Heads are always skeptical of the new guy. You know the type; cats who won’t give dap to the new flavor of the month rapper because they didn’t hear about him before he blew up. And with good reason, as most of the crappy “artists” that are played on the radio are simply slickly produced half-talents (if that), who become overnight sensations because they got so-and-so producing and/or talking over their beats. But there is always that diamond in the rough, which over time proves his talent, and by his third album or so, heads start to recognize that there might actually be a little skill hiding behind the mask of a jiggy rap star. Of course by this time, these same cats are saying things like “he’s cool, but I liked him better when he did (insert name of first album here).”

    Case in point is Ludacris. Heads won’t admit it, but unless your name is Outkast, Goodie Mob, or Scarface, most rappers from the South have a tough time getting the hip-hop validity stamp right off the bat, thanks to the obnoxious, rah-rah sound that is prevalent with most acts down bottom, which is very different that the original NYC sound. But Luda has keenly turned the preconceived notions that he was a disposable rapper, stealing shine from even Nas and Jadakiss on the “Made U Look Remix”, and it was about this time that heads realized it was time to start tuning a little closer to Ludacris.

     With his third album, Chicken & Beer, Luda is perhaps his most defined yet, flexing more lyrical hooks & jabs, incredibly precise flows, and deeper character development that continue to shape him as one of the best emcees of the moment in possession of a major label recording contract. The “Southern Fried Intro” might seem trite at first, with its typical Isaac Hayes sample, but once DJ Nasty adds that double-time bounce, Ludacris sets it off immediately, ripping the mic to shreds with crystal-clear enunciation and incredible cadence. And Luda’s double-time rhyme flow cannot be fucked with, as he proves again later on the album with the frivolous threesome anthem “Teamwork”. 

     But Luda’s skill doesn’t lie simply in the typically gimmicky bounce style, but in several other areas as well. His crass sense of humor is prevalent throughout the entire album, but mostly on “Hip Hop Quotables”, where he plays like a southern Redman over a sparse Erick Sermon  backdrop, bragging “My filthy mouth won’t fight cavities or beat plaque, that’s why I shot the tooth fairy, and took my old teeth back”, among several other great one-liners. Further humor comes out on a pair of great duet tracks ? first is “Hoes In My Room” with Snoop Dogg, packing a classic EPMD-esque denouement, or the rebellious “Screwed Up”, where he and Lil’ Flip throw up middle-fingers to anyone out to fuck-up their collective high. But some of his greatest moments lyrically don’t lie here either, but on the more autobiographical tracks. “Diamond In The Back” is a smooth, Saturday afternoon top-down cruiser where a young Luda dreams of a better life of “no more blowin’ Nintendo cartridges”, or the excellent, introspective outro track “Eyebrows Down”, where Luda paints a vivid, portrait-like narrative of his lifetime, reminiscing of high school days “?pulling fire alarms, so I could get a crowd around me..”. 

     Luda’s latest is packed with quality jams and proves he is shaping to be one of the best emcees in the game. He does regress a bit on tracks like redundant “Splash Waterfalls” and the overly Southern “P-Poppin’”, and from time-to-time he’s a little too lenient with the size of the guest list. However, with an occasional misstep here and there, Luda can’t be faulted too hard with the abundance of stand out tracks included here. He’s crafted perhaps his best LP yet, and solidified his spot on the map once again. Now give him his props!