What do you do when your main chosen career ends up overshadowed by a sideline? It’s probably not a problem that Christopher “Ludacris” Bridges ponders too often, admittedly, considering his rap exploits and acting endeavours have doubtless each netted him the GDP of a small country.
But thanks to the almost concurrent arrival of his latest album and his cinematic return in Furious 7 (which, in case you've been sleeping in the desert, features plentiful shots of Abu Dhabi), the Atlanta rapper's combined stock is arguably higher than ever – certainly since turn-of-the-millennium days, when he would routinely shift two to three million copies of every record he dropped in his native country alone.
Since then, there's been a conveyor belt of albums with, it seemed, more thought put into their pun-tastic titles and goofy cover art than the songs within. Not that his success has noticeably dipped: 2010's Battle of the Sexes, his previous studio album, still topped the American charts. Which brings us to Ludaversal, almost lost in the Furious 7 Hollywood hubbub.
The whole timbre of club hip-hop has shifted in the five years since Battle of the Sexes, something that Bridges pays lip service to on Call Ya Bluff.
In other hands, lines such as “When you see me ... say it like you said it in the booth” might sound like empty battle rapping – here, it’s very pointedly directed at the current crop of Dirty South exponents, turning up the lyrical pace over bouncing bass.
The partying anthem Get Lit tries a similar trick, staying minimal before erupting into lackadaisical low-end designed to burst speaker cones.
Bridges has always had a knack for a grin-inducingly dumb punchline, and he's still occasionally able to pull out a show-stopping simile. Witness Beast Mode, in which he declares: "I leave rappers confused like Will.i.am's barber".
Immediately afterwards, however, he seems to forget what year it is with a skit titled (and about) Viagra. Hello there, 2003 – welcome back.
The album’s second half, which features R&B cameos from Miguel and Usher, is subtler and more introspective, but the damage has largely already been done.
Growing older gracefully is an almost-taboo subject in hip-hop and you can't blame Bridges for attempting to stay relevant while maintaining what he sees as his "realness". Yet the final track, This Has Been My World, is an accidental acknowledgement that the zeitgeist has moved on. While it's an album full of slick skills, all too often, Ludaversal is also the sound of a leader becoming a follower.
aworkman@thenational.ae
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
T20 World Cup Qualifier fixtures
Tuesday, October 29
Qualifier one, 2.10pm – Netherlands v UAE
Qualifier two, 7.30pm – Namibia v Oman
Wednesday, October 30
Qualifier three, 2.10pm – Scotland v loser of qualifier one
Qualifier four, 7.30pm – Hong Kong v loser of qualifier two
Thursday, October 31
Fifth-place playoff, 2.10pm – winner of qualifier three v winner of qualifier four
Friday, November 1
Semi-final one, 2.10pm – Ireland v winner of qualifier one
Semi-final two, 7.30pm – PNG v winner of qualifier two
Saturday, November 2
Third-place playoff, 2.10pm
Final, 7.30pm
What is graphene?
Graphene is extracted from graphite and is made up of pure carbon.
It is 200 times more resistant than steel and five times lighter than aluminum.
It conducts electricity better than any other material at room temperature.
It is thought that graphene could boost the useful life of batteries by 10 per cent.
Graphene can also detect cancer cells in the early stages of the disease.
The material was first discovered when Andre Geim and Konstantin Novoselov were 'playing' with graphite at the University of Manchester in 2004.
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Jewel of the Expo 2020
252 projectors installed on Al Wasl dome
13.6km of steel used in the structure that makes it equal in length to 16 Burj Khalifas
550 tonnes of moulded steel were raised last year to cap the dome
724,000 cubic metres is the space it encloses
Stands taller than the leaning tower of Pisa
Steel trellis dome is one of the largest single structures on site
The size of 16 tennis courts and weighs as much as 500 elephants
Al Wasl means connection in Arabic
World’s largest 360-degree projection surface
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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BORDERLANDS
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jamie Lee Curtis
Director: Eli Roth
Rating: 0/5
How to donate
Text the following numbers:
2289 - Dh10
6025 - Dh 20
2252 - Dh 50
2208 - Dh 100
6020 - Dh 200
*numbers work for both Etisalat and du
The specs
Engine: 2.9-litre, V6 twin-turbo
Transmission: seven-speed PDK dual clutch automatic
Power: 375bhp
Torque: 520Nm
Price: Dh332,800
On sale: now