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Ludaversal

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Ludaversal
Studio album by
Ludacris
ReleasedMarch 31, 2015
Recorded2011–2015
Genre
Length49:18
Label
Producer
Ludacris chronology
Burning Bridges
(2014) 		Ludaversal
(2015)
Alternative cover
Deluxe edition artwork
Singles from Ludaversal
  1. "Good Lovin"
    Released: December 15, 2014
  2. "Come & See Me"
    Released: March 17, 2015
  3. "Grass Is Always Greener"
    Released: June 13, 2015

Ludaversal is the ninth studio album by American rapper Ludacris under Def Jam Recordings. His most recent album, it was released on March 31, 2015.[1] Recording sessions took place during 2011 to 2015, while the production on the album was handled by several producers; including Mike Will Made It, Rico Love, Giorgio Tuinfort and Da Internz, among others.[2]

Release and promotion

On March 13, 2012, Ludacris announced the album, titled Ludaversal, would be released on September 11, 2012 (which is on his birthday). One of the songs, titled "Ocean Skies", produced by Capsvl, originally featured vocals from singer Anita Baker.[3][4] Baker's vocals were later replaced by singer Monica.

On October 9, 2014, Ludacris announced an EP, titled Burning Bridges will be released in December 2014, and then his album Ludaversal will be follow-up on March 31, 2015.[5] On October 31, 2014, Ludacris released the lead single from his EP, titled "Good Lovin" featuring American singer Miguel.[6]

On March 3, 2015, Ludacris held a listening party for Ludaversal with Def Jam. The tracks "Ludaversal (Intro)", "Not Long" featuring Usher and "Come N See Me" featuring Big K.R.I.T. were revealed to the public.[7]

Singles

On December 15, 2014, Ludacris released an EP, titled "Burning Bridges". The final track from the EP, titled "Good Lovin'" featuring Miguel, serves as the lead single from Ludaversal.[8] On March 10, 2015, Ludacris released 2 pre-order tracks from the album titled: "Call Ya Bluff" and "Beast Mode". "Come & See Me" and "Grass Is Always Greener" were both later sent to urban radio to further promote the album.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic63/100[9]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[10]
Billboard[11]
Exclaim!6/10[12]
HipHopDX[13]
Rolling Stone[14]
XXL(XL)[15]

Ludaversal received generally positive reviews from music critics. At Metacritic, which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from critics, the album received an average score of 63, which indicates "generally favorable reviews", based on 11 reviews.[9] Darryl Robertson from XXL called the record "no different" from Ludacris' previous projects, praising his balance of "personal, comical, lyrical, inspirational and socially conscious raps" throughout the track listing, concluding that "[I]f Ludaversal is a reminder that he hasn’t fallen off lyrically, the game should pay attention."[15] AllMusic's David Jeffries said that, "Hip-hop has a towering pile of "the game needs me" albums where an artist returns to stake their claim, but Ludaversal still feels fresh, alive, and needed, and maybe just because it comes from the unique voice that is Ludacris."[10] Jon Dolan of Rolling Stone said of Ludacris on the album: "he's still the same elastically flowing shout-rap dirty bird — gleefully wilding out on Southern party jams like 'Get Lit' and 'Beast Mode'."[14] In a mixed review for Exclaim!, Samantha O'Connor wrote that Ludacris finds himself in between "owning up to the voracious hunger needed to reach a new level of fulfillment and being trapped by the desperation to regain a title that is no longer his."[12]

Commercial performance

The album debuted at number 3 on the Billboard 200 with 73,000 album-equivalent units; it sold 62,000 copies in its first week, and boasted over 4.8 million streams.[16] It was the second best-selling album of the week.[17] It marked Ludacris's eighth top-five album.[18] In its second week, the album fell to number 18 on the Billboard 200, selling 23,000 equivalent album units; it sold 18,000 copies and boasted over 3.4 million streams.[19] For a two-week total, Ludaversal sold just under 82,000 copies and streamed 8 million times domestically.[20]

Track listing

Ludaversal — North American standard version[21]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Ludaversal Intro"
David Banner3:35
2."Grass is Always Greener"
Da Internz3:15
3."Call Ya Bluff"
  • Bridges
  • Joshua Scruggs
Syk Sense3:07
4."Lyrical Healing"
1:16
5."Beast Mode"
1500 or Nothin', Mike & Keys3:36
6."Viagra" (skit)
  • Bridges
  • Carla Henderson
 1:44
7."Get Lit"
  • Bridges
  • Palacios
  • Clark
  • Ronnie Jackson
  • Da Internz
  • Lil Ronnie
3:59
8."Come and See Me" (interlude)
  • Bridges
  • Aldrin Davis
DJ Toomp1:16
9."Come and See Me" (featuring Big K.R.I.T.)
Mike WiLL Made It4:25
10."Good Lovin" (featuring Miguel)
Da Internz3:43
11."Ocean Skies" (featuring Monica)
4:49
12."Not Long" (featuring Usher)
  • Bridges
  • Maurice Willis
  • Thomas Brenneck
  • David Guy
  • Leon Michels
  • Homer Steinweiss
  • Fernando Velez
Mel & Mus4:13
13."Charge It to the Rap Game"
  • Bridges
  • Feeney
  • Bidaye
  • Ibanga, Jr.
Illmind3:50
14."This Has Been My World"
Just Blaze6:30
Total length:49:18
Ludaversal — North American deluxe version[22]
No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
15."Money" (featuring Rick Ross)
DJ Pain 14:53
16."Problems" (featuring Cee Lo Green)
T-Minus3:59
17."In My Life" (featuring John Legend)
4:52
18."Burning Bridges" (featuring Jason Aldean)
Alex da Kid4:06
Total length:67:08
Sample credits
  • "Lyrical Healing" contains a sample from "Hubey" performed by Maneesh Bidaye.
  • "Ocean Skies" contains a sample from "Diamond on a Landmine" performed by Billy Talent.
  • "Not Long" contains a sample from "Tired of Fighting" performed by Menahan Street Band.
  • "Charge It to the Rap Game" contains a sample from "Lonnie Blacksmith" performed by Maneesh Bidaye.
  • "Money" contains a sample from "All About the Paper" performed by The Dells.
  • "In My Life" contains a sample from "Changing Faces" performed by The J.J. Band.
  • "This Has Been My World" contains a sample from "Human Nature" performed by Michael Jackson.

Charts

References

  1. ^ "Ludacris - Facebook". Facebook. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  2. ^ "Ludacris Talks New 'Ludaversal' Album at Billboard Music Awards 2014: 'We're About 90 Percent Done' (Watch)". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. May 18, 2014. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  3. ^ Harris, Christopher (August 3, 2013). "Ludacris Adds Anita Baker to 'Ludaversal'". Vibe. SpinMedia. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  4. ^ Alexis, Nadeska (March 13, 2012). "Ludacris' 8th Album 'Ludaversal' Due In September". MTV. Viacom. Archived from the original on April 10, 2015. Retrieved April 5, 2015.
  5. ^ Smith, Trevor (October 9, 2014). "Ludacris Announces "Ludaversal" Release Date, EP For December". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  6. ^ Jaffe, Lloyd (October 31, 2014). "Ludacris - Good Lovin' Feat. Miguel (Prod. by Da Internz)". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved March 6, 2015.
  7. ^ "Ludacris' Ludaversal Listening Party Recap". YouTube. March 6, 2015. Archived from the original on 2021-12-21. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  8. ^ "Ludacris". Facebook. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  9. ^ a b "Reviews for Ludaversal by Ludacris". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  10. ^ a b Jeffries, David. "Ludaversal - Ludacris". AllMusic. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  11. ^ "Album Review: Ludacris' 'Ludaversal' Is His Moodiest Yet". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. March 31, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  12. ^ a b O'Connor, Samantha (March 31, 2015). "Ludacris - Ludaversal". Exclaim!. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
  13. ^ Miller, Kellan (April 2, 2015). "Ludacris - Ludaversal". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on April 4, 2015. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  14. ^ a b Dolan, Jon (March 31, 2015). "Ludacris Ludaversal Album Review". Rolling Stone. Wenner Media. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  15. ^ a b Robertson, Darryl (April 8, 2015). "Ludacris Delivers Again on New Album 'Ludaversal'". XXL. Townsquare Media. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  16. ^ Balfour, Jay (April 8, 2015). "Hip Hop Album Sales: Wale, Ludacris & Kendrick Lamar". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group. Archived from the original on April 9, 2015. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  17. ^ "Top Album Sales: Week of April 18, 2015". Billboard. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved April 22, 2015.
  18. ^ Caulfield, Keith (April 8, 2015). "Wale Rules With Second No. 1 Album, 'Furious 7' Soundtrack Drives to No. 2". Billboard. Eldridge Industries. Retrieved April 8, 2015.
  19. ^ Balfour, Jay (April 15, 2015). "Hip Hop Album Sales: "Furious 7," Kendrick Lamar & Drake". HipHopDX. Cheri Media Group.
  20. ^ Smith, Trevor (April 18, 2015). "Charts Don't Lie: April 18". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
  21. ^ "iTunes - Music - Ludaversal by Ludacris". iTunes Store. Apple (US). Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  22. ^ "iTunes - Music - Ludaversal (Deluxe) by Ludacris". iTunes Store. Apple (US). Retrieved May 9, 2016.
  23. ^ "Ludacris Chart History (Canadian Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  24. ^ "Ludacris | Artist | Official Charts". UK Albums Chart. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  25. ^ "Official R&B Albums Chart Top 40 | 05-04-2015 - 11-04-2015 | Official Charts Company". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  26. ^ "Ludacris Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  27. ^ "Ludacris Chart History (Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved June 24, 2015.
  28. ^ "Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums- Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
  29. ^ "Billboard Rap Albums- Year-end Chart". Billboard. Retrieved December 9, 2015.
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