Pound for Pound, Rhyme for Rhyme
Pound for pound, Ludacris is one of the best rhyme slingers in the business. The only chink in Luda's armor has always been his inability to craft an album of great material from start to finish. He's like a singer who can carry a note, but can't carry a tune. Luda's seventh album, Theater of the Mind, continues this unfortunate tradition of underwhelming full-lengths from one of hip-hop's nastiest.
Hip-Hop Meets Hollywood
For Theater of the Mind, Ludacris, a SAG-winning actor, borrows some elements from the big screen. His guests are co-stars (more on that later). The song concepts read like scenes from a movie. Even some of the songs, like "Do The Right Thang" and "Everybody Hates Chris," extract their titles from Hollywood. The only thing missing in this picture is a cohesive script, as Luda struggles to string the mess together.
Speaking of co-stars, the 17 guest artists here outnumber the songs on this album. All but two of Theater of the Mind’s tracks boast big-name features, and they happen to be the two best cuts -- "Undisputed" and "MVP." As you might expect, this overload of "co-stars" leaves the lead character little room to maneuver.
Flashes of Brilliance
When the Ludameister finally gets some breathing room on the aforementioned "MVP," he smolders the DJ Premier-laced track with pure braggart. The beat is tailor-made for Luda's flow, and it goes down as one of his best performances ever. Similarly, the Don Cannon-laced album opener, "Undisputed," bristles with brutish bark: "I been scouring the earth / making my fans catch the Holy Ghost at my shows like your grandma at church."
Too Much 'Theater', Not Enough 'Mind'
Overall, Theater of the Mind sounds too flat and sketchy for Luda's larger-than-life personality. By the time Lil Wayne shows up on "Last of a Dying Breed" to kick off the first of four brilliant songs in the album's final section, which culminates with the Spike Lee-aided "Do The Right Thang," it's too little too late.
If you’re an avid Ludacris fan, nothing will deter you from buying Theater of the Mind and nodding off to the hardbody beats. If you’re not familiar with Luda’s work at this point, then Theater of the Mind is not for you.
Top Tracks- "MVP"
- "Undisputed"
- "Do The Right Thang" (Feat. Common & Spike Lee)
- "I Do It for Hip-Hop" (Feat. Jay-Z & Nas)
