The New York Times ran an interesting article a couple of days ago assessing Ludacris’ decision to enlist DJ Premier for his newest album, Theater of the Mind.  Check out the opening couple of paragraphs:

In a video on the YouTube channel of Ludacris’s label, Disturbing tha Peace, he watches as DJ Premier, the primary architect of 1990s East Coast rap formalism, picks out a line from an old Ludacris song, “Stand Up,” and cues up his turntable. Casually the D.J. begins cutting the vocals immaculately into smaller and smaller bits while Ludacris reclines in a chair, pleased with the view.

So distant is the moment when artful D.J.ing was an essential part of hip-hop culture that watching DJ Premier is a little like regarding an exhibit at a folk-art museum — a hip-hop Colonial Williamsburg.

Consider Ludacris an enthusiastic re-enactor, then, and also the rare Southern rapper who considers working with DJ Premier — or time traveling, as it were — a feather in his cap. Accordingly, the smile on his face Tuesday night as he brought Premier onstage at the Highline Ballroom was wide and irrepressibly sincere. Premier produced “MVP,” a no-frills track from Ludacris’s sixth album, “Theater of the Mind” (D.T.P./Def Jam), for which this show was a release party.

Below is the video referred to in the first line:

I haven’t had a chance to listen to the whole album, and to be honest, I’ve never been the biggest Luda fan, but if he’s showin’ love to cats like Primo and LL Cool J then I’m down fo’ sho’.  

Bonus!

Mosey on over to From Da Bricks to hear two tracks from Theater: “MVP” and “I Do It For Hip-Hop” feat. Jay-Z and Nas.  

I’ve linked to both of them below, but Bricks is definitely a blog worth reading so I recommend you have a look.

Ludacris – MVP (Theater of the Mind, 2008)

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Ludacris – I Do It For Hip-Hop feat. Jay-Z and Nas (Theater of the Mind, 2008)

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