Editing Ludacris (section)

==Music career==

===1998–2000: ''Incognegro'' and ''Back for the First Time''===
Ludacris served as an intern and then a DJ at Atlanta's [[WHTA|Hot 97.5]] (now Hot 107.9) under the name "Chris Lova Lova".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://hotspotatl.com/videos/markallwood/ludacris-talks-conjure-fast-the-furious-exclusive-video/#more-1215211 |title=Ludacris Talks Conjure, Fast & The Furious (EXCLUSIVE VIDEO) &#124; HotSpotATL – Hot 107.9 Atlanta's Home for the Hip-Hop Community |newspaper=Hot 107.9 – Hot Spot Atl |publisher=HotSpotATL |date=September 20, 2010 |access-date=August 15, 2011}}</ref><ref name="allmusic">{{cite web|url=https://www.allmusic.com/artist/ludacris-mn0000306258/biography|title=Ludacris|last=Birchmeier|first=Jason|publisher=allmusic|accessdate=March 3, 2022}}</ref> During his radio career, Ludacris met music producer [[Timbaland]], whose album ''[[Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment]]'' would feature Ludacris on the track "Phat Rabbit" (credited as Ludichris).<ref name="allmusic"/>

Speaking with [[MTV]]'s hip hop show ''[[Direct Effect]]'' in 2000, Ludacris explained his stage name was a play on the word "ludicrous".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1428130/20001019/ludacris.jhtml|title=DFX: Ludacris Is "Back For The First Time"|last=Johnson|first=Elon|date=October 19, 2000|publisher=MTV News|access-date=March 3, 2022|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030919214716/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1428130/20001019/ludacris.jhtml|archivedate=September 19, 2003|url-status=dead}}</ref>

In 1999, Ludacris released his debut album ''[[Incognegro]]'' through his independent label [[Disturbing tha Peace]].<ref name="allmusic"/> [[Def Jam South]] would later repackage ''Incognegro'' with some new songs added into Ludacris's major label debut ''[[Back for the First Time]]'' in 2000.<ref name="allmusic"/> The album reached number four on the U.S. [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] and included the singles "[[What's Your Fantasy]]" (featuring [[Shawnna]]) and "[[Southern Hospitality (song)|Southern Hospitality]]" (featuring [[Pharrell Williams]]), which respectively reached the nos. 21 and 23 spots on the [[Billboard Hot 100]].<ref name="allmusic"/>

===2001–2003: ''Word of Mouf'' and ''Chicken-n-Beer''===
In 2001, Ludacris contributed the hit single "[[Area Codes (Ludacris song)|Area Codes]]" (featuring [[Nate Dogg]]) to the soundtrack to the film ''[[Rush Hour 2]]''. It was also included on his next album, ''[[Word of Mouf]]'', released later that year.<ref name="word of mouth">{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20011220184052/http://www.mtv.com:80/news/articles/1444888/20010629/ludacris.jhtml|archivedate=December 20, 2001|last=Reid|first=Shaheem|title=Ludacris Has Word Of Mouth Strategy For New Album|date=June 29, 2001|publisher=MTV News|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1444888/20010629/ludacris.jhtml|accessdate=March 3, 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref> The ''Word of Mouf'' lead single "[[Rollout (My Business)]]" was nominated for the [[Grammy Award for Best Male Rap Solo Performance]] in the [[45th Annual Grammy Awards|2003 Grammy Awards]].<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030210084516/http://grammy.aol.com/awards/nominees2003.html|archivedate=February 10, 2003|url=http://grammy.aol.com/awards/nominees2003.html|title=Final Nominations List: 45th Annual Grammy Awards|publisher=National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences|date=February 7, 2003|accessdate=March 3, 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref> Two other singles reached the Hot 100 in 2002: "[[Saturday (Oooh! Ooooh!)]]" featuring [[Sleepy Brown]] peaked at no. 22, and  "[[Move Bitch]]" featuring [[Mystikal]] and [[I-20 (rapper)|I-20]] peaked at no. 10.<ref name="Hot 100">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ludacris/chart-history/hsi/|title=Chart History: Ludacris: The Billboard Hot 100|publisher=Billboard|accessdate=March 3, 2022}}</ref>

Ludacris also had guest spots on hit singles throughout 2001 and 2002, such as [[Jermaine Dupri]]'s "[[Welcome to Atlanta]]" that peaked at no. 35 on the Hot 100 and no. 15 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop chart.<ref name="Hot R&B">{{cite web|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/ludacris/chart-history/bsi/|title=Chart History: Ludacris: Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs|publisher=Billboard|accessdate=March 3, 2022}}</ref> Ludacris was among multiple featured rappers on "Bia' Bia'" by [[Lil Jon|Lil Jon and the East Side Boyz]], which peaked at no. 47 on the R&B/Hip-Hop chart in August 2001.<ref name="Hot R&B"/> In the last week of 2002, "[[Gossip Folks]]" by [[Missy Elliott]] featuring Ludacris was released as a single. It peaked at no. 8 on the Hot 100 in March 2003.<ref name="Hot 100"/>

In April 2003, Ludacris released single "[[Act a Fool (Ludacris song)|Act a Fool]]" from the soundtrack of the movie ''[[2 Fast 2 Furious]]'', where Ludacris played Tej Parker.<ref>{{cite web|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20030628065312/http://www.mtv.com:80/news/articles/1471604/04292003/ludacris.jhtml|archivedate=June 28, 2003|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1471604/04292003/ludacris.jhtml|title=Ludacris Video Blends '2 Fast 2 Furious' With 'Cannonball Run'|last=Moss|first=Corey|publisher=MTV News|date=April 29, 2003|accessdate=March 3, 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref> Director [[John Singleton]] brought Ludacris into the franchise after failing to secure [[Ja Rule]]'s return for the sequel to ''[[The Fast and the Furious (2001 film)|The Fast and the Furious]]''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Golianopoulos |first=Thomas |date=April 3, 2015 |title=John Singleton Reveals How Ja Rule Blew His Chance to Be in '2 Fast 2 Furious' |url=https://grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/john-singleton-reveals-how-ja-rule-blew-his-chance-to-be-in-2-fast-2-furious/ |access-date=2024-01-07 |language=en-US}}</ref> In the fall of 2003, Ludacris released his next album ''[[Chicken-n-Beer]]''. Guest appearances included [[Playaz Circle]], [[Chingy]], [[Snoop Dogg]], [[8Ball & MJG]], [[Lil' Flip]], I-20, Lil Fate, and [[Shawnna]]. The single, "[[Stand Up (Ludacris song)|Stand Up]]" appeared on both ''Chicken-n-Beer'' as well as the soundtrack for the teen hip hop/dance movie ''[[You Got Served]]''. Produced by [[Kanye West]], "Stand Up" went on to become one of Ludacris' biggest mainstream hits to date, hitting the top spot on the [[Billboard Hot 100|''Billboard'' Hot 100]] garnering heavy airplay on mainstream pop, [[rhythmic contemporary|rhythmic]], and urban radio stations, as well as on MTV, [[MTV2]], and [[Black Entertainment Television|BET]]. Ludacris was sued by a New Jersey group called I.O.F. who claimed that "Stand Up" used a hook from one of their songs, but in June 2006, a jury found that the song did not violate copyrights. "I hope the plaintiffs enjoyed their 15 minutes of fame," Ludacris said after the verdict.<ref name="sued">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1532400/20060524/ludacris.jhtml|title=For The Record: Quick News On Luda, Kanye West, Pharrell Williams, Avenged Sevenfold, Social Distortion & More|publisher=MTV News|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20061211183148/http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1532400/20060524/ludacris.jhtml|archivedate=December 11, 2006|access-date=February 23, 2022|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The album's next single, "[[Splash Waterfalls]]", was released in early 2004. A huge pop hit (despite its steamy video and explicit, adult-oriented lyrical content and themes), it subsequently became a success at urban radio and BET, and is the only time he has produced two consecutive top 10 singles from a solo album, {{Citation needed|date=May 2009}} except for ''[[Release Therapy]]'' (an unedited version of the video could only be viewed on BET's Uncut program). It was Ludacris' most sexual video yet, an [[contemporary R&B|R&B]] remix that featured [[Raphael Saadiq]] and sampled [[Tony! Toni! Tone!]]'s "Whatever You Want". Ludacris received his first [[Grammy Award]] with [[Usher (musician)|Usher]] and [[Lil Jon]] for their hit single "[[Yeah! (Usher song)|Yeah!]]". Ludacris next released "[[Blow It Out (Ludacris song)|Blow It Out]]", which was accompanied by a low-budget music video.

===2004–2007: ''The Red Light District'' and ''Release Therapy''===
[[File:Ludacriscrop.JPG|thumb|upright|Ludacris during a 2011 New Year's Day concert in a Miami Beach nightclub]]
Ludacris took a more mature approach to his fourth album ''[[The Red Light District]]''. Sohail Khalid helped produce this album with various artists such as [[T.I.]], [[Lil' Flip]] and [[Bun B]]. Ludacris openly boasted that he may be the only rapper able to keep the Def Jam label afloat on the opening track. Ludacris filmed and recorded the single "[[Get Back (Ludacris song)|Get Back]]" in which he was featured as a muscle-bound hulk who was being annoyed by the media and warned critics to leave him alone. He first appeared on ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'' as a special guest performing with musical guest [[Sum 41]] on a season 30 episode hosted by [[Paul Giamatti]]. He then recorded "Get Back" with Sum 41 to make a rock crossover single. The follow-up single was the ''[[Austin Powers (film series)|Austin Powers]]''-inspired "[[Number One Spot]]". It was produced by New York City's [[WQHT|Hot 97]] personality [[DJ Green Lantern]]. It used the [[Quincy Jones]] sample of "[[Soul Bossa Nova]]" and sped it up to the tempo of Ludacris' rap flow. Featured artists on the album include [[Nas]], [[DJ Quik]], [[DMX]], [[Trick Daddy]], [[Sleepy Brown]] and [[Disturbing tha Peace]] newcomers [[Bobby V]]alentino, Dolla Boi and Small World. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard charts.

In an issue of ''[[XXL (magazine)|XXL]]'', Ludacris was placed in the number nine spot for the most anticipated albums of 2006, for ''[[Release Therapy]]''. The album ''Release Therapy'' was released on September 26, 2006. Ludacris formatted the CD to have two sides: a ''Release'' side and a ''Therapy'' side on a single CD. Guest appearances include [[Pharrell Williams]], [[R. Kelly]], [[Young Jeezy]], [[Mary J. Blige]], [[Field Mob]], [[Bobby V]]alentino, [[Pimp C]], [[C-Murder]] and [[Beanie Sigel]]. The first single, "[[Money Maker]]", which features Williams, was released to U.S. radio outlets on July 17, 2006.<ref name="BB">{{cite web|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/57826/ludacris-digs-deep-on-release-therapy |title=Ludacris Digs Deep On 'Release Therapy' |work=Billboard.com |date=July 14, 2006 |access-date=July 14, 2006}}</ref> "Money Maker" reached number one on the BET program ''[[106 & Park]]''. It then went to become the rapper's second number-one single after 6 years{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}. His second single, "[[Grew Up a Screw Up]]", featuring [[Young Jeezy]], dispels rumors that the two are or ever were in a dispute. His third single, "[[Runaway Love (Ludacris song)|Runaway Love]]", soon peaked at number one on the U.S. ''Billboard'' [[Hot Rap Tracks]] and won Best Collaboration in the 2007 [[BET Awards]]. ''Release Therapy'' won the [[Best Rap Album]] award at the [[49th Grammy Awards|2007 Grammy Awards]]. His album then reached number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 album charts with sales of 309,000 in its first week. With the release of this album, Ludacris marked a change in style in his career with his musical style. The new album itself features a departure of the lighthearted mood of his previous albums, and introduces a darker side. A change of hair accompanied this as he cut off his trademark braids for a more conventional "fade" cut. To promote the album, Ludacris returned to ''Saturday Night Live'' (as both host and musical guest) on November 18, 2006.

===2008–2010: ''Theater of the Mind'' and ''Battle of the Sexes''===
''[[DJ Drama Presents: The Preview|The Preview]]'', a mixtape to preview the album was released on July 28, 2008. ''[[Theater of the Mind]]'' was released on November 24, 2008, and in April 2008, the single "Let's Stay Together" appeared on xxlmag.com; supposedly from the new album ("Let's Stay Together" was expected to but was released as a bonus track on the CD). A song with Small World called "Pinky Shinin" was expected to be on the album, but it was dropped. In an interview with ''Complex Magazine'' he stated that [[Chris Brown]], [[Lil Wayne]], [[Rick Ross]], [[T.I.]], [[Plies (rapper)|Plies]], [[Common (rapper)|Common]], [[T-Pain]], [[Jay-Z]], [[Nas]] and [[The Game (rapper)|The Game]] will be on the album; Game is featured in a track with [[Willy Northpole]] titled "Call Up the Homies". T.I. was on the album on a track called "Wish You Would" squashing the long feud between them. The album debuted at number five on the ''Billboard'' 200 with 213,493 sold first week. The album was released the same day as [[Kanye West]]'s ''[[808s & Heartbreak]]'', which took the number-one spot.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.8192 |title=Hip Hop Album Sales: The Week Ending 11/30/08 |work=HipHopDX.com |date=December 3, 2008 |last=Paine |first=Jake |access-date=June 17, 2011}}</ref> His first single "[[What Them Girls Like]]", featuring [[Chris Brown]] and [[Sean Garrett]], peaked at number 33 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. His second single, "[[One More Drink]]", featuring [[T-Pain]], peaked at number 24 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The third official single is "[[Nasty Girl (Ludacris song)|Nasty Girl]]", featuring [[Plies (rapper)|Plies]]. He confirmed a "sequel" titled ''Ludaversal''<ref>{{cite web |url=http://islanddefjam.com/artist/news_single.aspx?nid=4068&artistID=7310 |title=Video: SoundOff Interview One On One With Ludacris|website=Island Def Jam|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110812041757/http://islanddefjam.com/artist/news_single.aspx?nid=4068&artistID=7310 |archive-date=August 12, 2011 }}</ref> due to be released September 11, 2012.<ref name=autocinmatic>{{cite magazine |author=DeMarco Williams |url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1249/title.ludacris-audio-cinematic/p.2 |title=Ludacris: Audio Cinematic &#124; Rappers Talk Hip Hop Beef & Old School Hip Hop |magazine=HipHopDX |date=October 24, 2008 |access-date=December 1, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090817170304/http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/features/id.1249/title.ludacris-audio-cinematic/p.2 |archive-date=August 17, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Ludacris was featured on [[Justin Bieber]]'s hit single "[[Baby (Justin Bieber song)|Baby]]", which became one of the [[List of best-selling singles in the United States#11× Platinum or higher|highest-certified singles]] of all time in the US and gained international success.<ref name="Baby" /> His eighth studio album was released on March 9, 2010, with his first promotional single for the album being "Everybody Drunk" which features Callum Smith, originally featuring [[Shawnna]]. The first concept idea of the album was to have Ludacris and Shawnna battle it out on the album back–to–back, but this was later axed upon Shawnna's departure from [[Disturbing tha Peace]], ending her contract on Ludacris' label and joining [[T-Pain]]'s [[Nappy Boy Entertainment]] label. The first official single released from ''Battle of the Sexes'' was "[[How Low (Ludacris song)|How Low]]", which was released on December 8, 2009. The follow–up single was "[[My Chick Bad]]", released on February 23, 2010. The third single is "[[Sex Room]]", peaking at number 69 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. Ludacris's ''Battle of the Sexes'' entered the chart at number one, with 137,000 sales in the first week. The album is currently certified gold.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |title=RIAA – Searchable Database |access-date=June 11, 2010 |date=June 4, 2010 |work=[[Recording Industry Association of America|RIAA]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070626050454/http://www.riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH |archive-date=June 26, 2007  }}</ref>

===2012–2015: ''Ludaversal''===
In 2012, Ludacris released the singles "[[Representin]]" and "[[Rest of My Life (Ludacris song)|Rest of My Life]]", both of which were scrapped after the songs underperformed and the recording process for his upcoming album ''Ludaversal'' stalled.

On May 24, 2013, Ludacris released a mixtape entitled ''#IDGAF''. He had been releasing a new song on Fridays as he was calling these releases ''IDGAF Fridays''. These songs, in order of release, were "Raised in the South" featuring rapper [[Jeezy]], released on April 19. That release was followed by "If I Ain't Fucked Up" on April 26, "9 Times Out of 10" featuring rappers [[French Montana]] & Que on May 3, "Speak into The Mic" on May 10, and "I Don't Give A Fuck" on May 17. The last song was released a week before the release of the mixtape. The mixtape had almost 60,000 downloads via datpiff.com within the first day. Ludacris reprised his role as Tej in the blockbuster movie ''[[Fast & Furious 6]]'', which opened during Memorial Day Weekend, May 2013. Ludacris had this to say about his upcoming new album: "I think every album is like a progression, I'm working with different producers. Usher, We definitely have this album which is a great thing. Ne-Yo is also on the album and I have producers like David Guetta, we have Stargate, have trainees. [The] Kelly Rowland single just came out that you need to check out. It's called 'Representing{{'"}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Ludacris promises Ghanaians 'a good show' at Vodafone 020 Live tonight!|url=http://ameyawdebrah.com/ludacris-promises-ghanaians-a-good-show-at-vodafone-020-live-tonight/|website=ameyawdebrah.com|date=September 29, 2012}}</ref>

On August 3, 2013, Ludacris confirmed to VIBE.com he will be working with [[Anita Baker]]. "I don't know if the cat's out the bag. Yeah, Anita Baker is definitely on the album", admitted Luda. "She's on that particular song. [It] is really about my father and growing up and me being a kid and trying to get him to stop and me dealing with that."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vibe.com/article/vibe-exclusive-ludacris-adds-anita-baker-ludaversal |title=Exclusive: Ludacris Adds Anita Baker to 'Ludaversal' |work=Vibe |date=August 3, 2013 |access-date=August 7, 2013}}</ref>

After a lengthy hiatus, Ludacris returned to the music on January 30, 2014, with the release of a single "Party Girls" featuring [[Jeremih]], [[Wiz Khalifa]] and [[Cashmere Cat]]. The song takes a cue from [[Aqua (band)|Aqua]]'s 1997 song "[[Barbie Girl]]"; however, the single did not appear on the new album.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/ludacris-party-girls-feat-jeremih-wiz-khalifa-cashmere-cat-new-song.1806784.html |title=Ludacris – Party Girls Feat. Jeremih, Wiz Khalifa & Cashmere Cat [New Song&#93; |publisher=Hotnewhiphop.com |date=January 30, 2014 |access-date=February 11, 2014}}</ref> On October 9, 2014, Ludacris announced that  ''Ludaversal'' would be released on March 31, 2015; which will be preceded by an EP titled ''Burning Bridges'' due for release on December 16, 2014.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.audiocastle.net/news/view/5698-Ludacris-Announces-Ludaversal-Release-Date-Upcoming-EP|title=Ludacris Announces "Ludaversal" Release Date & Upcoming EP|access-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/videos/id.18262/title.ludacris-ludaverses-vol-2|title=Ludacris|author=HipHopDX|date=November 20, 2014|work=HipHopDX|access-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref> On October 31, 2014, Ludacris premiered the first single from the "Burning Bridges" EP titled "[[Good Lovin (Ludacris song)|Good Lovin']]" featuring American singer [[Miguel (singer)|Miguel]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hotnewhiphop.com/ludacris-good-lovin-feat-miguel-prod-by-da-internz-new-song.1959008.html|title=Ludacris – Good Lovin' Feat. Miguel (Prod. by Da Internz)|work=HotNewHipHop|date=October 31, 2014|access-date=March 6, 2015}}</ref>

Due to its moderate success, "Good Lovin" would go on to serve as the first single from ''[[Ludaversal]]''. On March 3, 2015, Ludacris held a listening party for Ludaversal with Def Jam. The tracks "Intro", "Not For Long" featuring [[Usher (musician)|Usher]], and "Come N See Me" featuring [[Big K.R.I.T.]] were revealed to the public<ref>{{cite AV media|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE5Zz8q03rA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/fE5Zz8q03rA| archive-date=2021-12-11 |url-status=live|title=Ludacris' Ludaversal Listening Party Recap|date=March 6, 2015|work=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> After 3 years worth of delays, Ludaversal was released March 31, 2015 to generally positive reviews and peaked at number 3 on the [[Billboard 200]].

===2017–present: Upcoming tenth studio album and ''Karma's World''===
In March 2017, Ludacris confirmed that he was working on his tenth studio album in an interview with ''[[Complex (magazine)|Complex]]'' magazine.{{citation needed|date=June 2023}} On March 31, 2017, Ludacris released a new single called "Vitamin D" featuring [[Ty Dolla Sign|Ty Dolla $ign]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/us/album/vitamin-d-feat-ty-dolla-%24ign-single/1215901926|title=Vitamin D (feat. Ty Dolla $ign) – Single by Ludacris|date=March 31, 2017|via=music.apple.com}}</ref>

In 2017, Ludacris hosted YouTube's ''Best.Cover.Ever'' show.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://www.billboard.com/articles/business/7775277/youtube-announces-bestcoverever-show-with-ludacris-demi-lovato-jason|title=YouTube Announces 'Best.Cover.Ever' Show With Ludacris, Demi Lovato, Jason Derulo|author=Andy Gensler |magazine=[[billboard (magazine)|billboard]]|date=April 26, 2017|access-date=May 9, 2017}}</ref>

In 2018, he was featured on country singer [[Carrie Underwood]]'s single "[[The Champion (song)|The Champion]]". The song peaked at number 47 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and was the opening song for [[Super Bowl LII]] and [[2018 Winter Olympics]] and ''[[Cry Pretty (album)|Cry Pretty]]''. On May 8, 2018, Ludacris received three nominations and one win at the 2018 [[CMT Music Awards]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://people.com/country/2018-cmt-awards-complete-winners-list/|title=From Carrie to Blake — See the Complete Winners List from the 2018 CMT Music Awards|work=[[people (magazine)|People]]|access-date=June 7, 2018}}</ref>

On October 14, 2020, [[Netflix]] commissioned his then-new animated [[musical film|musical]] [[children's television series]] known as ''[[Karma's World]]'' for an initial 40 episodes from [[9 Story USA|9 Story Productions]], Creative Affairs Group and his production company, ''Karma's World Entertainment'',<ref name="LudaKW0">{{cite web|last=Foster|first=Elizabeth|date=14 October 2020|url=https://kidscreen.com/2020/10/14/karma-comes-for-netflix/|title=Karma comes for Netflix|website=Kidscreen|publisher=[[Brunico Communications]]|access-date=1 December 2020}}</ref> Using the inspiration of his eldest daughter, Karma Bridges, and the eponymous website created in 2009. Ludacris stated in interviews with ''[[people (magazine)|People]]'' and ''[[billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]'' that he and Karma "spent close to a decade and a half" working on the "perfection" of the production.<ref name="LudaKW1">{{cite web|last=Farr|first=Adrienne|date=15 October 2021|url=https://people.com/tv/ludacris-new-netflix-series-karmas-world-about-self-confidence-self-empowerment/|title=Ludacris Discusses His New Netflix Series Karma's World|website=[[people (magazine)|People]]|access-date=1 November 2021}}</ref><ref name="LudaKW2">{{cite magazine|last=Aderoju|first=Darlene|date=2 November 2021|url=https://www.billboard.com/music/rb-hip-hop/ludracris-karmas-world-interview-executive-producer-9651062/|title=Ludacris Talks Executive Producing 'Karma's World'|magazine=[[billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=5 November 2021}}</ref> The series premiered on [[Netflix]] on October 15, 2021, alongside its official [[soundtrack album]], which was produced and released by [[Def Jam Recordings]] on global [[digital distribution|digital]] [[music download|music]] [[streaming media|streaming platforms]].<ref name="LudaKW3">{{cite web|last=Walton|first=Monica|date=10 September 2021|url=https://etcanada.com/news/818212/ludacris-launches-animated-series-karmas-world-on-netflix-watch-the-music-video-debut-welcome-to-karmas-world/|title=Ludacris Launches Animated Series 'Karma's World' on Netflix, Watch the Music Video Debut 'Welcome to Karma's World'|website=[[ET Canada]]|access-date=1 November 2021|archive-date=May 12, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220512202846/https://etcanada.com/news/818212/ludacris-launches-animated-series-karmas-world-on-netflix-watch-the-music-video-debut-welcome-to-karmas-world/|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="LudaKW4">{{Cite magazine|last=Aderoju|first=Darlene|title=Ludacris Releases Theme Song for His 'Karma's World' Kids' Series: Watch|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/9629213/ludacris-karmas-world-theme-song-video/|date=September 13, 2021|access-date=September 14, 2021|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]}}</ref> On January 17, 2022, the series got nominated for three [[NAACP Image Awards]] including Outstanding Children's Program<ref>{{Cite web|last=Complex|first=Valerie|date=18 January 2022|title=NAACP Image Awards Nominations: Netflix Tops List For Second Year In A Row With 'The Harder They Fall', 'Bruised' & 'Passing'|url=https://deadline.com/2022/01/naacp-image-awards-netflix-the-harder-they-fall-1234914036/|access-date=11 March 2022|website=[[Deadline Hollywood]]}}</ref> and Ludacris himself got nominated for his voice-over performance as Karma's on-screen father. Netflix renewed ''Karma's World'' for a second season on back of the encouragements, which premiered on March 10, 2022.<ref>{{Cite web|date=9 February 2022|title=Karma's World Season 2 is Coming to Netflix on March 10|url=https://9story.com/karmas-world-season-2-is-coming-to-netflix-on-march-10/|access-date=11 March 2022|website=[[9 Story Media Group]]|location=[[Toronto]], [[Canada]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Jeffrey|first=Joyann|date=10 March 2022|url=https://www.today.com/popculture/tv/ludacris-says-karmas-world-season-2-tackles-body-issues-rcna19301|title=Ludacris Says 'Karma's World' Season 2 Tackles Body Issues|website=[[Today (American TV program)|TODAY]]|access-date=1 April 2022}}</ref>

In August 2021, Ludacris released the single "Butter.ATL".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Aderoju|first=Darlene|title=Ludacris Returns With 'Butter.ATL' & Urges Artists to 'Express Yourself in Whatever Way You Want'|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/hip-hop/9615259/ludacris-butter-atl-jif-peanut-butter-commercial-interview/|date=August 16, 2021|access-date=August 17, 2021|magazine=Billboard}}</ref>

In December 2022, it was announced that Ludacris would open up for Janet Jackson's [[Janet Jackson: Together Again|Together Again Tour]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.etonline.com/janet-jackson-adds-more-dates-to-together-again-tour-with-guest-ludacris-195833 |title=Janet Jackson Adds More Dates to 'Together Again' Tour With Guest Ludacris |last1=Pierre |first1=Mekishana |date=December 16, 2022 |website=[[Entertainment Tonight]] |access-date=January 19, 2023}}</ref>
 
Ludacris made a cameo in Usher's [[Super Bowl LVIII halftime show]], performing his portion of "Yeah".