Ludacris - Chicken N Beer

Ludacris--2, Bill O'Reilly--1. The dis is mightier than the sword, and Ludacris wastes no time berating Fox News pundit Bill O'Reilly (O’Reilly enticed Pepsi to cut Ludacris off their payroll citing his lyrical irresponsibility). On "Blow It Out," he taunts his conservative right-winged adversary with lines like, "…I’ma start my own beverage/it will calm your nerves/Pepsi, The New Generation/Blow it out ya ass." Likewise, on "Hoes In My Room," a slick souled-out collabo with Snoop, he wonders aloud who could have possibly let all of these revolting groupies into his room, post-concert. O’Reilly, who else? To Ludacris’ credit, his third album is more sonically fluid and versatile than Word of Mouf. From the hypnotic first single "Stand Up" to the classy "Diamond in the Back" (yeah, we’ll forgive him this time for utilizing that vastly overused William Devaughn sample) large chunks of the album are highly listenable…subject matter notwithstanding. By the second half of the album he goes full-on debauchery, flipping bushels of potty-mouthed rhymes in poor taste; "Teamwork" is his audio rendition of what a ménage a trois might feel and sound like, while on "Hip Hop Quotables" he spits about 64 bars with no hooks, once explaining why he can’t find the right lady ("…a lot of y’all are more stuck up than tampons"). Yep, as with any Ludacris record, this one comes with a big phat caveat. If you're not down with the hoes and Heineken (please refer to one-half of album title), you might wanna cop this album and the new Jeru the Damaja for some balance. --Dalton Higgins Amazon.com

Not Luda's Best

I've always been a big fan of Ludacris, but I must say I only like 2 songs on this entire album. My advice is to purchase individual songs on iTunes or wherever. I'd highly recommend Red Light District or Release Therapy if you are looking for an all-around good album. October 10, 2007

Ludacris doing what he do best

Ludacris's Chicken-N-Beer is a great CD. I enjoy it just as much as I do his others. I feel his newest CD is his best of all but this one is just as good as his others, even better than most. The opening track Southern Fried Intro is wonderful but the first song, Blow It Out, is exceptional.

Some of the best songs include Stand Up, Harsh Times, Splash Waterfalls, Screwed Up, P-Poppin, Teamwork, and We Got.

For all fans of Ludacris and all fans of rap music at all. Definitely recommended.

Highly recommended actually.

Make sure to check out his others:
Incognegro
Back For The First Time
Word of Mouf
The Red Light District
and
Release Therapy September 5, 2007

outrageous, and yet somehow unmemorable

Having heard the amazing 'P*ssy Poppin', I was excited about getting into Chicken N Beer. Like most Luda fans, however, I was sorely disappointed by the contents. For starters, even the singles here are flawed -- 'Stand Up' is good enough, but it's no revelation, and infact it only makes me pine for past glories like 'Southern Hospitality'. 'Splash Waterfalls' has a hot beat, but the chorus is more vulgar than sexy, and it mars an otherwise good song. The only track I can't fault is the aforementioned 'P*ssy Poppin', which is a contender for Ludacris' best song ever.

What is truly surprising about this album is its vulgarity. Luda is nothing if not outrageous and overt, but this time he channels that energy in all the wrong directions. 'Blow It Out'...is the first example of several juvenile songs and skits. 'Screwed Up' struggles to be anthemic, and maybe offensive, but either way you could never call it good. 'Black Man's Struggle' is the nail in the coffin. Gross-out humour has its place in the world, but this skit will challenge even the most hardcore Ludacris fan, even if you're usually on board with his cartoonish humour. 'Hoes in My Room' is bittersweet. It's melodic and sometimes funny, but I still found it misogynistic.

There are some cool album tracks here. 'Diamond in the Back' is a charming tale of Luda's early years and starry-eyed fantasies of becoming a rapper, while 'Eyebrows Down' concerns the more prosaic struggle of actually realising those dreams. 'Teamwork' is a relatively amusing and freaky track, though again, the chorus is sub-level.

The overall impression of this album is a messy and forgettable one. Luda's flow is on point, as always, but he just didn't have the songs this time. I understand that the 'Chicken N Beer' concept allows scope for 'trash' rap, but this is trashy beyond its own aim. If you want to hear Ludacris at his outrageous peak, skip this album and head straight for the far-superior 'Word of Mouf'. August 30, 2007

Best CD I Own!

I love this CD. Every song and track is worth it! I bought this the day it came out and three years later still listen to it once a week! Ludacris is amazing and by far the best artist out there! May 14, 2007

DECENT BUT DEFINITELY NOT HIS BEST

LUDA HAS ALOT OF POTENTIAL. HE IS A SMART AND FUNNY RAPPER BUT THIS ALBUM ISN'T THAT GOOD. SURE THERE ARE A COUPLE OF NICE TRACKS, LIKE "SOUTHERN FRIED INTRO", "BLOW IT OUT", "WE GOT", "HARD TIMES", AND "DIAMOND IN THE BACK" BUT OVERALL IT'S PRETTY AVERAGE. April 23, 2007

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