Ludacris: Word Of Mouf : Music Reviews : Rolling Stone

Album Reviews

Atlanta's ludacris may be the only rapper who currently boasts about being both good at Scrabble and rowdier than Rowdy Roddy Piper. Oddly enough, Word of Mouf alternates between bleak, nearly joyless hardcore and verbalistic hip-hop slapstick. Unlike the rapper's debut, Back for the First Time, which was littered with futuristic bleeps that wouldn't be out of place on an electronica album, the sonics here are more of the low-and-slow variety - "Go 2 Sleep," for example, is all blunt-force bass and hand claps. But since Ludacris has a vocal style that dips way down, then bounces back into your face like Shemp Howard in perpetual pratfall, the funny stuff is the real cream. The "serious" tracks, such as the hard-times ode "Cold Outside," are vivid and bumping but not especially inspired compared to "Keep It on the Hush," a soulful X-rated gospel jam 'Cris shares with producer and love-man crooner Jazze Pha. The sneaky funk of the hit "Area Codes" is good, but "Saturday (Oooh Oooh!)" is better: It's all about chipmunk ciphers, horny wolf howls from the rapper's crew, and Ludacris crowing that he's "just seen a big ol' ass!" His "Boom-Bap!" delivery is made for party tracks like this - maybe that's why he sounds like he's having such a blast.