Theater of the Mind

I love Ludacris. And I am not sure that he gets his proper due. I was looking forward to Theater of the Mind. I shouldn’t have.

Let me explain. I think that Luda is uber-talented. This was his chance to show people just how talented he really is. All of the guest stars kind of drowned him out. His voice was lost. At least that is my initial take on the album. His delivery is as punchy as ever but the fact that he has so many co-stars means that he has less time to showcase his skills.

Lyrically, he still gets down, holding his own with Jay-Z and Nas on “I Do It For Hip-Hop”. Common comes through with a great effort on “Do the Right Thang” and Lil’ Wayne is surprisingly mediocre on “Last of a Dying Breed”.

It was like an amalgam of Ludacris. I say that because most of the songs remind me of songs that he has done before. He needed to push the envelope, and I’m not sure that he did.

All in all, it’s not a bad album. And Ludacris is still one of the best. But I’m not sure if this is the classic album that he needed to add to his catalog. Still a good effort. Still love me some Ludacris.

Love “I Do It For Hip Hop” co-starring Nas and Jay-Z.