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Home > Atlanta Music Scene > Archives > 2008 > May > 14 > Entry
A Ludacris Schedule This Week
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Some people power their way through the work week with caffeine in the morning and energy drinks midday.
For Ludacris, however, his fuel is chicken lollipops.
That’s what Atlanta’s multimedia star jokingly told us during the grand opening of his Straits restaurant in Midtown Tuesday.
One hectic day — of many — for Ludacris this week.
Monday he was welcomed back to his old high school, Banneker, where the gymnasium was renamed after him. Tonight his Ludacris Foundation is honoring NBA legend-turned-entrepreneur Earvin “Magic” Johnson, V-103’s Frank Ski and his Frank Ski Foundation as well Anheuser-Busch. And Thursday he launches wemix.com, “an online record label for the people”, as he calls it, where unsigned artists can produce and share their music, and get critiques from the three-time Grammy winner himself.
“I’m taking it all one hour at a time,” Ludacris said on the crowded red carpet alongside Straits. “I’m eating chicken lollipops baby — every five hours. So I can make sure I can get through this.”
Oh - and did we mention that all week long a trail of cameras and crew people have been following him and legendary rocker Tommy Lee as they tape “Battleground Earth”, for the Discovery Channel?
“It’s been so much fun, so good,” Ludacris said. “We’ve gone to the 9th Ward [in New Orleans] - right where the levees broke — and we built solar panels for a church. Ironically, the name of the church we gave something back to is called Battleground Church. It was crazy.
“We went to Oakland, Cal.,” he continued. “And the whole show was about recycling. So basically we went to an Oakland A’s game. And you know how people throw trash out after the baseball game? Well we got some kids and we recycled all of this trash. You know you can exchange trash for cash, right? Well we got so much cash - like thousands of dollars -that we bought all of this alternative grass for a park that was really run down. Totally redid it. We were playing football on it, and welcomed a bunch of Oakland’s inner city youth to come play. I’m loving the show ‘Battleground Earth’; and it comes on in August.”
His “Battleground” companion Lee — or as he occasionally calls him, “Toxic Tommy”— was at Straits Tuesday (both pictured above), and was surprised by the fare (which includes chicken lollipops, and Ludacris’s other personal favorites: sea bass, salmon and the roti bread).
“When [Ludacris] said it was Thai, I was like, ‘What?!’,” Lee said. “It just completely took me by surprise. I figured it would be soul food or barbecue.
“But I should have known with him, to expect the unexpected,” he added about his buddy “Luda the Polluta” (Lee’s nickname for him). “In all of hip-hop, his style and the things he says are actually like, legitimate. Because there’s a lot of like stupid [expletive] out there where it’s all about the club, and the this and the that. He’s actually saying things. Different things. I think he’s just extremely clever and I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. So to get a chance to do anything together -whether its make music or make a fun TV show —whatever, we’re having a great time.”
Joining Lee in that great time at Straits was actress Vivica A. Fox; NBA great Alonzo Mourning; former mayor Andrew Young; radio personalities Ski - with wife Tanya —and Q-100’s Bert Weiss; Sister 2 Sister magazine’s Jamie Foster Brown; 100 Black Men of Atlanta’s Thomas Dortch; Bronner Bros. executive Bernard Bronner as well as Ludacris’s mom, Roberta Shields.
Have you made it to Straits yet? (It’s actually been open to the public a couple of weeks). Interested in “Battleground Earth”? Spotted Ludacris and Lee around the city this week?
Comments
By Cirie
May 14, 2008 11:22 AM | Link to this
Ludacris wrote the song “Move B#%^CH get out the Way,” “Shake Your Money Maker.” Does he sing these songs to his children? Don’t mention Runaway Love as a positive song, because everytime I hear it, I think women should actually be running away from the ideas that he put into young men’s minds with the lyrics he has previously written. I won’t ever support this artist or any of his ventures and he shouldn’t be considered a role model for children. Total hypocrite.
By Big Belly
May 14, 2008 12:25 PM | Link to this
AJC, why do you pick these articles to blog about????????
By JC
May 14, 2008 7:46 PM | Link to this
Banneker High School gave him a 69 jersey like the one he wore in his video. Then they retired the number in the gym that holds his namesake. Listening to his songs, anyone can guess why he wore that number. Everyone knows what that number means in pop culture. Benjamin Banneker High School was named after greatness and dignity. Why in the world would they name their gym after shame? FYI…I grew up down the street from Banneker. I went to rival Westlake.
By Lady T
May 15, 2008 7:34 AM | Link to this
Congrats Luda…..let your haters be your motivators. The hypocrits that judge you have bones falling out of their mouths from the skeletons in their closets!!
May God continue to Bless you….everybody has a past, its your future that matters most.
By Pop
May 15, 2008 7:48 AM | Link to this
Cirie,
Raise your own kids, don’t expect rappers and entertainers to be their role models. Who cares if “you” support his music or his business ventures….there are millions of others that will.
Is your past perfect?? Everybody that supports Luda can see the changes he has made in his life, but its people like you that continue to talk about “Move B&tch”…what year was that???
By Jason
May 15, 2008 8:12 AM | Link to this
JC:
I actually looked at that jersey photo with the 69 and thought that the administration obviously don’t have a clue what 69 meant in the hip hop video world. What idiots! Now they have that jersey up in their gym. How ignorant! Parents should protest!
By kent
June 24, 2008 9:48 PM | Link to this
f*** you Cirie
By Christie
July 16, 2008 4:25 PM | Link to this
Cirie,
u really need to slow your roll when you talk about Luda like that. compare to other artists this man has put his money to good use. He cares for his family & has a solid foundation. what do u have or done?? you need to worry about your own parenting skills & don’t judge him because in reality you know nothing about him. & for the “69” jersey, c’mon people give that a rest too. you really need to look past all that & see the person he is. remeber this is just an IMAGE he needs to have. you would do the same if it means millions of dollars going to your bank account & don’t say ” i would never” cause that’s bulls**t.
Luda baby, keep up the good work. your a very talented artist, I LOVE YOU.