Ludacris on ‘Ludaversal’: ‘This Sh– Is Out of Control’

In the past five years, Ludacris has starred in three Fast and the Furious sequels (the latest, Furious 7, is out now) and released exactly zero new albums. But don’t count him out of the rap game just yet: His latest LP, Ludaversal, is his strongest in years. “I’m my biggest critic, but this shit is out of control,” says the rapper, 37.

Key tracks on the LP range from “Ludaversal Intro,” where he does lyrical backflips over a David Banner beat, to the emotional “Ocean Skies,” dedicated to his father, who died in 2007. Luda called RS from his Atlanta home to talk about it all. “My whole goal was this: What the fuck is gonna make somebody go buy a Ludacris album after seven albums? How could he even reinvent himself? Well, damn it, here you have it.”

A few of your new songs feel like they’re taking aim at people who think you fell off. Is this your “Forgot About Dre” moment?
Without sugarcoating it, I’m reminding everyone that I didn’t go any-fucking-where. I just shot a couple movies. Some people think that rappers that have been in the game so long that they go shoot movies forget about the passion and the hunger for what got them there in the first place. God damn it, I still put music as Number One. Don’t you ever forget it.

Why do you even care what anyone says about you? You’re already rich and famous.
The moment you stop caring, you’re your own worst enemy. So I do care. I know a lot of people just say shit to say it, because they have no idea who I am or what my life is. At the end of the day, it’s between me and God. I know I’m the best rapper there is. I know that I will slaughter any rapper that is out there. And to the people who feel like I might not be as good, I’m going to continue to slap you upside the fucking head until you wake up.

Why does the game need Ludacris in 2015? What do you bring to the table that other rappers can’t?
I bring a little bit of humor to it. Not everything has to be so goddamn hard and gangster. We all have a sense of humor, it’s just that 90 percent of rappers don’t show that side.