Off Topic With Ludacris

There’s a lot you may not know about rapper Ludacris. Yes, you are probably familiar with his slew of hits like ‘Number One Spot’ and ‘Southern Hospitality.’ And you might even know about the rapper’s buzz worthy performances in ‘Crash’ and ‘2 Fast 2 Furious.’ But not many people know about the man who is behind the Ludacris Foundation, a non-profit organization designed to help young people achieve their dreams. Black Voices went Off Topic with Ludacris to find out why he started the Ludacris Foundation and what he really thinks about the jeri curl.

As a kid, in the supermarket I used to reach for the activator bottle because I thought the jeri curl was the cool thing in the 80s. As someone who changes his hairstyle on a weekly basis, would you consider ever working the jeri curl into rotation?

Naw. I have joked around with my friends. We always joke around about bringing different hair styles back. That was never one of them. We were always talking about bringing the box back but we were just joking, it was never serious.

How do you think Atlanta will change with the influx of New Orleans residents displaced from Hurricane Katrina?

It has changed the city a lot. I would say the way it changed everything is that the myth that black people don’t help each other was disproved. The amount of help and charity donations they received was overwhelming.

You seem to have a serious natural acting talent. What actor or movie do you draw inspiration from?

Anything that can keep my attention for the duration of the film. Just those movies where they are a lot of great actors. Anything from Denzel, I really like Don Cheadle; I think he is very underrated. I think Jeffrey Wright is a great actor. I think about stuff like ‘Mystic River’ that just really plays with human emotions. So much that you don’t question whether the actors are real or not. From comedies, it could be ‘Meet the Parents’ with Ben Stiller. I just think some people are naturally funny and some people are naturally gifted when it comes to jumping into another person’s shoes. I like Johnny Depp also.

If you had to be stuck in an elevator with George Bush or Bill O’Reilly overnight, who would you choose?

That’s hilarious. That depends on who’s ass I want to beat more. It would be Bush. Just to give him a piece of my mind and tell him how many things politically he needs to change for the better.

You’re known for your charity work but you don’t publicize it a lot. Why is that?

When I do things, I do them because I love to do them. It’s not like I have to call everybody and say, “hey, come look at what I’m doing.” For the most part I love it. It’s not a publicity stunt at all. It’s just regular charity work.

Can you talk about after being dropped by Pepsi?

Man, it made me a stronger individual. It just makes me want to learn more about how businesses are structured and teach other people so we make sure things like that don’t happen anymore.

What are your thoughts about when Oprah told you and the cast of ‘Crash’ that there isn’t a place in the English language for the word Nigger on her show?

She edited a lot of my comments out. I think it was me, Don Cheadle and Terrence Howard and we were just all saying we felt different. At the end of the conversation, we all agreed to disagree.