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Very few artists in the music industry are more overlooked and underrated than Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges. The Atlanta native wrote his song at the young age of nine years old. Three years later, he joined an amateur rap group. While attending Georgia State University (where he received an honorary degree from earlier this year), he studied music management. Before he dropped his debut album, Luda worked as an intern and then a DJ at Atlanta’s Hot 97.5 (now Hot 107.9). It was while he was working at the radio station that he met super producer Timbaland. Ludacris was featured on Timbaland’s album Tim’s Bio: Live from da Bassment on the track “Phat Rabbit.”

In 1999, Ludacris formed his own record label, Disturbing the Peace, in which he would release his his debut album Incognegro under. After he signed with Def Jam South, they repackaged the album with some new songs added to make his major label debut Back for the First Time in 2000. From that point forward, Ludacris became a household name and certified hitmaker. He has eight studio albums under his belt, with many accolades and accomplishments to show for it including three Grammy Awards.

In the midst of taking over the rap game, Ludacris also stepped into acting in 2003. He is most known for his role in as Tej in the highly successful Fast and the Furious film franchise. He has been of the eleven films the franchise has made. He has also played prominent roles in movies such as Crash and Hustle & Flow. Luda is also the co-owner of Conjure Cognac liquor. In 2011, he released his own line of headphones called “Soul By Ludacris” manufactured by Soul Electronics. He also has various real estate holdings. One thing is for sure, the man stays busy. With so much going on in his life, Ludacris hasn’t focused on music in a while. This might be the reason why people don’t seem to give him the flowers he truly deserves.

Maybe people have forgotten how crazy his flow was? Or maybe they never knew how legendary his videos were? For anybody who wasn’t able to experience Ludacris’ greatness or need a refresher on how fire he was, we put together a gallery of some of our favorite Ludacris songs and features. Enjoy! Let us know your favorite tracks and any you think we forgot in the comments.

Giving Flowers Where They’re Due: Celebrating Ludacris With Our Favorite Songs & Features! was originally published on ioneglobalgrind.staging.go.ione.nyc