nicely into the next track.
8. GROWING PAINS (FEAT FATE WILSON & KEON BRYCE)
Uses the same William Bell sample (“I Forgot To Be Your Lover”) that both Killah Priest and Dilates Peoples used on their “One Step” and “Worst Comes To Worst”, respectively. This DTP collaboration was also remixed to be the lead-off single for their group effort, Golden Grain, which didn't sell many units. Fate sounds a lot better on here than he did on “She Said".
9. GREATEST HITS (SKIT)
This was actually kind of hilarious, if not corny as hell.
10. MOVE BITCH (FEAT I-20 & MYSTIKAL)
I, like most Americans, tend to repeat this song's chorus out loud whenever I'm stuck in traffic. I admit that, overall, this track is pretty bland, but I still kind of dig it, all stupidity aside (and by “stupidity”, I'm talking about Mystikal's current prison sentence for sexual battery and extortion). What I remember the most, though, is the fact that I-20 somehow managed to sneak the f-word (not “fuck”) onto the radio edit. I didn't realize that homophobia has suddenly been cleared by the FCC as safe for children's ears, but whatever.
11. STOP LYING (SKIT) (FEAT I-20)
…
12. SATURDAY (OOOH OOOH!) (FEAT SLEEPY BROWN)
I love this song. It captures the good feelings that typically come with a Saturday on which you have jack shit to do. Sleepy Brown's vocals are the cherry on this hip hop sundae, which I consider to be Luda's finest radio hour. Please note the use of the qualifier “radio”.
13. KEEP IT ON THE HUSH
Meh.
14. WORD OF MOUF (FREESTYLE) (FEAT 4-IZE)
Luda's slow-paced freestyle is entertaining as hell, lending credence to the theory that he could actually be molded into a fairly decent battle rapper. 4-Ize takes things down several notches, but this was still an enjoyable song-slash-interlude.
15. GET THE FUCK BACK (FEAT SHAWNNA, I-20, & FATE WILSON)
I guess this was intended as a companion piece-slash-sequel to “Move Bitch” (good luck getting a song with that title on the radio, though). Although I-20's boast that he's “a value meal, [he] come[s] with the coke” (I didn't capitalize the brand name because, for those of you who have never heard this one, that's clearly not what he's talking about) is pretty funny, this DTP posse cut is bland as hell. Even Ludacris sounds bored out of his mind, but maybe he was too busy memorizing his lines for 2 Fast 2 Furious to give a fuck.
16. FREAKY THANGS (FEAT TWISTA & JAGGED EDGE)
After a goofy interlude by actor Faizon Love, Luda and Twista pass the mic back and forth, expanding on the topic of women (the subject matter of choice for approximately ninety-nine percent of Word Of Mouf). Luda, who is known for rhyming quickly or slowly at will, actually chooses not to alter his flow to match Twista's cadence, so that was pretty commendable. The song itself was dull, though, so that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
17. COLD OUTSIDE (FEAT CHIMERE)
This should have been an offbeat cover of “Baby It's Cold Outside”, but no such luck. Instead, we receive a depressing song about doing what one has to do in order to survive out in the world today. If the beat were a bit more dramatic, this may have been tolerable, but as it stands...
18. BLOCK LOCKDOWN (FEAT I-20)
Bangladesh's production (which sounds like a serviceable Swizz Beats imitation, which isn't meant to be a compliment) tries to sound majestic in scope, but ultimately falters, but Luda's inane boasts don't exactly help, either. This would have been a pretty awful way to end Word Of Mouf, had this been the actual last song on the album.
“Block Lockdown” leads into the following bonus track.
WELCOME TO ATLANTA (FEAT JERMAINE DUPRI)
This is actually a Jermaine Dupri song featuring Ludacris, but that's never stopped anybody before. This song was also a hit back in the day, and it's decent, but to be honest, the only thing I remember clearly about it is the accompanying video, with its one brief shot of the bus tour guide dancing to the music. That clip could certainly used more of her and less of Janet Jackson's former boyfriend. But maybe that's just me.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Word Of Mouf was a somewhat natural progression from Back For The First Time, but this go round, the punchlines of Ludacris are punctuated with piss-poor production, diluting their potency. In other words, this was a weak follow-up. Sparks of what could have been shine through the darkness occasionally, but nothing on here will gain Ludacris any new fans, even though his lyrical flow is at the same high caliber as it always was. A disappointment overall.
BUY OR BURN? Burn this one. The tracks listed below are pretty interesting, but everything else on here fails to stand out. Better luck next album, Chris.
BEST TRACKS: “Saturday (Oooh Oooh!)”; “Cry Babies (Oh No)”; “Word Of Mouf (Freestyle)”
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Read more about the career of Chris Bridges by clicking here.
The album cover alone should warn you that there isn't much to be taken seriously about Word Of Mouf. The album is essentially an expansion of Luda's first nationally released project, except now that people actually know who the fuck the guy is, the bar is set a bit higher. The rhymes rarely deviate from the usual hip hop bullet points: sex, why Ludacris is a better rapper than you, growing up in hard times, sex, weed, sex, and sex, with an occasional burst of violence, although Gamer's Ludacris was never the most violent rapper.
Although it was heavily bootlegged, Word Of Mouf ended up being the biggest selling album in Luda's career, moving more than three million units worldwide. Chris used his newly formed celebrity status to do what every rapper wants to do: act. So, with each subsequent album, Luda switches his focus back and forth from music to film, and his agent must be one of the better ones, because some of the movies he's ended up in have done pretty well both critically and commercially: hell, Crash, a film that, let's be honest, is preachy as hell, won a fucking Academy Award for Best Picture.
Not that any of this has anything to do with Word Of Mouf, though. (I know, this intro was pretty lazy. Sorry, but I'm kind of tired, and they can't all be winners.)
1. COMING 2 AMERICA
This Coming To America-informed introductory track is surprisingly weak. Bangladesh, a producer who is now best known for Lil' Wayne's “A Milli”, creates a beat that is entirely ineffective, and Chris sounds uncertain with his punchlines, as if he didn't hone them at the Laugh Factory first. Some of them are funny, but most miss the target entirely. It's probably best that we move on to the next track.
2. ROLLOUT (MY BUSINESS)
My wife likes the way Luda asks “Who's your housekeeper and what you keep in your house?” over this Timbaland-produced track. Chris uses the song to attack the intrusive media, and even though he's not a big enough star to warrant that kind of attention, he pulls it off well. Timbaland has created better beats, though, so I don't like this song as much as I probably should.
3. GO 2 SLEEP (FEAT I- 20, FATE WILSON, & THREE 6 MAFIA)
The introduction onto this song scared the shit out of me. That voice will replace the whale in my nightmares. Anyway, this collaboration with DTP and the Academy Award-winning Three 6 Mafia isn't terrible, but it's not my cup of tea: I prefer my Southern tracks with more bounce and less ridiculous hooks than “Go to sleep, ho!”. Luda and Three 6 would later work together (sort of) on Hustle & Flow, a film that still works today, despite the appearance of fucking DJ Qualls. I fucking hate that guy.
4. CRY BABIES (OH NO)
Scarface allegedly hovers around this track somewhere, but I didn't hear him. Horrible hook aside, this track is actually pretty much on fire, with punchlines coming from Luda both fast and furiously. Once he quotes Tony the Tiger near the beginning, he'll rope you in for the long haul. This was actually impressive.
5. SHE SAID (FEAT FATE WILSON)
The beginning of this reminded me of OMD's “Enola Gay”, but the lyrics quickly kicked in and eradicated any notion of a New Wave cover song. Luda provides graphic sexual examples of things that an unnamed female claims to have never done, and somehow manages to stretch this topic to a proper song length. The guest star's flow is annoying and unfocused, but it's not as if Luda's contribution is golden, either. The scratching at the end was a nice surprise, though.
6. HOWHERE (SKIT)
…
7. AREA CODES (FEAT NATE DOGG)
This song sounds pretty ridiculous today, but I remember when this was a hit (with its radio edit changing Nate Dogg's crooning into a song about “pros” and not “hoes”, which I always found goofy). Luda says nothing of substance on here, unless you're the Count from Sesame Street and you like hearing numbers being repeated all day long, but I wouldn't expect anything else, as this was specifically formulated for radio airplay (and the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack). I'm sure when this plays in the clubs today, though, the women rush out to the dance floor, which is really all that matters when it comes to this track. The skit at the end, which clearly was not on the soundtrack version, leads nicely into the next track.
8. GROWING PAINS (FEAT FATE WILSON & KEON BRYCE)
Uses the same William Bell sample (“I Forgot To Be Your Lover”) that both Killah Priest and Dilates Peoples used on their “One Step” and “Worst Comes To Worst”, respectively. This DTP collaboration was also remixed to be the lead-off single for their group effort, Golden Grain, which didn't sell many units. Fate sounds a lot better on here than he did on “She Said".
9. GREATEST HITS (SKIT)
This was actually kind of hilarious, if not corny as hell.
10. MOVE BITCH (FEAT I-20 & MYSTIKAL)
I, like most Americans, tend to repeat this song's chorus out loud whenever I'm stuck in traffic. I admit that, overall, this track is pretty bland, but I still kind of dig it, all stupidity aside (and by “stupidity”, I'm talking about Mystikal's current prison sentence for sexual battery and extortion). What I remember the most, though, is the fact that I-20 somehow managed to sneak the f-word (not “fuck”) onto the radio edit. I didn't realize that homophobia has suddenly been cleared by the FCC as safe for children's ears, but whatever.
11. STOP LYING (SKIT) (FEAT I-20)
…
12. SATURDAY (OOOH OOOH!) (FEAT SLEEPY BROWN)
I love this song. It captures the good feelings that typically come with a Saturday on which you have jack shit to do. Sleepy Brown's vocals are the cherry on this hip hop sundae, which I consider to be Luda's finest radio hour. Please note the use of the qualifier “radio”.
13. KEEP IT ON THE HUSH
Meh.
14. WORD OF MOUF (FREESTYLE) (FEAT 4-IZE)
Luda's slow-paced freestyle is entertaining as hell, lending credence to the theory that he could actually be molded into a fairly decent battle rapper. 4-Ize takes things down several notches, but this was still an enjoyable song-slash-interlude.
15. GET THE FUCK BACK (FEAT SHAWNNA, I-20, & FATE WILSON)
I guess this was intended as a companion piece-slash-sequel to “Move Bitch” (good luck getting a song with that title on the radio, though). Although I-20's boast that he's “a value meal, [he] come[s] with the coke” (I didn't capitalize the brand name because, for those of you who have never heard this one, that's clearly not what he's talking about) is pretty funny, this DTP posse cut is bland as hell. Even Ludacris sounds bored out of his mind, but maybe he was too busy memorizing his lines for 2 Fast 2 Furious to give a fuck.
16. FREAKY THANGS (FEAT TWISTA & JAGGED EDGE)
After a goofy interlude by actor Faizon Love, Luda and Twista pass the mic back and forth, expanding on the topic of women (the subject matter of choice for approximately ninety-nine percent of Word Of Mouf). Luda, who is known for rhyming quickly or slowly at will, actually chooses not to alter his flow to match Twista's cadence, so that was pretty commendable. The song itself was dull, though, so that doesn't matter in the grand scheme of things.
17. COLD OUTSIDE (FEAT CHIMERE)
This should have been an offbeat cover of “Baby It's Cold Outside”, but no such luck. Instead, we receive a depressing song about doing what one has to do in order to survive out in the world today. If the beat were a bit more dramatic, this may have been tolerable, but as it stands...
18. BLOCK LOCKDOWN (FEAT I-20)
Bangladesh's production (which sounds like a serviceable Swizz Beats imitation, which isn't meant to be a compliment) tries to sound majestic in scope, but ultimately falters, but Luda's inane boasts don't exactly help, either. This would have been a pretty awful way to end Word Of Mouf, had this been the actual last song on the album.
“Block Lockdown” leads into the following bonus track.
WELCOME TO ATLANTA (FEAT JERMAINE DUPRI)
This is actually a Jermaine Dupri song featuring Ludacris, but that's never stopped anybody before. This song was also a hit back in the day, and it's decent, but to be honest, the only thing I remember clearly about it is the accompanying video, with its one brief shot of the bus tour guide dancing to the music. That clip could certainly used more of her and less of Janet Jackson's former boyfriend. But maybe that's just me.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Word Of Mouf was a somewhat natural progression from Back For The First Time, but this go round, the punchlines of Ludacris are punctuated with piss-poor production, diluting their potency. In other words, this was a weak follow-up. Sparks of what could have been shine through the darkness occasionally, but nothing on here will gain Ludacris any new fans, even though his lyrical flow is at the same high caliber as it always was. A disappointment overall.
BUY OR BURN? Burn this one. The tracks listed below are pretty interesting, but everything else on here fails to stand out. Better luck next album, Chris.
BEST TRACKS: “Saturday (Oooh Oooh!)”; “Cry Babies (Oh No)”; “Word Of Mouf (Freestyle)”
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
Read more about the career of Chris Bridges by clicking here.
Absolutely diggin that you finally focusin/postin more Reviews on Mainstream Albums. Its about time we hear your take on Tech N9ne, Chamillionare etc....
ReplyDeleteYea man, ur right, this album was kinda Meh..
ReplyDeleteCheck out Novablast.blogspot.com. new reviews posted.
luda's a weak, a very meh rapper
ReplyDeleteAll y'all are sleep this album was a classic u should deff buy this album its good from start to finish and its funny too
ReplyDeletehave to say that i dont believe luda's a 'meh' rapper, luda's pretty entertaining, 'fresh' if you will
ReplyDeletei appreciate his efforts, you cant listen to nas ras kass and canibus all the time
appreciate the review too by the way! can tell its very honest
and lol @ d intro