Ludacris Movies
One of a number of hip-hop musicians to successfully tackle a career in movies as well,
Ludacris began his career as a humble radio DJ working in Atlanta, GA. He used the job as an opportunity to hone his skills as a musician and rapper, eventually hooking up with talents like super-producer
Timbaland and getting signed to a subsidiary of Def Jam in 2000. He shortly thereafter released his first album, Inconegro, and soon became a household name, not to mention one of the most important forces in hip-hop. His fame was only boosted when, in 2002, he was signed to do a promotional deal with Pepsi, but the sponsorship was terminated when right-wing TV news shock-jocker
Bill O'Reilly complained that
Ludacris' image promoted violence. The controversy created much debate and attracted substantial attention, possibly more than the promo contract would have earned on its own, and the rapper's album sales continued to rise.
It wasn't long before
Ludacris' notoriety had movie directors tapping him to make appearances in their films. After a small role in 2003's
2 Fast 2 Furious, he was cast in the 2005 film
Hustle & Flow, a movie starring
Terrence Howard as Djay, an aspiring rapper trying desperately to make it.
Ludacris played Skinny Black, a world-famous hip-hop star who started out in Djay's hometown of Memphis. The movie became a critical success, and
Ludacris followed it up with a 2006 appearance on
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as the stepson of cast member
Ice-T. His booming music career didn't make it easy, but
Ludacris couldn't help signing onto another project in 2007, parodying his own street-tough image as a disgruntled elf in the Christmas comedy
Fred Claus. ~ Cammila Collar, Rovi

- 2007
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- 2006
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- 2006
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- Add The Bros. to Queue
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Two white-bred wannabe gangsta rappers set out on an all-night crime spree designed to establish their street credit and provide the funding needed to pay for a studio recording session in a hip-hop flavored crime comedy featuring Joel Fatone, Shaquille O'Neal, and Ludacris. Pete (Joachim Wiese) and Lanny (John Tindall) dream of the day when their skills be enough to pay the bills, but in the meantime they're having enough trouble just earning enough cash to cover the cost of their demo. Raised in a picket-fence paradise that's about as far away from the ghetto as one could ever imagine, this misguided pair of aspiring rappers determine to make a name for themselves by setting out on a manic night of low-level criminal conduct. When a bizarre twist of fate finds Pete and Lanny's incompetent criminal enterprise mistaken for benevolent heroism by the community, the pair quickly seize the opportunity to turn their fifteen minutes of fame into a successful hip-hop career. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- Starring:
- John Tindall, Joachim Wiese, (more)

- 2006
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This 2006 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Ludacris, who also serves as the musical guest. ~ Skyler Miller, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Ludacris

- 2005
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- Add Ludacris: The Red Light District to Queue
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Take a transatlantic trip with the one hip-hopper who knows how to do it right as you follow Ludacris to the Dutch capitol in this wild and unforgettable journey to a place where the smoke is legal and the red lights shine. After you've taken a guided tour of one of the planet's wildest towns, follow Ludacris backstage for more fun, and check out one of the sexiest videos shoots of the year. ~ Jason Buchanan, Rovi
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- 2005
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This 2005 episode of Saturday Night Live is hosted by Paul Giamatti, and features musical guests Ludacris and Sum 41. ~ Skyler Miller, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Paul Giamatti, Ludacris, (more)

- 2004
- R
- Add Hustle & Flow to Queue
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One man's struggle to rise above his circumstances prompts him to try a career in music in this acclaimed drama from writer and director Craig Brewer. Djay (Terrence Howard) is a low-level pimp and drug dealer who scraped together a living in the ghettos of Memphis, TN. Djay isn't happy with his life, and the realization that he's reached the same age when his father unexpectedly died has made him start thinking about changing his ways. Djay has always had a gift for spinning stories, and after picking up a cheap keyboard, he begins picking out beats to go along with his rhymes. After bumping into an old high-school buddy who works in gospel music, Key (Anthony Anderson), Djay decided to take the plunge and remake himself as a rapper. With the technical know-how of Key and the musical input of a local beat maker named Shelby (DJ Qualls), Djay begins turning his way with words and his first-hand knowledge of the street life into music, as his two live-in girlfriends, Lexus (Paula Jai Parker) and Shug (Taraji P. Henson), add their musical input and emotional support and Nola (Taryn Manning) continues to turn tricks to pay the bills. When local boy-turned-nationwide hip-hop star Skinny Black (Ludacris) comes to town to pay a visit to Arnel (Isaac Hayes), a club owner friendly with Djay, he sees an opportunity to put his demo in the hands of someone who can bring his music to the masses, though it turns out to be far more difficult than he expected. Hustle & Flow had its world premiere at the 2005 Sundance Film Festival, where it received a number of rave reviews and took home the Audience Award. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, (more)

- 2003
- R
Based on an Internet cartoon, Lil' Pimp is the first feature-length film made with Macromedia Flash animation. Co-creators Mark Brooks and Peter Gilstrap are also the directors, screenwriters, and voices for the main cast. The story involves a little white boy with freckles named Lil' Pimp (voice of Brooks) who lives in the suburbs with his pet gerbil Weathers (voice of Ludacris). After he meets Sweet Chiffon (voice of Lil' Kim), he gets introduced to the world of pimping from Fruit Juice (voice of Bernie Mac). Just as Lil' Pimp is on the way up in his new career, Mayor Tony Gold (voice of William Shatner) decides to level the neighborhood to make way for a new land development. Lil' Pimp also features the voices of Carmen Electra and Jennifer Tilly. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi
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- Starring:
- Mark Brooks

- 2003
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- Add Paper Chasers to Queue
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A film crew sets out on a journey across the country to discover how money is made in the world of hip-hop. Director Maxie Collier takes us inside the process as he selects his Paperchasers crew and travels across the United States, interviewing people making a living off hip-hop, from street rappers selling tapes out of their trunks, to clothing designers, a hairdresser, DJs, record producers, and recording artists. They're all out to make money, and Collier wants to learn how it is done. In Atlanta, the crew catch rap superstar Ludacris and his crew just months before they sign a record deal and blow up. Collier documents his crew's struggles to land interviews with media bigwigs like Rap-A-Lot's J. Prince and Def Jam founder Russell Simmons. Collier also captures the fluctuations in his personal relationships with producer Yvette Plummer, also the mother of his son, and soundman Marquez Edmond (aka "Marquez the Greatest"), as the pressures of making the film wear on the bare-bones crew. Paperchasers, featuring appearances by Fat Joe, Damon Dash, Flava Flav, and James Brown, had its world premiere at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, Rovi
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