Ludacris
Battle of the Sexes
Def Jam
March 9
By Matt Kiernan
Ludacris’ seventh full-length album, Battle of the Sexes, discusses the typical topics of hardcore rap, money, women, sex and partying, all of which are topics that are great for the aforementioned pastime of partying.
The release has a title that may seem confusing considering the album was supposed to be a partnership between Ludacris and fellow rapper Shawnna, but after Shawnna left the record, Ludacris found himself working on it alone.
“How Low,” the first single, would have been a wonderful call for a Shawnna response, but since Shawnna’s missing it stands as a song that could be played as background music in a strip club. Ludacris tells a girl how attractive she is with lyrics like, “Yeah I think you’re a superstar/ with an ass like that you gotta blow.”
What makes the track especially catchy is the chorus of “How low can you go?” in an extremely high-pitched voice.
Ludacris covers the topics of wealth in “Hey Ho,” talking about luxurious cars and features the rapping of Lil’ Kim, who creates a clever response to say that women can be equally rich and strong.
“My Chick Bad,” speaks of a girl he could be dating that could outmatch any other girl at a club. “She knock a bitch out and fight/ come out swinging like Tiger Woods’s wife,” raps Ludacris.
The concept of having two sides, men and women, rapping about similar topics would have been an interesting concept had Ludacris achieved having more of a female presence on the record. Since it’s lacking this, it may leave a person wishing for more reason to listen through the whole album.
Battle of the Sexes doesn’t hold many lyrics or topics that reach a personal level for Ludacris, but is a great album if you’re looking for a compilation of tunes to party and drink to.
