Written by DJ KontraDikshun

Ludacris


1.21 Gigawatts






This review has a long intro...it's necessary but if you don't want to “hear” it, then skip to the third paragraph. Being from Atlanta, I've watch Ludacris progress from a morning show update guy (Chris Lova Lova), to a primetime on-air personality/local rapper, to an international sensation. He's featured one of my best friends in a video, he does good work with his foundation...I have no beef with dude.






However, I had a problem with his desire to release a mixtape “for the streets”. First thought that went through my mind, when I first heard about it, was “Fck wrong with you??? Oh, you hood now???” When I think streets, I think Alley Boy, Trouble, Yo Gotti, Project Pat, Gucci Mane, hell even Young Jeezy to a certain extent. I see Ludacris in the same category as Jay Z, Kanye West, Eminen and 50 Cent (the before-he-fell-off version of 50 Cent). Besides, every mixtape I ever heard by established artists basically featured tracks not good enough to make their albums, which weren't all that hot to begin with. So with those thoughts in mind, I started listening to Luda's mixtape.






I will attempt to make the following statement with as much humility as I can....BEST MIXTAPE EVER...AND NOTHING COMES CLOSE!!! Truth be told, it's not really a mixtape and it's not fair to other non-established artists to have to compete with this. Ludacris dropped a free ALBUM...errrr CD...errrr whatever yall call it now, on yall. It features 12 original tracks...no freestyles. He has songs featuring...wait for it...Rick Ross, Wiz Khalifa, Meek Mill, Gucci Mane, Big K.R.I.T and (believe it or not) 2 Chaaaiiiiinnnzzz. I have never heard him sound like this. This is the most aggressive/ignorant/confident/hilarious he's ever been. This album (not calling it a mixtape anymore) is better than ANY of his albums.






Everybody's talking about the track he made dissing/putting in check Big Sean and Drake (“Bada Boom”), but the set up to the track (“History Lesson”) made it even more thorough. That alone would make the album a must listen...but wait, there's more. If you're an urban music DJ, and you're not playing anything off of this album, you are the anti-Charlie Sheen...LOSING! Then again, Charlie Sheen has been losing lately, soooo I guess you're just like Charlie Sheen. Get It? Got It? Good. Either way...put personal biases aside (as I had to do) and download 1.21 Gigawatts. You'll thank me later.






Best Song on the CD: “I'm On Fire”, “Rich & Flexin'”






Song I Enjoyed The Most: “Do Something Strange”, “History Lesson/Bada Boom”






Rating: 5.0...I still don't think Ludacris is hood (nothing wrong with that), but this album sure was.






Rating Scale:






1 Recycle Bin


2 Could've Been


3 Aight


4 Tiiiiiiite


5 Mission Accomplished...your next project should be an album